The big question is whether 2021 will be the year of ‘The Red Bull.’
MILTON KEYNES, England—With a veteran driver added to their squad–in addition to a 10-time race winner–Red Bull Racing launched their RB 16 B Challenger online in their factory Tuesday morning. The quest? It’s challenging Mercedes in this year’s world F1 championship.
Max Verstappen (photo, Daily Express)
The car itself is not too much different from last season’s RB 16. However, following many seasons of struggling with other engine manufacturers, the Austrian-sponsored team now deals with the Japanese Honda company. Fortunately for Red Bull, they have reached a deal to keep Honda power unit technology past 2021.
Last year’s car won two races for Max Verstappen, including the last Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. But there was difficulty in instability in corners, which gave the team trouble at the beginning of last year.
Hopefully, with this problem solved, the team can try to win what they have always wanted–to take both world championships, both drivers and team.
Verstappen, without question, will be hungry for more wins and championships. At issue is the second driver. In the past, that driver came through the Red Bull Driving Academy, including Dani Kvyat, Jean-Eric Vergne, Jaime Algusrauri, Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz Jr., Pierre Gasly and last year’s driver, Alex Albon.
Sergio Perez (photo, F1i)
For the first time since Mark Webber, Red Bull has picked a driver that never participated in the Red Bull Academy. He’s Sergio Perez, who has had an up-and-down career, driving for McLaren, Sauber, and Racing Point (now Aston Martin).
But Perez’s stunning victory at the Sakir Grand Prix last fall convinced Red Bull to sign him. With Perez now in the mix, Verstappen has a teammate who knows the ins-and-outs of being a Formula 1 driver.
Both Verstappen and Perez will drive the car today in a private test before participating in the only F1 pre-test in Bahrain, scheduled for March 12th-14th.
The big question is whether 2021 will be the year of ‘The Red Bull.’
