After Red Bull Racing finished seventh in the Constructor’s Championship of 2005, expectations were high for 2006. However, the team did not really improve overall, again finishing seventh but with 18 points less than the previous season. A cooling problem hampered that car early on, and mid-season, the team chose to concentrate their efforts on their 2007 car, the RB3 and as a consequence, the RB2 became slightly neglected. Sporting Director Christian Horner admitted that the decision was a tough one, but he believes that in the long term, the decision was justified.
The RB3 will have the input Adrian Newey, a championship-winning designer, and aerodynamicist Peter Prodomou, another ex-McLaren man. Combined with the power of Renault engines, the package looks to be a good one. “I think we are expecting a reasonable step. We’ve got a very clear plan over the next three years and ultimately Red Bull came into Formula One not to take part but to compete and to compete at the front. Hopefully next year will be the first serious step to achieving that,” Horner told reporters. “Historically, Adrian and Renault have enjoyed considerable success together and hopefully will be able to repeat that in the future. There is a good working rapport and we hope to be able to capitalise on that.”
Combined with a new car, Red Bull have the most experienced line-up to date with David Coulthard and Mark Webber. “Hopefully we can provide Mark with the environment to bring the best out of him. He has got undoubted speed as he has demonstrated in his career to date and hopefully he can realise his potential. With David, he’s led the team very well during the last couple of years and hopefully we’ll be able to capitalise on the hard work he’s put in.” Horner commented.
