Red Bull Racing are the second F1 team to unveil their 2022 challenger and the livery, the first among the front-runners in recent time.
With Haas jumping the line as usual, Red Bull became the first from the front-running side to launch their 2022 challenger – RB18 – albeit the full version will only be seen near the test and or the first race, but the livery is set for the whole of the F1 season.
They have retained the corporate colours as expected but as seen on the MotoGP bikes, the Red Bull is outlined still in yellow as opposed to the white they used there. The car also sports #1 for Max Verstappen, which the Dutchman is to carry throughout 2022.
‘HRC (Honda Racing Corporation)’ replaces the Honda badge with the Japanese manufacturer officially out of F1, even though they are still supporting the team will supplies as per the contract. There’s no mention of ‘Red Bull Powertrains’ though.
The launch stream also confirmed a title sponsorship with Oracle as the outfit altered its team name to ‘Oracle Red Bull Racing’ for the 2022 F1 season. The deal as per Associated Press is said to be $500 million for five years.
During the stream, Christian Horner noted that the car seen today will not be the one which will be there at Barcelona. There will be big evolution as eagle eyed viewers laid down no huge difference between FOM’s Silverstone spec to Red Bull’s RB18 launch spec.
“I’m feeling recharged and ready to get driving again, I feel good and it’s important that you prepare yourself in the best way possible physically, particularly when things are changing with the shakeup in regulations,” said Verstappen.
“In terms of the car, we don’t know what to fully expect so I’m excited to see how the car behaves on the track for the first time. The biggest adaptation this season will be the new regulations, we’ll need some time to get used to the car, it is not like you just jump in and it’s an upgrade from last year.
“The rest is pretty straightforward, I don’t feel any extra pressure this season, I will just do what I do all the time because I don’t think there is any reason to be different. Now I just I can’t wait for that first moment when I drive out of the pitlane in the RB18.”
At the same time, Perez noted: “I am so excited to start the new season and I cannot wait to be on track with the new RB18. All of us on the grid are starting from zero this season so it is set to be an exciting year. Last year, we gave it our all until the very last lap and we are ready to do the same in 2022.
“The new regulations are said to improve the competition on track, so I hope that for us as drivers we can compete more, race more and follow each other more closely. There will be a lot of things we need to learn and adapt to but these new regulations are set to make everything very interesting.
“One thing I can’t wait for this season is to see more fans back at the track, Formula One is growing so much all over the world so I can’t wait to feel that atmosphere again. I hope that we can give the fans great entertainment and great racing.”
And finally, Horner added: “With the new regulation changes this year, the whole philosophy has altered, which means every single component is different to last year’s car. It’s a clean sheet of paper for every single team.
“By the time we get to the first race, the RB18 won’t look much like it looks today, the evolution will be very quick as we progress through the season. It is a steep learning curve for everyone and it is a contest in development between the first and the last race.
“We believe we have a good car for 2022, the RB18 is coming to life and seeing it today is fantastic. It has been a huge effort from the Team and I am looking forward to seeing it out on the track now. We plan to build on 2021, we have number one on the car this year and now the challenge is it keep it and defend that title with Max. The excitement and hard work of 2021 really galvanised the Team and it means we go into 2022 in great shape for the season ahead.”
Here’s some photos:
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F1 2022 launches so far:
