Red Bull to launch 2012 car before first test

The car in which Sebastian Vettel will push for an ultra-rare triple back-to-back world championship will be launched on February 5.

That is the claim of France’s Auto Hebdo, with the autohebdo.fr website saying the official unveiling of the 2012 Red Bull will take place at the energy drink-owned team’s Milton Keynes headquarters.

February 5 is two days before the first official test of the 2012 pre-season kicks off at Jerez, and the RB8’s designer Adrian Newey has revealed the intention is to take the new car to the Spanish circuit.

"Adrian and the guys are pushing very hard to get the car ready for next year," said Vettel recently.

Meanwhile, it is believed the new Lotus (nee Renault) will be launched a day later than the Red Bull.

The precise date of the Williams launch is not yet known, but Auto Hebdo claims the FW34 will be revealed for the first time not in Europe but in Doha, the capital of Qatar where the British team has a technical facility.

It has been reported that the Oxfordshire based team is close to inking a major sponsorship deal with the Doha-based Qatar National Bank.