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FormulaNerds enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at all 20 Red Bull Racing F1 cars at Goodwood.
Red Bull Racing’s 20-year celebration was not just about the RB17 launch at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The public was also given the chance to marvel at the display of all 20 Red Bull F1 cars at the iconic venue.
Taking up the entire Cathedral paddock, Red Bull’s display was a constant hub of activity. Fans flocked to it all weekend. While this season’s RB20 and last year’s ultra-dominant RB19 received substantial attention throughout the festival, other cars from Red Bull’s illustrious history also had fans swarming around them.
The seven cars closest to the Energy Station were under extra guard. Mechanics constantly worked on them as they prepared for the showpiece on the final day of the festival, which saw all go up the famous Goodwood Hill together.
When surrounded by such icons of history, it was impossible to know where to begin when walking around all twenty cars. Our guide, Chief Heritage Mechanic Greg Borrill, then arrived, taking us around this fantastic exhibition of F1 history.
Analogue vs digital F1 cars
An F1 veteran, he took us to the start of Red Bull’s journey: the RB1 and RB2. With the RB1 still under tight guard ahead of its run later in the week, we stopped in front of the 2006 RB2. The difference Borrill explained the development from 2006 to 2024:
“They’ve changed a massive amount…this is RB2. So this is actually a Ferrari V8 engine in this car. Obviously now we’re on to the 1.6 V6’s, which is obviously all hybrid and turbo. This is just.. naturally aspirated. I tend to think of these cars as more sort of analogue, and the new cars are sort of more digital.
“Admittedly, you know, back in the day and even now still considering some of the things, you know, there’s still some very high technology and componentry on the car and everything like that, and materials, you know, that we use back then. Quite dated now, you know, in comparison to the new cars.”
Asking Borrill to expand on the breadth of the changes from RB2 to RB20, he talked about improvements to the driver cell and materials used for safety:
“So generally, you know, the biggest thing will be what we call the survival cell, or we call it the chassis, the monocoque, basically, the bit where the driver sits essentially that admittedly, you know, technology, materials have changed.
“But what that part of the car does and how it does it, it’s kind of stayed the same throughout the years, really. It’s just sort of the way that that is designed and, say, the materials that go into it.
“But that is quite a mainstay. Another one would be carbon suspension. Even on the RB2, that era, there were still cars running on metallic suspension for the Red Bull cars.
“Everything from that point is all composite, I guess, really past that. I mean, obviously, the general structures of the car have remained and carried over, but then really from there, everything else changes, to be honest.”
KERS or no KERS?
As we moved down the outdoor showroom, we stopped just outside the RB7, one of Sebastian Vettel’s title-winning cars. Here, Borrill explained the challenges of deciding to run or without KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), the first iteration of today’s ERS:
“So there were obviously challenges when it first came about. There were circuit limitations for running with KERS and sometimes without. So it’s a system that you could take on a nice car, obviously, nowadays to be fully integrated into the whole package of the car, such that you can’t do that.
“It is obviously a full mainstay of the whole car but back then you could remove the batteries and you could remove the system depending on what circuit you’re at.
“Also, the way that they’re bolted into the structure, from back, then, when it was first introduced to nowadays, it’s all very, very different. The battery used to live in the bell housing of the gearbox, but now it all sits underneath the chassis.
“So even that side of things, even though it’s an electrical deployment system, that we used back then that we still use today. Again, it’s all very, very different.”
Which car remains brings back the best memories?
As our time with the team on Thursday came to a close, we asked Borrill which cars the team has particularly fond memories of racing. He mentioned several of Red Bull’s iconic cars and one main attraction: the scream of a V8 and V10 engine:
“The first car of the new year of regulations (2009), that really took the season by storm. So that is a favourite for a lot of people. And then also, when you look back, you have the championship-winning cars, the first championship-winning cars of the seven, the eight, and the nine. They still hold a lot of members for a lot of people.”
“Obviously, on the heritage side of things, we run the seven and eight very often, and they are big crowd-pleasers. Mainly because the engine side of things, you know, I know that there’s obviously been a lot said about the current engines there, don’t sound as good and all that sort of business.
“They’ve made strides on the current cars. They do sound a lot better than when they first did. But it isn’t anything that you can hold against a V10 or V8 screaming.”
A showcase of history on track
Of course, to celebrate Red Bull’s twentieth anniversary in F1, the on-track action at Goodwood needed to be as impressive as its exhibition. It did not disappoint.
Seven iconic and ear-piercingly loud Red Bull F1 cars took the Goodwood Hill Climb on Saturday and Sunday. CEO and Team Principal Christian Horner, outgoing designer Adrian Newey, current drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, former drivers Mark Webber and Kristien Klien, and thirteen-time grand prix winner David Coulthard all took to the track in a feast for the senses.
Christian Horner gingerly drove up the hill in the RB4, his first time in an F1 car since ending his racing career in 1993. He admitted to practising his starts at Silverstone before Goodwood so as not to stall when he set off the famous hill climb.
Unlike all other competitors, once the cars reached the summit, they were turned around, and after a brief break, they proceeded to drive back down the hill for their individual runs. Red Bull reunited Max Verstappen with his 2021 title-winning RB16B, and he waved to the crowd as he completed his second lap of the hill.
When the cars came back down for the second time, all pulled up in front of Goodwood House in a spectacular display. Fans lined up in front of the house to view the drivers interviewed on the balcony, conducted by Karun Chandhok.
Red Bull’s year celebrations were the highlight of the festival. To bring all of its cars to date to Goodwood gave fans a real treat. It is astounding to see the progress Red Bull and F1 have made in terms of technological advancement and championship accolades. Six constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles is a remarkable achievement in just twenty years. The next twenty look set to be equally as eye-opening.
Feature Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool/Bob McCaffrey/Getty Images