Get to know Oracle Red Bull Racing, one of the young, new-money players in F1, including reigning world champion Max Verstappen and team principal Christian Horner.
It’s been a long and winding journey for the Red Bull F1 team since it launched in 2005. There’s been a lot of change, using engines from Cosgrove, Ferrari, Renault (which was re-named TAG Heuer for a year when the relationship hit a rough patch in 2015), and Honda. And of course, a growing list of drivers has come and gone.
But the one constant has been team principal Christian Horner, who’s managed the team since its inaugural year. Red Bull pulled the constructor and driver’s championship double four years straight from 2010-2013 with Sebastian Vettel before waiting nearly a decade to win the big one again.
An epic 2021 season ended with Max Verstappen besting Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in the most controversial of final races in Abu Dhabi to win the Formula 1 Driver’s Championship.
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After two-plus years on Red Bull’s sister F1 club, Scuderia Toro Rosso (now known as Scuderia AlphaTauri), Verstappen joined the big club in 2016. He recently signed the most lucrative contract extension in the sport’s history at more than $50 million a year. He’s joined by teammate Sergio Perez, who arrived via Racing Point (now branded as Aston Martin) in 2021. “Checo” finished fourth in the Driver’s Championship last season and won his first-ever Formula 1 pole at this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Let’s get to know more about the Red Bull F1 team.
History of Red Bull Racing in Formula 1
Founded:2005
Headquarters: Milton Keynes, England
Owner: Red Bull GmbH
Key sponsors: BYBIT, Puma, TAG Heuer, Tezos, BMC, Cash App, Rauch, Pirelli, Walmart, America Movil, Interproteccion, Poly, Therabody, Ocean Bottle, PokerStars, Armor All, Gold Standard, AlphaTauri
When the Ford Motor Company acquired Formula 1 constructor Stewart Grand Prix 23 years ago, it quickly rebranded the team as Jaguar Racing. Just as quickly, the iconic Detroit automaker realized how little a chance it had at competing with the big guns like Ferrari and McLaren. A decision was made to sell.
And in 2004, an Austrian energy drink company strolled in and turned auto racing on its head. The following January, Red Bull make Christian Horner team principal — the youngest in Formula 1 at the time.
Sebastian Vettel’s arrival in 2009 remains the single biggest coup in the team’s history. Since that year, Red Bull has finished outside the top three in the Constructor’s Championship standings just once, a fourth-place finish in 2015, which happened to coincide with the four-time world champ’s move to Ferrari.
The Verstappen era could very well end up being as promising as Vettel’s.
2022 Red Bull F1 Drivers
Max Verstappen
- No. 1 car
- 2021 F1 Driver’s Champion
- At age 18, became youngest driver to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix (2016)
Verstappen became a world champion mere months after turning 24, and is only beginning to unlock his true potential as one of the sport’s most fearsome operators. His rivalry with seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton burned hot in 2021, but the story of the 2022 campaign so far has been his back-and-forth with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The two have battled for years dating back to their amateur karting days, and there’s something refreshing about a fierce two-man competition that’s ultimately built on respect.
Sergio “Checo” Perez
- No. 11 car
- Personal-best five podium finishes in 2021
- At 2022 Saudi Arabian GP, became first Mexican-born driver to win a Formula 1 pole
The eminently likable Sergio Perez is one of the most familiar faces in Formula 1. Debuting in 2010 with Sauber, he went on to feature for McLaren and Force India/Racing Point before arriving at Red Bull last year. He’s finished fourth in the Driver’s Championship standings in back-to-back years, his high watermarks to date.
Red Bull Racing’s F1 Championships & Milestones
Numbers reflect results through the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Constructor’s Championships: 4 (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
Driver’s Championships: 5 (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13, ’21)
All-time Formula 1 wins: 76
F1 podiums: 207
F1 poles: 74
F1 fastest laps: 76
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