Red Bull RB2
| Industry | Formula One racing team |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 |
Key people | Christian Horner (Team Principal), Adrian Newey (Chief Technical Officer from mid-2006) |
| Products | Formula One cars (including RB2) |
| Parent | Red Bull GmbH |
| Website | www |
The Red Bull RB2 served as the Formula One vehicle for Red Bull Racing during the 2006 season. This model was engineered by Mark Smith, Rob Taylor, and Ben Agathangelou, and it was powered by Ferrari engines. The driving lineup consisted of David Coulthard and Christian Klien, both continuing from the previous 2005 season. After the Italian Grand Prix, Klien was replaced by the third driver Robert Doornbos when Klien turned down a 2007 seat in Champ Car, as the team readied to bring in Mark Webber for the following year.
History
After an impressive inaugural campaign, Red Bull Racing encountered a tougher 2006 season. The focus shifted towards stabilizing performance, a common approach for a team in its sophomore year. The Ferrari power units introduced cooling complications during pre-season, which restricted testing opportunities and led to mid-field competitiveness. Development of the RB2 ceased midway through the season, allowing new Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey to concentrate on designing the 2007 contender.
Despite these setbacks, notable moments included Coulthard achieving the team's maiden podium finish at the Monaco Grand Prix. This event coincided with a marketing collaboration for the Superman movie, during which Coulthard donned a red cape on the podium. Fulfilling a promise made before the race, Team Principal Christian Horner leapt into the team’s pool wearing one of these capes.
Ultimately, Red Bull secured seventh place in the Constructors' Championship with a total of 16 points.
Sponsorship and livery
The RB2’s paint scheme remained largely consistent with that of its predecessor, the RB1, with only minor adjustments such as reversing the colors of the three side stripes and removing the checkered flag pattern from both the bonnet and rear wing side bulkheads. This checkered design was substituted by an extension of the three stripes.
For the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing unveiled a distinctive livery promoting the film Superman Returns. This special design featured a red cape graphic originating from the cockpit area and flowing around the car’s sides and rear wing, complemented by Superman logos on the rear wing bulkheads. All other decorative elements were stripped away except for a gray stripe along each side of the survival cell. The nose cone displayed an image resembling Superman’s chest emblem. During this race weekend, Red Bull’s pit crew wore white overalls, while driver Klien sported blue attire on race day.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (bold denotes pole position)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Red Bull Racing | Ferrari V8 | Template:Michelin | BHR | MAL | AUS | SMR | EUR | ESP | MON | GBR | CAN | USA | FRA | GER | HUN | TUR | ITA | CHN | JPN | BRA | 16 | 7th | |
| Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall David Coulthard | 10 | Ret | 8 | Ret | Ret | 14 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 5 | 15† | 12 | 9 | Ret | Ret | ||||||
| Template:Country data AUTTemplate:Namespace detect showall Christian Klien | 8 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 13 | Ret | 14 | 11 | Ret | 12 | 8 | Ret | 11 | 11 | |||||||||
| Template:Country data NLDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Robert Doornbos | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | TD | 12 | 13 | 12 |