In 2009 Red Bull Racing emerged from the shadows and finished 2nd in the championship with what turned out to be the best chassis on the grid. In 2010 they are keeping the same driver lineup in Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber as they try to go one better.
Red Bull RB6
Red Bull ran with exhaust outlet stickers in testing to keep their competitors guessing
The Red Bull RB6 features the V-shaped nose they invented last year, and it also features a double diffuser and enlarged fuel tank required this season. Red Bull haven’t shown the world their full hand yet though – in typical sneaky Adrian Newey fashion, the team ran with stickers on their RB6 at the Barcelona test which looked like exhaust outlets, to keep the other team guessing!
While the RB6 appears to be near the front in testing, the one possible weak link with Red Bull is their Renault engine. While this engine is very good on fuel economy – something very important in 2010 with the refuelling ban, it is down on power in comparison with most other engines, and it also lacks reliability.
Drivers
In Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, Red Bull have one of the strongest lineups on the grid, with a good blend of youth and experience.
Vettel has shown he has incredible pace, and I am in no doubt that ‘Baby Schuey’ will become World Champion, but is it this year? While he has shown his speed, he has also shown he makes mistakes. However, he matured greatly throughout the 2009 season, and should that continue 2010 could be his year.
Mark Webber had a terrible run up to the 2009 season, breaking his leg badly in his own charity bike race. Despite this, he took his first wins in 2009, and finished 4th in the championship. He has had much better preparation for this season, and while he is probably number two to Sebastian Vettel, the partnership at this team seems relatively relaxed, and works well.
I wanted to write an essay but you've said everything! They managed 2nd last year but Mclaren and Ferrari were struggling all year so I think their car and drivers will struggle. I don't think this is Seb's time at all, I think both drivers will struggle with this opposition and that reliability will cost them. I see the team 4th overall. I don't want to write them off and they have a very determined spirit so they could fight on but I do see their campaign fading first.
I personally think, Red Bulls biggest problem could be last season. How much effort was taken from the 2010 car to challenge in 2009? Red Bull ended dominant in Abu Dhabi, but all of their competitors, including champions Brawn were concentrating on 2010 much earlier than Red Bull.