The Red Bull RB7 is a Formula One racing car designed by the Red Bull Racing team for the 2011 Formula One season. It was driven by defending champion Sebastian Vettel and Australian driver Mark Webber for the third year running. The highly competitive and reliable RB7 took 12 victories and 27 podiums as Red Bull took the Constructors' Championship and Vettel taking the Drivers' Championship title that year.
.jpg) Sebastian Vettel driving the RB7 at the Italian Grand Prix | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
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| Constructor | Red Bull | ||||||||||
| Designer(s) |
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| Predecessor | Red Bull RB6 | ||||||||||
| Successor | Red Bull RB8 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications[1] | |||||||||||
| 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 RS27-2011 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) 90° V8, limited to 18,000 RPM with KERS naturally aspirated mid-mounted | ||||||||||
| Transmission | Seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox with reverse gear Hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation | ||||||||||
| Power | >750 hp @ 18,000 rpm[2] | ||||||||||
| Weight | 640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver) | ||||||||||
| Fuel | Total | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero OZ Wheels (front and rear): 13" | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 1.  Sebastian Vettel 2.  Mark Webber | ||||||||||
| Debut | 2011 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 2011 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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| Constructors' Championships | 1 (2011) | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (2011, Sebastian Vettel) | ||||||||||
Season summary
editThe car was launched at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain on 1 February 2011.[3] Sebastian Vettel was the first driver to test the car.[4]
The car was fastest throughout Barcelona testing with Vettel at the wheel. It won the first race of the season at Melbourne with Vettel, whilst Webber finished fifth. In the nineteen races of the 2011 season, the RB7 only failed to finish in the top five twice, when Mark Webber crashed out of the Italian Grand Prix and when Sebastian Vettel retired from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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Vettel used the RB7 to claim the 2011 World Drivers' Championship in Japan and Red Bull won the World Constructors' Championship the following weekend in South Korea. The car achieved three 1-2 finishes during the season. It is one of the most dominant Formula One cars ever built, winning 12 of the 19 races and claiming all but one pole position in the 2011 season, in part due to the innovative but controversial exhaust-blown diffuser.
Sebastian Vettel, who (since joining Scuderia Toro Rosso) makes a habit of naming his cars, named his RB7 chassis Kinky Kylie.[5]
The RB7 was the first Red Bull car to assume Renault full-works team partnership status[6] after the Renault F1 Team was rebranded to Lotus Renault GP and later Lotus F1 Team following Renault's sale of their 25 percent stake in the team to Lotus Cars in late 2010.[7] The RB7 was also the first-ever KERS-equipped Formula One car to win the constructors' title.
Later uses
editAfter the race, the RB7 was frequently used in demonstrations:
- On 14 January 2016, the RB7 was used by future Red Bull driver Max Verstappen to make a snow demonstration run at Kitzbühel.
- On 4 February 2023, the RB7 was used by New Zealand Formula 2 driver Liam Lawson to make a demonstration lap of the Mount Panorama race track in between practice and qualifying sessions for the 2023 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.[8][9]
Complete Formula One results
edit(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Red Bull Racing | Renault RS27 V8 | P | AUS | MAL | CHN | TUR | ESP | MON | CAN | EUR | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | KOR | IND | ABU | BRA | 650 | 1st | |
| Sebastian Vettel
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1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Ret | 2 | ||||||
| Mark Webber
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5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | Ret | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
References
edit- ^ "Red Bull RB7 Renault". f1technical.net. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ^ "RB7". redbullracing.com. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ "RB7 LAUNCH DATE ANNOUNCED". Red Bull Racing. 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ^ Collantine, Keith (29 January 2011). "Driver line-up set for first F1 test of 2011". F1 Fanatic. Keith Collantine. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ Weaver, Paul (28 March 2011). "Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel enjoys perfect day with Kinky Kylie". The Guardian.
- ^ "Red Bull now Renault's works team – Horner". Motorsport.com. 14 September 2011. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Lotus buys Renault stake as legendary F1 name doubles its presence". CNN. 8 December 2010.
- ^ Leeuwen, Andrew van (27 January 2023). "Lawson to drive Red Bull F1 car at Bathurst". Autosport.
- ^ "Kiwi star Liam Lawson to drive Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 car at Bathurst". Bathurst 12 Hour. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
External links
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