Red Bull RB7, Valencia, 2011

Red Bull RB7 launch: First pictures

2011 F1 cars

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Red Bull have launched their RB7 in Valencia.

World champion Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber revealed the car which Red Bull hope will retain the titles they won last year.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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131 comments on “Red Bull RB7 launch: First pictures”

  1. Nothing too radical apart from the shorter fin. Thanks Keith!

    1. It’s a hammerhead shark!

      1. Hard to tell from that shot, but the rear wing looks different.

        1. We need more time to say anything as we have only one pic to tell from.

        2. It looks as though the rear wing collapses in towards the top.

        3. Yeah, its got some sort of fin that demarcates the wing. Fins already added before testing? Well these are just “show” cars anyways, most will look a bit different.

      2. It’s eating the camera pod. Nothing too radical??? You must be talking about webbers hair cut.

    2. miguelF1O (@)
      1st February 2011, 12:44

      the moveable wing is identical to renault maybe a partnership in here

    3. miguelF1O (@)
      1st February 2011, 12:45

      anyway its very slick very well packaged i dont see any enlargement despite the kers i only see it thinner

    4. Red Bull has a semi-shark fin.

    5. Their last year’s car was radical enough for them to keep a margin without further development, focusing on reducing failures.

    6. hate new red bull launches, the look exactly the same! bet it goes like stink though!

      1. I know. Its almost identicle to the RB6 launch, right down to Vettel wearing the same silly hat. What is with that?

  2. she is so slim!

  3. Shark fin. Interesting.

    Dare i say first?

    1. It’s definitely a hammer head shark with a chunk ripped out by a rotating blade off the Titanic. ( or equivalent rotating blade of super huge proportions)

  4. That’s another “lower” nose cone from other cars. I guess there will be some bad comments about the shark fin though!

    1. Indeed, the Torro Rosso obviously has the same too, In fact the Torro Rosso looks identical but with the fin removed. I thought these teams had to independently develop their cars now? Clearly they are still sharing the designs.

      1. I think the Toro Rosso looks incredibly different. Go back and have another look, different nose, sidepods, no shark fin. They are still owned by the same company, but they are not the same design.

      2. Ha! Independently? That was and is never going to happen.

        1. Sad but true.

        2. We Want Turbos (@)
          1st February 2011, 16:17

          Think Newey may have left his drawings lying around whilst he nipped to the loo

          1. And Red Bull Employ the Nigel Stepney Cleaning Company.

  5. uhh, whats the difference? I think we are no longer going to see different styles of cars every year.

    1. There are a few differences that are pretty obvious, the nose is higher and shaped pretty differently, the rear wing is different, the shark fin is shorter to comply with the regs.

      1. “The nose is higher” is anything but obvious. Compare to RB6 launch photos.

    2. I think also that they managed to again shrink the sidepods at the end, look how short and slim? But maybe I forgot how small they are on the RB6. Definitely an evolution, but that seems only logical as they were the fastest w/o DDD in 2009, and with DDD in 2010 with a similar concept.

      1. They removed the DDD. Other than that the rear doesn’t look much different.

  6. I guess when you’ve got the best car you can be conservative – but I can’t help but think they may get overtaken by McLaren this year if the boys and gals from Woking come good…

  7. Wow… the back looks so slim, does it even have a back-end?? :-)

  8. Tom and Charlie
    1st February 2011, 7:44

    That area around the rear suspension arms looks so slim, is that a stabiliser coming from the back of the side pod to the rear hub??

  9. Let’s all play spot-the-exhaust…

    1. BTW the one pictured in the video on RBR.com* has horizontal fins on the airbox too, which the first photo doesn’t.

      *or at least the Haynes image you see if you don’t have flash

  10. nice quick post!

  11. am i wrong or the nose is higher than last year, as Ferrari?

  12. The shark fin looks similar to the Le Mans cars shark fin. And look at total, hlending into the car, why couldnt they do that on the Renault?

  13. They seemed to have rolled out last years car, so disappointed!

    1. Seriously? Look again!

    2. What were you expecting? A fifth wheel? jet engine? flame-throwers?

      Anyhoo – what I find interesting is that they too have gone with a flatter nose design, like the other cars we’ve seen – so what is it about this year’s regulations that’s dictating that as a solution for everyone we’ve seen so far?

      1. My money’s on massive front wings, and perhaps more than one team with front-mounted exhausts

        1. …adding I mean, this has winglets on the nose. That’s a first for this year isn’t it? Lots of front downforce plus the new weight distribution suggests impressive rear downforce?

          1. That is the Camera Gridlock :)

      2. A fifth wheel is not revolutionary – it’s been standard since before the days of Fangio and Moss – Front Left, Front Right, Rear Right, Rear Left and Steering Wheel!!!

      3. I read on scarbs blog that there now is a maximum height that the nose can be above the cockpit, so adding big ridges and a severe V-shape means that the nose as a whole has to be lower (the ridges also fall under that maximum), leaving on the whole less space under the nose; hence teams moving to a flatter, raised, nose.

        1. Thanks for that, bosyber!

    3. It’s completely different, I think.

      However i’m still trying to decide whether I like the shape of it. The back end is so…well…lacking a back end.

  14. The livery is better than last year.I hope it stands out from the torro rosso.

    1. You’re joking right? Other than the uprights of the rear wing it’s pretty much identical to last year.

      1. Hahaha.. Love these comments sometimes…!

  15. Argh, there’s a shark fin! It’s not as ugly as it could be, but it looks like it’s only there to let Red Bull have a bigger red bull on the engine cowling.

    1. Yep – not happy about that shark fin. Thought we’d seen the back of them!

      1. Instead we’re seeing them on the back…

    2. Haha my thoughts exactly PM! Looks like they put it on just so they wouldn’t have to clip the tail off their bull.

    3. Yes, that Adrian Newey — always putting logos first! ;-)

  16. matt88 i agree they are copying ferrari bloody cheaters lmao

    1. i didn’t mean they copied. i only asked if this is the trend of the season. Period.

  17. http://twitpic.com/3ve4wq

    RB7 side on. You can get a very close-up view.

    1. Wow, interesting. There’s a little bit in the middle of the rear wing that’s like an extension of the shark fin. Dare I say it’s an “interrupted shark fin?” http://twitpic.com/3ve4wq/full

      1. It’s a sark fin that’s designed to let Red Bull have a bigger logo.

      2. Yup. More like a sardine fin though

        Somebody seen my glove by the way?

        1. Lolz Verstapen :) look for it under the right rear tyre ;)

      3. thats just the device for moving the rear wing isnt it, other teams seem to have something similar

    2. Love the high tech way of keeping the car in place… a glove under the right rear wheel!

  18. It already looks like the most ‘futuristic’ of the cars launched thus far. Newey and Co. have trumped the opposition again (hopefully on track too)!

  19. Looks like those Red Bull-Infiniti rumours came to nought.

  20. Why is it Webber always looks like he’s miserable?

    1. Might have something to do with what is on his left knee.

    2. Its hard being a number 2 driver.

      1. But as we all know, he’s not bad for a number 2 driver…

    3. I like miserable Webber than hairy Vettel looking like young Heidfeld thanks to their ‘moustache’…

  21. I just made a quick drawing of the car =P look: http://cdn.images.autosport.com/editorial/1296546327.jpg

    1. Do you have a similar drawing from the RB6? Comparison pics would really be helpful to see if they indeed did shrink the side pods again, and if the nose really is a lot higher.

      1. By the way: great work! Forgot to say that above.

    2. Nice job :)

  22. looks like a good car…

  23. It seems like red bull’s exhaust is almost similar to last year’s. pic

  24. What is going on under the nose cone near the suspension mounts? Looks like a massive keel or something. The above shot thats a few posts above also shows it. Something big and black under there.

    1. and no I dont mean the splitter jutting forward. in front of that.

      1. Don’t know what they’re called, but those were there last year.

        1. I’ve written 2 replies now and for some reason they’re not posting when I hit submit. But yes, you are right, they were there at the end of last year.

          For some reason I either didn’t notice them or just plain forgot about them.

  25. other teams only talk about innovative designs, Red bull does come with some interesting solutions. looks fast!!

  26. Oh and OT I know but there’s a Royal Marine advert on the page for me right now, if anyone else sees it then if you click you’re basically giving a tiny bit of the tax you pay to Keith so I encourage you all to have a look. But not to enlist obviously.

  27. … and Newey’s genius isn’t always obvious either. It took the other teams the better part of the first half of the season to understand that it was the EBD that was making the RB6 so fast. They never really did wrap their heads around how the front wing was working.

    1. Now they do US_Peter, Redbull was heating the front …. :(

      1. cowboy milkman
        1st February 2011, 10:23

        @BBQ2

        Please where did you get your information from. They ere heating the front wing to make them flex??? I never heard about that one

  28. I can’t help but think that tight rear end is going to cause problems with overheating.

    1. I was also thinking that. On the other hand, I think the RB5-7 series had a increase in how tight the back was packed, and an increase in heat management due to the EBD, so maybe they have learned enough over the two previous years to manage it well now.

  29. Wow those sidepods are tiny! I didn’t think that it was possible for Red Bull to make the rear end package any tighter than it was on the RB6….clearly I was wrong.

  30. If that goes half as quick as it looks and its reliable the season will be over by July/August.

  31. So they’ve gone for the same weird appendage on the rear wing as Renault. Interesting to see what it’s for…

  32. Did any of you guys noticed diffuser air intake behind the sidepods in the enlarged photo above,that is awesome.

  33. And here’s the Toro Rosso while we’re at it:

    http://twitpic.com/3veamv/full

    Careful, it’s big.

    1. Underwhelmed… Where are their sponsors?

      1. Still looking for them in the paddock?

  34. What a poor, pale show for the double WC ! What a shame !

  35. There is no back end whatsoever!

    This lack of back-end makes it look like some sort of futuristic gizmo rather than an F1 car.

    1. I agree, though it seems vanishing back ends until they are nearly non existent is the way to aerodynamically, visually it is not as pleasing. But Red Bull wins because they know the age old secret, “God is in the details” and the RB7 definitely seems the most detailed car we’ve so far. That said, Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault seem to have a good base down, I’m excited to see what they do, and you can bet McLaren is looking at every one elses new toys while they keep theirs locked away for a few more days.

  36. Comparison of ‘big three’.
    – Vettel in 50% of the car helped.
    – Alonso helped Massa.
    – Kubica’s car disturbed and irritated Pietrow.The question, who is the best driver I think it is a rhetorical world!

    1. Ummm, come again?

      1. Oh Hare, you are a wascally wabbit, great comedic posts today.

    2. i’ll second that Hare! Just what exactly is your point TKO. Is this just a roundabout way of letting the world know you don’t rate Hamilton?

  37. All in all …now it just depends on performance that makes this sport interesting …….

  38. Their third driver looks a bit old

  39. Wow, those sidepods are so short. Newey sure knows how to pack and shrink-wrap the oily bits.

  40. Who is that guy with the ridiculous moustache?

  41. I don’t like it. I just can’t get it out of my head that I’m looking at half an RB6. Especially at the rear, with that stubby fin and tight bum that I think will cause all manner of overheating problems. I respect Adrian Newey’s design abilities, but I’m not buying into the whole “If it’s Adrian Newey, it must be genius” school of thought. It probably doesn’t help that they’ve crammed too much in with the livery – like I said, the shark fin appears to be designed like that simply to give Red Bull a larger logo – but I just can’t help cocking an eyebrow at it. It’s a pretty car when taken on its own, but is just lacks the beauty of everything else that has been launched.

    1. They still have that massive opening below the baby shark fin though. Who knows, maybe they are counting on that less powerful Renault engine not to run as hot ;)

      1. I think that’s right – comparing the RB7 to the STR6 you can see the different methods of cooling, STR looks to have exits at the end of the sidepods, RB squeeze the sidepods in and dump the air out the big hole beneath the rear wing.

    2. I concur. Very underwhelming. And it’s just too much, too many clashing lines and colours and logos and blobs stuck onto a car with as many add-ons as allowed within the current rules.

  42. Who said the colour of the Mercedes W02 gave them headache? Man, I find it difficult looking straight at this Red Bull RB7, it has similar effects to the Art car BMW at Le Mans last year.

  43. Interesting – I don’t know if I was expecting anything radical but this isn’t that much of an evolution to my eye. there are a few differences but this could be the RB6 for all I know.

    For a livery that complicated, I dislike that they practically never change any of it. Have some distinction! It’s not like Ferrari or McLaren can do much with theirs but surely Red Bull can try something a little different each year?

    Anyway the overwhelming feeling I get from this car is that it will be fast, but not dominant. It just doesn’t have that look about it in comparison to the other cars.

  44. I hope you are right, in fact I hope no car is dominant this year. If we can 4, dare I may say 5 teams that can challenge for wins I will be thrilled, the more evenly matched the better :)

    1. Exactly. Having both Ferrari drivers, the RB drivers, both McLarens as well as Mercedes and the odd win chance Kubica or Barricello would be wonderfull.

  45. Though my gut tells me that Ferrari and Mercedes are really going to come out swinging.

  46. the shark fin is purely there to accomodate the Bull’s tail.

    1. i was just thinking that. it looks stupid just being squared off like that..

  47. But its a smart thing….why change anything which is already quick…
    This car is a quali KIng

  48. A comparison:
    RB6
    RB7

    Even Vettel’s hat is unchanged! And this is the guy who changes helmets more times than his socks.

    1. Sorry, those are the wrong way around. the first one is the RB7. That’s how similar they are, I couldn’t even get that right!

      1. lol! Thanks Icthyes for the comparison.

    2. Thanks. It looks very similiar apart from the noses, and obviously whatever they’ve done with RB7’s rear wing.

      Starting to get sick of RB’s livery though, I don’t know about anyone else. I’d understand with someone like Ferrari who are somewhat married with their red, but there’s a lot of potential in the Red Bull scheme they don’t variate with.

  49. One fin to bind them all!

  50. It looks fast, but a lot of details looks fragile. And the exhaust goes out in front of the rear wheels.
    What might be the object in the middle on top of the rear wing be? Only for aero purpose or part of the ARW mechanism? I hope the top teams will be closely matched throughout the season, except maybe Ferrari and Alonso. Their arrogance makes it all the more fun when they are outperformed and all the more annoying when they win.

  51. I animated the pictures of the RB6 and RB7

    http://www.laweb.nl/Patrick/RB7-side.gif

    The perspective of both shots wasn’t identical, but I corrected as much as I could. The nose now looks slichtly different, but that’s mostly the perspective and different (wide angle) lens distortion.

    Other than that the cars are amazingly identical. On the outside at least.

  52. What is the thought behind the flattened nose? Or, what was the thought behind those bumps on the RB6’s nose?

    I like it. It does look pretty similar to the RB6, but hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I don’t know why people expect a title winner to come up with anything too radical.

    Agreed that it looks as if the shark fin is only there to accommodate the bull. And I liked it better with the Red Bull can on the rear wing’s side. But those are just details, it’s one of the best liveries on the grid right now.

  53. Definitely a huge step back from Red Bull X1.

  54. it’s over, ferrari is finished

    1. There are other cars on grid too. Are they finished too?
      If so i guess you don’t need to watch the 2011 championship

  55. The cars looks great and quite different in a number of areas, including from the steering to the nose, the side pods, the floor, the small winglets around the floor, the tail, the fin, etc…..

    Plus, Martin Whitmarsh has already had three press conferences explaining how illegal it all is and that he will be visiting the FIA bosses this week to have the car suspended from testing/racing at least until the guys at Woking can copy all these parts.

  56. Did they have hydralic problems they called Mario? Or is the Luigi?

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