Red Bull has revealed the first images of its RB15 for the 2019 F1 season in a dramatic “one-off livery”.
The four-times champions have switched engine supplier for the new season. They will use Honda power units for the first time, and the car carries Honda branding on its nose and engine cover.
The team’s new addition to its driver line-up, Pierre Gasly, arrives from junior squad Toro Rosso, which used Honda’s power units last season. He will partner Max Verstappen.
Both drivers are at Silverstone today for the first run of the new car.
[smr2018test]
Pictures: New Red Bull-Honda RB15
Video: New Red Bull-Honda RB15
Interactive: A clearer look at the Red Bull RB15
Use the sliders below to brighten up the images of key areas of the Red Bull RB15:
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Vincent (@vinnivinni)
13th February 2019, 11:58
Transformers :)
Travis Daye (@travis-daye)
13th February 2019, 11:59
Love the livery; the stylised bulls especially. Can’t help but feeling this might just be a testing livery though… if not it’s quite a radical aesthetic change!
bosyber (@bosyber)
13th February 2019, 12:52
I like those Bulls @travis-daye, but think the rest is too busy, so not too sad it is confirmed as only for testing.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
13th February 2019, 14:17
Sadly because it looks very good. Unique. I’m not fan of the matte finish tho, but the design is a nice and welcomed change
Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
13th February 2019, 11:59
Okay, I hope it’s another “camo” livery because that looks hideous
Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
13th February 2019, 12:07
Also, what’s with the wierd apertures in the rear bodywork? cooling?
MazdaChris (@mazdachris)
13th February 2019, 12:22
The zig-zag bits? Those aren’t apertures, they’re just sections of high-gloss paint over the satin.
bosyber (@bosyber)
13th February 2019, 12:33
There is a part, behind the main bulk of the sidepod, above the B, which does look like it could be an opening though.
Mike Williams (@mikejtw)
13th February 2019, 12:10
I agree 100%
photozen (@photozen)
13th February 2019, 12:29
And the Honda logo appears really small compared the big deal about the switch to Honda engines, their additional money etc
Aldoid
13th February 2019, 14:03
I thought so too. It’s tiny compared to the Aston Martin logo.
mrfill (@mrfill)
13th February 2019, 12:02
Oh dear….
Travis Daye (@travis-daye)
13th February 2019, 12:02
Interesting barge board areas; a longitudinal winglet in front of the barge board itself? Not sure i’ve seen that before.
Kevin Wong (@fongu)
13th February 2019, 12:07
Don’t think I’ll struggle to see it on the grid. Love the updated livery, nice to see something new and bold.
The Toro Rosso makes sense now, I can see where they are headed with their aero around the barge boards.
Asanator (@asanator)
13th February 2019, 12:11
I doubt it will be in this livery in Australia. It is just another ‘testing’ livery.
Kevin Wong (@fongu)
13th February 2019, 12:19
I see it’s only a one off livery now, I stand corrected.
Tick for the model collectors limited edition launch version and rake in the money.
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
13th February 2019, 12:08
Wow, thought the Merc was aggressive… The stuff behind the front wheels is boggling, love it! Shame that’s a one-off livery though.
ddd (@fandukaja)
13th February 2019, 12:12
Looks like recycled concept of Torro Rosso livery used up to 2016… Not a fan.
Waiting for Racing Point now – liveries game gets exciting :)
Ben Needham (@ben-n)
13th February 2019, 12:13
Is it just me that sees these one off liveries as absolutely nonsensical? Just launch the car when it’s ready; chassis and paint job.
rpiian (@rpiian)
13th February 2019, 12:16
Not a fan of all the red. Last years matte finish was my favorite of all their cars.
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
13th February 2019, 12:20
Livery looks like it was designed by a 12 year old kid. Maybe it was Max’s punishment. Surprised it doesn’t have flames up the side
tony mansell
13th February 2019, 14:13
Show me where this 12 yr old is. ill hire him
Jesper (@jesperfey13)
13th February 2019, 12:25
The details on the front-wing are insane! Looking fast..
JayMcG (@jaymcg)
13th February 2019, 12:26
Size zero zero at the back. Newey is going to strangle that Honda when it doesn’t fail on its own.
petebaldwin (@)
13th February 2019, 21:49
@jaymcg That was my thought – I’m interested to see how the rear of the car changes after they’ve got through a season’s worth of engines in the first test!
Mashiat (@mashiat)
13th February 2019, 12:27
Is this only for testing? Or does “one-off” mean only for this season?
Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
13th February 2019, 12:37
probably only for this presentation; we saw something similar last year. When the Barcelona tests started they had already reverted to their usual livery
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
13th February 2019, 12:48
For this decade only.
Chaitanya
13th February 2019, 12:31
I hope thhey keep this livery throughout the season and not like their Camo used just for testing.
Joao (@johnmilk)
13th February 2019, 12:36
a one-off livery, just like their engines
GechiChan (@gechichan)
13th February 2019, 15:18
oh yeah! @johnmilk is back baby!!! keep the burns coming, love them.
Jere (@jerejj)
13th February 2019, 12:43
That’s one great-looking livery even if it’s just a testing livery and not the final. I wish it were the final, though.
JFCVT
13th February 2019, 12:54
Judging by the size of the Honda logos, RB really doesn’t want us to know who powers the car, do they?
Shimks (@shimks)
13th February 2019, 12:58
That’s bloody awful. But maybe it’s perfect for the age-group RB targets?
NS Biker (@rekibsn)
13th February 2019, 18:04
Knock back a couple of “Energy Drinks” and it will likely look much better.
A M (@amam)
13th February 2019, 12:59
Awful livery. Looks cheap.
Coanda (@ming-mong)
13th February 2019, 13:01
No love for Honda! Testing livery I think…
Ashwin (@redbullf1)
13th February 2019, 13:02
For some reason Predator comes to mind,
I like it though, they tried something different, can’t say it is my favorite comparing last years blue-red combo.
Todfod (@todfod)
13th February 2019, 13:09
Way too much Red!!! And not particularly pretty either.
But it’s still refreshing to see something other than the generic Red Bull livery they’ve been using since 2010. I’m guessing it’s just for pre season testing.
The detailing on the car looks quite intricate, especially around the bargeboard and sidepod area. There’s a modified duct on the nose as well that looks interesting. Given the amount of details they’ve already showcased, I’m guessing they’re hiding a lot of wing details up until testing begins.
Hakk the Rack
13th February 2019, 13:17
This is ugly as hell.
lool
13th February 2019, 13:21
Spider-man car?
Hakk the Rack
13th February 2019, 13:21
Aston Martin Red Bull Honda (eches of BMW Sauber Ferrari)…. That’s the livery I saw plenty of times on some fan made renders. This time is extremely ugly, as it’s real.
Magnus Rubensson (@)
13th February 2019, 14:39
Seems there’s a lot of “carbon fibre black” on all cars I’ve seen so far:
Renault: “carbon black + yellow”
Haas “carbon black + gold”
Red Bull: “carbon black + red”
Williams “carbon black + white/blue”
Mercedes “carbon black + silver/teal”
I guess the 2019 Ferraris will still be distinctly RED
(+perhaps lots of carbon black…?) :)
Robbie (@robbie)
13th February 2019, 13:28
Lol for half a second I thought oh it looks like they put the MW from Mission Winnow all over it.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
13th February 2019, 13:32
wow that looks angry – designed for their No1 Driver?
Magnus Rubensson (@)
13th February 2019, 14:41
Yes, for the times when Ricciardo’s Renault is in front…
Johnvl
13th February 2019, 17:32
Yeah when he’s being lapped.
kpcart
13th February 2019, 13:32
My first thoughts were ‘spiderman’ 2nd thought was it looks far worse than str which actually looks like a red bull livery, 3rd thought is it just looks ugly with all that random red criss crossing. I hope it is slow.
Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
13th February 2019, 13:59
easy m8, they’ll probably revert to their usual livery for winter testing and the season itself
they did that last year too
MaliceCooper
13th February 2019, 13:40
I expect the real livery will look a lot like last year’s. This one would maybe look alright on a bike though.
In these days of ultra hd cameras and super computers do these camo liveries actually work, or is it just part of the hype?
BaKano (@bakano)
13th February 2019, 14:05
There seems to be a lot of details in barge-board and front areas. I admit I didn’t pay too much attention to the rear.
But the aim was to have less details in those areas (simplified aero) and it seems Red Bull is already on top of it, as it’s usually the case.
Let’s see what tests and then the first races shows us but it does look quick!
muzbye (@muzbye)
13th February 2019, 14:10
Aston Martin Red Bull Honda? my brain hurts…
tony mansell
13th February 2019, 14:26
Wonder why they are running grooved tyres? All these releases are part of the pre-season phoney war, more to follow in testing next week. Kind of tedious with everyone jockeying to fool everyone else.
Cars will be way different for the 1st race but we are certainly a world away from the 90s when teams like McLaren would spend millions on launch. Now its rendered half arsed versions of nothing in particular. Probably should kill it but Liberty will probably want to yank it up
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
13th February 2019, 20:10
Because it’s cold, they won’t be running hard or for very long, they just need the tyres to heat up quickly.
Ruben (@)
13th February 2019, 14:27
Nice livery. And someone spotted the LED strips on the wings? Looks nice, like Le Mans LMP1 cars.
Balue (@balue)
13th February 2019, 14:51
Looks very innovative. Here’s hoping it will be a contender.
Robbie (@robbie)
13th February 2019, 15:07
For sure, given that it is a Newey car I expect there are innovations. Car shouldn’t likely be a question mark, just the Honda Pu and whether they can crank it to competitiveness and still be somewhat reliable. Probably preaching to the choir here though as I’m sure most RBR fans are more worried about what Honda can do than what Newey can. Of course the integration of the two is crucial too. Here’s hoping for a big surprise from Honda.
GeeMac (@geemac)
13th February 2019, 14:59
That livery looks soooo much better on track than it does in the renders…
James Bond (@jamesbond)
14th February 2019, 1:56
Absolutely! Georgeous on track.
Suffering Williams Fan
13th February 2019, 14:59
Looks like a lot of interesting stuff for the analysts to dig into, but wow that’s ugly – I hope it looks better with the in-season livery.
American F1
13th February 2019, 15:04
LOVE IT! My only complaint is that I have no doubt they will switch back to boring red-yellow-blue for the season.
So we have Renault in black and yellow, Merc in silver and aqua, Ferrari will obviously be in red, and Red Bull will switch back to drinks can style…so far only Haas and Williams have shown any originality (leaving all comparisons between Lotus and Haas aside).
Pyon (@pyon)
13th February 2019, 17:11
So much room for Aston Martin sponsorship and so little to Honda. I guess this is agreed commercially but feels weird in my opinion.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
13th February 2019, 22:52
@pyon came to say the same thing. Maybe it’s just this “one off livery”. But i hoped to see more of Honda.
NS Biker (@rekibsn)
13th February 2019, 18:41
Question time ….
What is it with the matt paint finish.?
Years ago, there was talk about the weight of paint so there was a tendency to either not paint surfaces (as in leave it carbon black) or to use lighter weight paints.
I expect that there is a performance based reason for the satin finish over glossy, but what is the nature of it.?
Are the glossy paint strips there for aesthetic reasons or is there something afoot.?
Curious also that RBR and Mercedes have not been adding little winglets and foils to the top of the Halo. Is it that other teams know something that RBR and M don’t.? Or ?
Finally … seeing some variations in the size and shape of the air intakes. RBR intake looks enormous, while Renault has gone smaller and squared off.
Next week will be interesting. weather is looking decent and it looks like everyone (save Renault) will be ready. Yipeeee.
socksolid (@socksolid)
14th February 2019, 0:05
Theoretically matte paint does give the best heat radiation effect. I have not done the math but I’d imagine that the effect is so miniscule that it doesn’t really matter. Could be just that someone at red bull likes the cars painted in matte finish.
Johns
14th February 2019, 1:44
Maybe Matte finish is harder to paint so its an ego think.
Looks like area rule on the nose between the wheels. Cool.
socksolid (@socksolid)
13th February 2019, 23:28
I wonder how many honda engines they needed to complete that photoshoot?
Exediron (@exediron)
13th February 2019, 23:36
I love it, but it’s almost certainly just going to be a testing livery.
MacLeod (@macleod)
14th February 2019, 10:45
i saw it on the track sound of the engine was good when Max openend the throttle. I found it good looking on the track..
Pjotr (@pietkoster)
15th February 2019, 21:41
Testing will see if it is a competative car but to me it gives me the feel that I am looking at a Velociraptor.