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Red Bull unveil the RB6

The Newey challenger uncovered at Jerez

By

10 February 2010 - 08:47

Ahead of the second pre-season test at Jerez, Red Bull unveiled its latest championship challenger, the Renault-powered RB6.

The Milton Keynes-based team secured second position in the championship last year behind Brawn Mercedes and they hope that the latest Adrian Newey design will enable them to once again challenge for the championship.

“The RB6 is very much an evolution of the 2009 car," explained Newey. "We tried to refine and evolve it rather than go to new concepts. As a result, the car looks similar with elements such as the chassis and pull-rod rear suspension retained. The two main challenges were the larger fuel tank and the smaller front tyre.

"With the fuel tank, there was more to it than simply putting a bigger tank in the car – it puts more load on the brakes, so the brake cooling has to cope with that and you also have to consider what effect that extra fuel will have on the tyre degradation early in the race and if there’s anything we should change mechanically to cope with that. The narrower front tyre changes weight distribution and the balance of the car. I think it’s a sensible evolution of the 2009 car.

"One obvious difference is that the 2009 car was not designed to suit a double-diffuser and we had to try to put one on as best we could around the existing rear suspension and gear box. With this car we’ve been able to design that part of the car from scratch.”

Red Bull opted to miss the first pre-season tests in Valencia to devote extra time to the RB6 design. Mark Webber is scheduled to complete the first two days of running before handing the new package over to Sebastian Vettel. Team principal Christian Horner has high expectations heading into the new season

“2009 was a massive year for the team and I think we took a huge step forward," said Horner. "Red Bull Racing’s still a relatively young team and so the lessons that we learned last year will serve us well going into 2010. The performance of the car developed throughout 2009 and I believe we ended the year with the best chassis.

"We’ve had stability over the winter and continuity in all areas, so I think we’re in good shape. We completely respect the quality of our opponents, but we’re setting ourselves aggressive targets. It’s fantastic to see the car finally taking to the track after so much hard work and effort.”

The team also announced the continuation of sponsor Casio and the addition of Pepe Jeans.