Red Bull takes wraps off RB9 car as English team looks for 4th straight F1 title
MILTON KEYNES, England - To a thumping soundtrack and an atmospheric setting, Red Bull took the wraps off the RB9 car that will look to provide the English lineup with its fourth straight driver and constructor titles. Reigning triple world champion Sebastian Vettel and teammate Mark Webber unveiled Sunday a car that is swathed in purple to promote a new title sponsor but appears to have few notable technological changes.
"It's very much an evolutionary car with the devil very much in the detail as we've tidied up a few bits from last year," said chief technical officer Adrian Newey, who designed the latest Red Bull challenger.
While Webber will have the first chance to drive the RB9 on Tuesday in testing at Jerez, Red Bull will be looking to Vettel to bring home a fourth straight drivers' title when the 2013 season begins at the Australian Grand Prix on March 17.
"I'm very excited now," the German driver said. "Now we have to see whether it works as good as it looks.
"It all starts again from zero, a very tough challenge."
Newey has retained the stepped nose with a short so-called "vanity panel" to cover the ungainly front. The car has lost the driver cooling slot and Newey has tweaked the colour scheme. The launch was made amid a "rave" setting, featuring a dark and moody background, before loud music accompanied a video called "The Rhythm of the Factory" that showed the making of the car.
"I cannot wait to get in the car on Tuesday," said Webber who has been with the team for seven years. "I've been strapped to Adrian's cars for quite a while now, and I can trust them."
Vettel won the 2012 title by just three points from Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and those two are expected to be the two leading challengers this year.
"People expect something (from Red Bull) but more than that we expect to do well ourselves," Vettel said. "There is a lot of pressure. I'm excited to get back in the car, go racing.
"It will be tough to beat Mark, tough to beat the other guys, the other teams."