Red Bull RB6

Red Bull RB6

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Red Bull
Designer(s)	Adrian Newey (Chief Technical Officer) Rob Marshall (Chief Designer)[1] Peter Prodromou (Head of Aerodynamics)[1]
Predecessor	Red Bull RB5
Successor	Red Bull RB7
Technical specifications[2]
Chassis	carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite monocoque, designed and built in-house, carrying engine as fully stressed member
Suspension (front)	Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbones with springs and anti-roll bar, push rod-actuated Multimatic dampers
Suspension (rear)	as front, except pull rod-actuated rear dampers
Engine	Renault RS27-2010 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) 90° V8, limited to 18,000 RPM naturally aspirated mid-mounted
Transmission	Seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox with reverse gear Hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation
Weight	620 kg (1,367 lb) (including driver)
Fuel	Total
Tyres	Bridgestone Potenza OZ Wheels (front and rear): 13"
Competition history
Notable entrants	Red Bull Racing
Notable drivers	5. Sebastian Vettel 6. Mark Webber
Debut	2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 19 9 20 15 6
Constructors' Championships	1 (2010)
Drivers' Championships	1 (2010, Sebastian Vettel)

The Red Bull RB6 is a Formula One motor racing car designed by Red Bull Racing for the 2010 campaign. It was driven by 2010 World Champion Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber and was launched on February 10 at Jerez.^[3]

Vettel, who (since joining Scuderia Toro Rosso) makes it a habit to give his racing cars names, named his RB6 "Luscious Liz".^[4] However, after unspecified minor damage was found on this chassis after the Monaco Grand Prix, the team gave Vettel a new chassis, which he then named "Randy Mandy."^[5]

The car claimed the first of four consecutive World Constructors' Championships for Red Bull Racing, and in the hands of Sebastian Vettel, took the first World Drivers' Championship of his career at the last round of the season. In qualifying, the RB6 was a consistent pace setter, setting the fastest time in 15 out of the 19 rounds. Red Bull's chief technical officer Adrian Newey later went on to claim that the car was "probably the car with the most downforce in the history of F1".^[6]

In 2014, before his final race with Red Bull, Vettel stated that the RB6 was his favorite Formula One car to drive in his career to date.^[7]

Racing history

Sebastian Vettel achieved the RB6's first win at the Malaysian Grand Prix, having started on pole at the first two Grands Prix in Bahrain and Australia.

During qualifying for the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel set the fastest times in Q2 and Q3 clinching pole by just over a tenth of second from Ferrari's Felipe Massa. From the lights Sebastian Vettel led until lap 33 when the car had what was at first thought to be a broken exhaust but was later revealed to be a spark plug problem which reduced the power and straight line speed.^[8] Over the remaining laps of the race Vettel dropped down to fourth behind both Ferraris and Lewis Hamilton where he would finish the race. Webber finished 8th.

Vettel achieved his second consecutive pole position in Australia, while Webber qualified in second position. Technical problems plagued Vettel for a second consecutive race when a loose wheel nut ended his challenge while leading. Webber had to stay on track longer as Vettel pitted for dry tyres, and finished in ninth position after a late-race incident with Lewis Hamilton. In Malaysia the Red Bull drivers scored a dominant 1-2 finish, with Vettel winning. In China they took the front row of the starting grid, but rain affected the race and they finished in sixth and eighth positions. In Spain Webber won the race with teammate Vettel finishing third after a major brake problem in the last 8 laps. In Monte Carlo Webber again took pole position and dominated the race. Sebastian Vettel passed Robert Kubica's Renault on lap one and remained in second position for the remainder of the race distance, completing Red Bull's second 1-2 of the season. In Turkey Webber claimed pole again in qualifying, while Vettel managed third, behind Lewis Hamilton. In the race, Vettel managed to overtake Hamilton during pit stops to be in second place for much of the race. Webber and Vettel were on course for Red Bull's third 1-2 of the 2010 season, until lap 40 when Vettel and Webber crashed into each other as a result of an attempted overtake by Vettel. The crash forced Vettel out of the race and put an end to Webber's chance of victory. The race ended in a McLaren 1-2 instead of a Red Bull 1-2, with Hamilton winning and Jenson Button coming in second. Webber eventually finished in third place. Webber managed to hold on to first place in the Drivers' Championship, with a five-point lead over second placed Button. Vettel however slipped to fifth place. Red Bull also surrendered first place in the Constructors' Championship to McLaren, albeit being behind by only one point. In Canada they finished 4th and 5th and are now 22 points behind. In Valencia, Vettel won his first race since Malaysia while Webber had a spectacular accident where he collided with Heikki Kovalainen and flipped over at 190 mph (310 km/h) and hit an advertising board, escaping unhurt from the incident.

At the British Grand Prix, an inter-team feud broke out after Red Bull brought two updated front wings to the race. After one was broken when it became detached from Vettel's car in the third free practice session, Vettel was given the second wing for qualifying based upon championship positions and practice pace, which left team-mate Webber frustrated.^[9] With the new wing, Vettel qualified on pole with Webber recording the second-fastest time in the session. Webber made a better start than his team-mate and overhauled Vettel into the first corner, while Vettel suffered a puncture due to contact with the front wing endplate of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren, which dropped him to the tail of the field. He would recover to seventh place, while Webber went on to take his third victory of the season. On the slow-down lap, Webber, still angry at the situation, told his team over the radio that his victory was "not bad for a number two driver", and in the post-race press conference, he stated that he would not have signed a contract extension with the team - having signed a contract extension for 2011 in the preceding month - had he believed he was going to be treated unfavourably to Vettel.^[10]

Vettel took poles in Germany and Hungary but failed to win either race, taking third places in both races. Webber suffered a problem with a lack of oil in the engine of his car, and finished sixth at Hockenheim. At the Hungaroring, the Red Bull cars were the pacesetters, and Webber won the race after capitalising on a drive-through penalty for Vettel, for falling over ten lengths behind Webber during a safety car period. With victory, Webber returned to the top of the championship, while Red Bull took the lead in the Constructors' Championship. In Belgium, Webber took pole while Vettel qualified fourth. In the race, Webber finished second behind Hamilton, while Vettel lost control of the car trying to pass Jenson Button, damaging his own front wing and ending Button's race by damaging his car's radiators. Vettel immediately pitted for a new front wing and appeared to be threatening to regain a points-scoring position before he sustained a puncture to his right-rear tyre after clipping Vitantonio Liuzzi's front wing during an attempted overtake; eventually finishing a lap down in 15th.

At Monza, Webber qualified fourth and Vettel sixth. Both got poor starts and Webber recovered to sixth and with a clever strategy Vettel finished fourth. Webber retook the championship lead after Hamilton retired. In Singapore, Vettel dominated practice; in qualifying he qualified second after a few minor errors cost him pole. In the race he put intense pressure on Alonso and finished just two tenths of a second behind. Webber used a different strategy and moved through the field; he got past the McLarens and despite colliding with Hamilton midway through the race, he hung on to finish behind his team-mate in third.

In Japan, Red Bull dominated the weekend, finishing 1-2 in every session of the weekend except the rain-disrupted Saturday practice session. Vettel claimed pole position in Sunday qualifying – delayed from Saturday due to rain – and Webber claimed the remaining front-row slot to make it the seventh all-Red Bull front row of the season. Vettel led away from pole in the race, whilst Webber lost out to Robert Kubica at the start and ran third during the early safety car period. He regained second place upon the retirement of Kubica early in the race, and from there onwards there was never a threat of Red Bull not finishing 1-2. After Vettel and Webber's respective tyre stops, they were running second and third behind Jenson Button, who was on a contrary strategy and had not pitted with the rest of the field. So sure were the Red Bulls of victory that they contented themselves with running behind Button, until he pitted late in the race and they resumed their one-two lead. As in 2009, Vettel had claimed pole position and won the race, and looked set to claim the fastest lap as well - however, this was denied him by Webber, who set the fastest lap on the last lap.

In Brazil, Vettel took first place from second on the grid with Mark Webber second, which secured the team the Constructors' Championship. In Abu Dhabi, Vettel clinched his maiden drivers' world title by winning the race from pole position, as erstwhile championship rival and team-mate Webber finished eighth, who himself finished just behind another title rival, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Red Bull RB6.

Red Bull Racing
Founder Dietrich Mateschitz Advisor to Red Bull GmbH Helmut Marko Team Principal Christian Horner Personnel Adrian Newey Helmut Marko Rob Marshall Former personnel Neil Martin Geoff Willis Peter Prodromou 2016 race drivers 3. Daniel Ricciardo 33. Max Verstappen 2016 test and reserve drivers Pierre Gasly World champion(s) Sebastian Vettel Drivers' titles 2010 2011 2012 2013 Constructors' titles 2010 2011 2012 2013 Former drivers David Coulthard Robert Doornbos Christian Klien Daniil Kvyat Vitantonio Liuzzi Sebastian Vettel Mark Webber Junior team Scuderia Toro Rosso Red Bull Junior Team Pierre Gasly Niko Kari Sérgio Sette Câmara Luis Leeds Richard Verschoor Formula One cars RB1 RB2 RB3 RB4 RB5 RB6 RB7 RB8 RB9 RB10 RB11 RB12 Other cars X2010/X2011 Related Infiniti Global Limited Red Bull GmbH Renault Sport F1