RB19 Car Launch: A Review
While it has to be said the RB19 launch was rather underwhelming, some interesting insights were gained into the season ahead…
For an F1 fan, Red Bull’s launch was pretty disappointing. There seemed to be a real lack of anything related to Formula 1, instead choosing this opportunity to bring out a few random Red Bull athletes that had nothing to do with the sport. For a big budget team, currently at the top of the sport, the running of the event can only be described as a shambles. At one point the presenter introduced F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, followed by an awkward ten seconds of looking around wondering where he was. A few minutes later, the same presenter informed us that Stefano did not appear as he was not meant to be coming on the launch show at all! To finish off the event, Daniel Riccardo was introduced on live television as “Daniel Retardo” - you’d think the presenters knowing the drivers names would have been a given?
Despite this, the few F1 moments that we did see delivered insights into the team’s year ahead. As expected, the RB19 looked a lot like the RB18 (and 16, 15 etc…) however, when asked, Max Verstappen’s response explained the consistency of the livery, stating the “livery has been similar for years and we’ve had a lot of success like that so why do we need to change it up”. If the Milton Keynes team continue their success, looks like we wont be in for a livery change soon.
As the regulations for the coming season are much like the last, the team haven’t made any drastic changes to their car. Instead, Horner said they have focused on subtle aerodynamic changes which draws on the strengths of their most successful ever car (the RB18). When asked how the new car is feeling, Max explained that, while they have only driven it in the simulator so far, the first feelings have been really good. Teammate Sergio Perez followed this up saying a good first introduction to the car leads to a great year. Based on this, it looked like this team are in store for another impressive year.
Potentially the most exciting part of the launch was the return of Daniel Riccardo. His huge smile was back as he detailed what his year will look like as the third driver. Much of his year will be spent behind the scenes developing the car from the simulator, which he said he will be in in a few weeks to help the team get ready for the start of the season. While he mentioned that a lot had changed since he was last with the constructors, he said he would be lending this experience to help the team.
We finished off the launch event with a special message from Ford. After all of the rumours, it was confirmed that, after 20 years, Ford would be returning to Formula 1 alongside Red Bull in 2026. Ford CEO Jim Farley arrived on stage in a Red Bull themed E-Ford and, after squeezing past the crowd to get to the presenters, detailed how this collaboration had come about. Farley spoke of how the Red Bull partnership felt authentic, with Horner saying there is a natural synergy between the two companies. From 2026, Ford will be joining Red Bull Powertrains in a “technical and strategic partnership”, creating an engine that will also supply, Red Bull sister team, Alpha Tauri.
Are you excited about the return of Ford? Tweet us @thefastestlapuk and let us know!