Red Bull RB10

Red Bull Racing

Industry	Formula One racing team
Key people	Christian Horner (team principal), Adrian Newey (chief engineer)
Products	Formula One cars

The Red Bull RB10 is a Formula One car engineered by Adrian Newey for the reigning world champion team, Red Bull Racing. It competed throughout the 2014 Formula One season, piloted by the defending World Champion Sebastian Vettel alongside rookie driver Daniel Ricciardo, who was promoted from the junior squad following Mark Webber's retirement.

This model was developed around Renault Sport's newly introduced 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engine, known as the Renault Energy F1-2014. The RB10 made its debut on 28 January 2014 at the Circuito de Jerez. Continuing his custom, Vettel named this car "Suzie".

Design and development

The initial phase of the RB10’s development encountered significant setbacks, with the team managing to cover under 100 km during early testing at Jerez—marking the lowest mileage among all teams present. Similar to other Renault-powered outfits such as Toro Rosso and Caterham, Red Bull struggled with integrating various elements of the Renault Energy F1-2014 power unit. Once these difficulties were addressed, software complications related to the turbocharger surfaced. Furthermore, the RB10’s compact chassis design generated excessive heat, which contributed to component failures.

At the Bahrain test sessions, problems continued as Red Bull operated with the Energy Recovery System (ERS) switched off following Renault’s recommendation, resulting in a power deficit estimated at up to 150 horsepower. Although Vettel completed over seventy laps on the opening day, mechanical troubles restricted running time during the subsequent three days. By the conclusion of testing, Red Bull had completed fewer laps than most competitors and recorded lap times outside the 107% qualifying limit.

No significant progress was observed in the final Bahrain test; Ricciardo recorded the quickest lap for the RB10 but remained 2.5 seconds slower than Felipe Massa’s benchmark time. Vettel failed to complete a timed lap before experiencing a breakdown. Team principal Christian Horner admitted that resolving these issues remained uncertain.

Season summary

Red Bull’s 2014 campaign got off to a challenging start, with MGU-K failures forcing Vettel’s early retirement in Australia. Ricciardo initially secured a podium finish but was later disqualified due to using a non-compliant fuel flow system; Red Bull had employed their own system instead of the FIA-mandated unit, citing defects in the official equipment.

In Malaysia, Vettel achieved third place despite Ricciardo retiring following a pit stop error that damaged his front wing. Both drivers earned points in Bahrain and China, with Ricciardo consistently finishing fourth and Vettel closely trailing. The team’s performance improved in Spain where Ricciardo finished third and Vettel fourth, ending Mercedes’ streak of fastest laps. Ricciardo secured another third-place podium in Monaco after battling Lewis Hamilton; meanwhile, Vettel retired due to power unit failure.

Ricciardo celebrated his maiden Formula One victory at the Canadian Grand Prix—the RB10’s first win that season—with Vettel finishing third. Results declined in Austria as Ricciardo placed eighth and Vettel retired again due to power unit and front wing problems. The pair bounced back with third and fifth-place finishes in Britain.

Ricciardo added two further wins in Hungary and Belgium. Ultimately, Red Bull finished second in the Constructors' Championship; Ricciardo ranked third in the Drivers' standings ahead of Vettel, who placed fifth without securing any wins or pole positions during his title defense.

During Abu Dhabi’s final race, both Red Bulls were excluded from qualifying due to violations involving front wing flexing and started from the back of the grid. Despite this setback, Ricciardo recovered to fourth place while Vettel finished eighth before leaving the team.

Display

As of September 2021, the RB10 car piloted by Daniel Ricciardo was on display at The Motor Museum of Western Australia.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results shown in italics represent fastest laps)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	Grands Prix																			Points	WCC
					AUS	MAL	BHR	CHN	ESP	MON	CAN	AUT	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	SIN	JPN	RUS	USA	BRA	ABU‡
Template:F1	Red Bull Racing	Renault Energy F1-2014 V6	Template:Pirelli	Sebastian Vettel	Ret	3	6	5	4	Ret	3	Ret	5	4	7	5	6	2	3	8	7	5	8	405	2nd
				Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Daniel Ricciardo	DSQ	Ret	4	4	3	3	1	8	3	6	1	1	5	3	4	7	3	Ret	4

‡ — Double points were awarded at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.