Oracle Red Bull Racing

Lore & Background

The current Red Bull team traces its origins back to the Stewart Grand Prix outfit that made its debut in 1997. Jackie Stewart sold his team to the Ford Motor Company late in 1999 who rebranded the team Jaguar Racing. It had little success over the next five years. Jaguar Racing was put up for sale in September 2004 when Ford decided it could 'no longer make a compelling business case for any of its brands to compete in Formula One.'

Red Bull, an energy drinks company, agreed its purchase of Jaguar Racing on the final day of the sale, 15 November 2004. BBC Sport reported that Ford asked bidders for a symbolic US$1 in return for a commitment to invest US$400 million in the team over three Grand Prix seasons. The team continued to have access to the Cosworth engine developed for their 2005 chassis, and the operation continued under the new title. Christian Horner was installed as the new team boss and lined up David Coulthard and Christian Klien to drive for the team.

The team operated under a British racing licence from 2005 to 2006. Red Bull Racing was not the start of Red Bull's involvement in Formula One, as they sponsored Sauber from 1995 to 2004 and Gerhard Berger before that, beginning in 1989. After buying a Formula One team of its own, Red Bull ended its long-term partnership with the Swiss team.

Reader's Guide

Red Bull had Cosworth engines in 2005 and Ferrari engines in 2006. The team used engines supplied by Renault between 2007 and 2018 (from 2016 to 2018, the Renault engine was re-badged TAG Heuer following the breakdown in the relationship between Red Bull and Renault in 2015). During this partnership, they won four successive Drivers' and Constructors' Championship titles in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, led by Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, and becoming the first Austrian team to win the title.

The team began using Honda engines in 2019. The works Honda partnership culminated in 2021, following Red Bull driver Max Verstappen's World Drivers' Championship victory, with Verstappen also winning the championship in 2022, 2023, and 2024; he missed out to Lando Norris in 2025. Red Bull also won two Constructors' Championship titles in 2022 and 2023, but lost out in 2021 to Mercedes and in 2024 and 2025 to McLaren. Honda left the sport officially after 2021 but continued to supply complete engines from Japan to the team partly under Red Bull Powertrains branding until the end of 2025.

Following the conclusion of their partnership with Honda, Red Bull switched to Ford engines in 2026 after having signed a deal to use their engines in 2023. Red Bull have a new wind tunnel due to be operational by 2026.

The RB20: A Final Masterpiece from Adrian Newey

The Red Bull Racing RB20 stands as a historic milestone, marking the final Formula One car designed by legendary Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey before his departure to Aston Martin midway through the season. Unveiled at the Milton Keynes factory in February 2024, this machine was engineered to succeed the dominant RB19, powered once again by the Honda RBPTH002 power unit. Driven by defending champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez, the car initially displayed the blistering pace characteristic of Newey's designs.

However, its legacy is complex; while it secured a Drivers' Championship for Verstappen, the team struggled to maintain their early-season stranglehold as rivals like McLaren and Ferrari closed the gap. The RB20 represents the twilight of an era in F1 engineering, combining record-breaking performance with the inevitable challenges of evolving competitor strategies. Its construction and design philosophy reflected Newey's decades of expertise, yet the car also highlighted the shifting tides of technical dominance within the sport during a pivotal transition year for the team.

A Tale of Two Drivers: Verstappen's Triumph vs. Pérez's Decline

The 2024 season aboard the RB20 was defined by a stark divergence in performance between its two drivers. Max Verstappen delivered a masterclass, securing nine race victories and ultimately clinching his fourth consecutive World Championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. His dominance included five career grand chelems early on and consistent podium finishes that kept him ahead of the field despite mid-season struggles. Pérez faced numerous setbacks, including qualifying errors, crashes in Monaco and Hungary, and mechanical failures like a clutch issue in Qatar that ended his race prematurely.

This disparity was so significant that it effectively eliminated Red Bull from contention for the Constructors' Championship by late autumn. The season underscored the critical importance of driver consistency within a top-tier team, as Verstappen's brilliance could not fully compensate for his teammate's struggles to match the car's potential.

From Dominance to Third: The Shifting Competitive Landscape

The competitive narrative of the RB20 shifted dramatically from early-season supremacy to a hard-fought third-place finish in the Constructors' Championship. Following a dominant start where Red Bull topped testing and secured back-to-back wins in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the team faced increasing pressure as McLaren's MCL38 evolved. While Verstappen managed to win races in São Paulo and Qatar, the collective performance of the team could not match the consistency of their rivals.

Key moments included a brake failure for Verstappen in Australia and a collision with Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix that cost them valuable points. By the time McLaren overtook them, Red Bull had slipped behind Ferrari as well. Despite achieving 18 podiums and eight pole positions, the inability to secure double points finishes consistently meant they finished third overall. This trajectory highlighted how quickly competitive advantages can erode in Formula One when rival teams successfully introduce upgrades that neutralize previous strengths.

Statistical Legacy: Wins, Records, and Sprint Success

Despite finishing third in the Constructors' standings, the RB20 amassed an impressive statistical ledger that cements its place as a championship-winning machine. The car achieved nine Grand Prix victories out of 24 races, accompanied by four sprint race wins, with the final one occurring at the United States Grand Prix. Its qualifying prowess was evident through eight pole positions and four additional sprint poles, demonstrating superior single-lap speed throughout the year.

Furthermore, the RB20 recorded 18 podium finishes and secured four fastest laps, showcasing its raw pace even when strategic errors or mechanical issues prevented a win. These figures reflect a car that remained competitive at the very highest level for most of the season. The statistical output confirms that while the team lost the constructors' battle to McLaren and Ferrari, the RB20 itself was capable of victory on almost any given weekend, relying heavily on Verstappen's ability to extract maximum performance from the chassis when it mattered most.