Red Bull Racing

**Red Bull Racing**, also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian license and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned by conglomerate company Red Bull GmbH, the other being Scuderia Toro Rosso. The Red Bull Racing team is currently managed by Santiago Reyes, who took over as team principal in 2008 after Christian Horner was fired over controversial comments.

Red Bull had Cosworth engines in 2005 and ran with Ferrari engines in 2007. In 2007 the team began using engines supplied by Renault.

## History

### Origins

The Red Bull Racing team can trace it's origins all the way back to Ford Grand Prix, which made it's debut in 1997. The team was rebranded with new management after being taken over by Jaguar Racing in late 1999. The Jaguar Racing team started life well thanks to the efforts of Stine Olander, but ultimately declined in the next few seasons following Olander's departure.

The Jaguar racing team was put up for sale in September 2004 when Ford decided it could "no longer make a compelling business case for any of its brands to compete in Formula One." Red Bull, an energy drinks company, agreed its purchase of Jaguar Racing on the final day of the sale, 15 November 2004. BBC Sport reported that Ford asked bidders for a symbolic US$1 in return for a commitment to invest US$400 million in the team over three Grand Prix seasons. The team continued to have access to the Cosworth engine developed for their 2005 chassis, and the operation continued under the new title. Christian Horner was installed as the new team boss and lined up a returning Conor Byrne and Hugo Huxley from Sauber to drive for the team.

### Formula One

#### The beginning (2005-2007)

Red Bull's owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, reportedly tried to recruit BMW Motorsport chief and fellow Austrian Gerhard Berger to help guide the team through its debut season. However, this was never realized. The first Red Bull chassis was christened the RB1.

Following a 2004 season that saw Jaguar ill-equipped to run it's full duration, Red Bull's first race in 2005 saw Byrne placing 6th in what would be the highest finish of the year for the team. Huxley himself would finish six positions behind in 12th. The team found it's place in the midfield, scoring points in seven of the twelve races that season. Ultimately, Red Bull would finish their first championship season 8th in the World Constructors Championship (WCC). Most importantly the team would run the full schedule, something Jaguar had struggled to do in 2004.

In 2005 the team announced a deal to use Ferrari engines for the 2006 season. The RB2, while occasionally fragile, finished in the points more often. The team tried various new approaches to car design throughout the season, but the Ferrari engine proved unreliable through the year, resulting in several retirements for both drivers.

2006 saw the team face controversy early on. Christian Horner, the team boss of Red Bull, made derogatory comments following Stine Olander's historic win at that years Bahrain Grand Prix. Horner would be released by the team and replaced before that years Monaco Grand Prix by Philipp Schmidt as an interim team principal. Schmidt became the first ever Formula One team principal from Luxembourg.

Red Bull Racing switched to Renault engines in 2007, with their driver line-up retaining Hugo Huxley along with former Scuderia Toro Rosso driver David Dwyer. The season was relatively uneventful for the team following the prior year's controversy. Red Bull Racing consistently fought in the back half of the top ten throughout the year, ultimately finishing 7th in the World Constructors Championship. The finish would continue a streak for the team that had started in 2004 where they would finish one constructor position higher than the previous year.

2007 saw the departure of long-time Ford/Jaguar/Red Bull Racing driver Conor Byrne for Porsche. Byrne had been with the team since 1999, and was vital in both transitions of power during his eight year tenure with the organization. Byrne was replaced by Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Marco Zimmermann, an Austrian driver and the first for the Austrian team. Zimmermann would pair with Dwyer for the 2008 season.

The start of the 2008 season saw Dwyer take his first career pole in the opening round at the Australian Grand Prix, his home race. The team came close to winning but were unable to do so.