Red Bull Racing RB16
The Red Bull Racing RB16 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Red Bull Racing to compete during the 2020 Formula One World Championship. The car will be driven by Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon, both of whom retained by the team for a fifth and second season respectively.[2] The RB16 is the second Red Bull car to use Honda engines.[3] The car was planned to make its competitive début at the 2020 Australian Grand Prix, but this was delayed when the race was cancelled and the next three events in Bahrain, Vietnam and China were postponed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5] The RB16 made its début at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.
An RB16 driven by Alexander Albon at the 2020 Formula One pre-season testing. | |||||||||||
Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constructor | Red Bull Racing | ||||||||||
Designer(s) |
| ||||||||||
Predecessor | Red Bull RB15 | ||||||||||
Technical specifications[1] | |||||||||||
Engine | Honda RA620H | ||||||||||
Fuel | Esso/Mobil Synergy race fuels | ||||||||||
Lubricants | Mobil 1 | ||||||||||
Tyres | Pirelli | ||||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||||
Notable entrants | Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | ||||||||||
Notable drivers |
| ||||||||||
Debut | 2020 Austrian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
First win | 70th Anniversary Grand Prix | ||||||||||
Last win | 70th Anniversary Grand Prix | ||||||||||
Last event | 2020 Spanish Grand Prix | ||||||||||
|
The pandemic also prompted the delay of technical regulations that had been planned for introduction in 2021. Under an agreement between teams and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 2020-specification cars—including the RB16—will see their lifespan extended to compete in 2021.[6]
Initial design
With largely unchanged technical regulations for the 2020 season, the RB16 was based on its predecessor the RB15.[7] The RB16 featured a narrower nose with two additional inlets at its front, as well as a redesigned bargeboard area and smaller sidepod inlets.[8][9] The car also featured a large 'cape' element below the nose, bodywork that was popularised by Mercedes in 2017 but that Red Bull had not yet adopted. Parts of the rear suspension were raised, and the rear wing featured two supporting pillars compared to its predecessor's one.[10] The team also redesigned the front multi-link suspension of the car, with team principal Christian Horner stating that the intention was to improve the performance of the car in low-speed corners.[11]
Season summary
Verstappen and Albon started second and fourth on the grid respectively for the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, however both cars would go on to retire with electrical failures during the race.[12]
Complete Formula One results
(key)
Year | Entrant | Power unit | Tyres | Driver name | Grands Prix | Points | WCC | Ref. | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | Honda RA620H | P | AUT | STY | HUN | GBR | 70A | ESP | BEL | ITA | TUS | RUS | EIF | POR | EMI | 135* | 2nd* | ||
Alexander Albon | 13 |
4 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 8 | ||||||||||||||
Max Verstappen | Ret | 3 | 2 | 2F | 1 | 2 |
- Notes
* Championship in progress.
† Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed over 90% of the winner's race distance.
References
- "Hear the 2020 Honda power unit fire up". GPToday.net. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- "Red Bull retains Verstappen and Albon". Formula One. Formula One. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- van Leeuwen, Andrew (19 June 2018). "Red Bull drops Renault for 2019 Honda Formula 1 engine deal". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- Coch, Mat (13 March 2020). "Confirmed: F1 cancelled at Australian Grand Prix". Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- "Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix postponed". formula1.com. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- Herrero, Daniel (20 March 2020). "Formula 1's new regulations delayed until 2022". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- Hughes, Mark (12 February 2020). "RAPID REACTION: Our first take on Red Bull's RB16". formula1.com. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Hatton, Gemma. "Red Bull Racing RB16 - Technical analysis". racecar-engineering.com. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Lupini, Michele (17 February 2020). "Piston Broke: Analysing the Red-Bull RB16-Honda". grandprix247.com. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Discover the hidden technical secrets of Red Bull's new RB16". motorsport.com. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Red Bull's innovative multi-link 2020 F1 front suspension design". autosport.com. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Mitchell, Scott (5 July 2020). "Honda: Electrical issues caused Red Bull retirements". the-race.com. Retrieved 5 July 2020.