Red Bull RB6
| File:Red Bull Racing logo.svg Red Bull Racing logo | |
| Company type | Formula One team |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport |
Area served | Formula One World Championship |
Key people | Adrian Newey (Chief Technical Officer) |
| Products | Formula One cars |
| Owner | Red Bull GmbH |
| Parent | Red Bull GmbH |
| Website | www |
The Red Bull RB6 served as Red Bull Racing's Formula One contender during the season, piloted by reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel alongside Mark Webber. Its official unveiling took place on February 10 at Jerez.
Vettel initially dubbed his RB6 chassis "Luscious Liz," but after sustaining minor damage post-Monaco Grand Prix, he transitioned to a new chassis named "Randy Mandy." In 2019, Webber disclosed that he had obtained "Luscious Liz" through his contract; this particular chassis was instrumental in Vettel's victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix and Webber's triumphs at the British and Hungarian Grands Prix, as well as securing pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix.
This car marked Red Bull Racing's inaugural triumph in a sequence of four consecutive World Constructors' Championships. Vettel secured his first World Drivers' Championship during the final race in Abu Dhabi. The RB6 exhibited dominance in qualifying sessions, achieving the fastest lap in 15 out of 19 events. Adrian Newey, the Chief Technical Officer, characterized it as "likely the F1 car with the greatest downforce ever produced."
In 2014, Vettel identified the RB6 as his preferred Formula One vehicle to drive. Additionally, it was the last car powered by a customer engine to win a constructors' title before Red Bull transitioned into a full Renault factory team from 2011 through 2015, a feat not repeated until McLaren's Mercedes-powered MCL38 emerged victorious in .
Racing history
During qualifying for the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel secured pole position by a margin slightly exceeding one-tenth of a second over Ferrari’s Felipe Massa. Vettel led the race until lap 33 when a spark plug malfunction caused a power drop, relegating him to fourth place. Webber concluded the race in eighth position.
Vettel earned his second consecutive pole at the Australian Grand Prix, but his race ended prematurely due to a loose wheel nut while leading. Webber finished ninth following a late collision with Lewis Hamilton. In Malaysia, Red Bull achieved an authoritative one-two finish with Vettel taking first place. The Chinese Grand Prix was affected by rain, resulting in both drivers finishing sixth and eighth despite starting from the front row. Webber claimed victory at the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position, while Vettel finished third after encountering brake complications. At Monaco, Webber again secured pole and won the race, with Vettel finishing second—marking Red Bull’s second one-two finish of the season.
At the Turkish Grand Prix, Webber captured his third straight pole position; Vettel qualified third. Their race ended prematurely on lap 40 following an on-track collision between them, handing victory to McLaren’s Hamilton. Webber finished third and maintained a five-point lead over Jenson Button in the Drivers’ Championship. Meanwhile, Red Bull slipped to second place in the Constructors’ standings by a single point behind McLaren.
In Canada, both Red Bulls struggled with straight-line speed and finished fourth and fifth respectively. McLaren extended their advantage in the constructors’ championship. At Valencia, Vettel won while Webber survived a high-speed crash unscathed.
A team dispute arose at Silverstone regarding updated front wings; Vettel was allocated the preferred wing for qualifying, causing frustration for Webber. Despite this, Webber overtook Vettel at race start and claimed victory, while Vettel recovered from a puncture to finish seventh. Afterward, Webber voiced concerns about team relations despite having recently renewed his contract.
Vettel secured pole positions in both Germany and Hungary but finished third on both occasions. Webber experienced engine oil problems in Germany but triumphed in Hungary after benefiting from a penalty imposed on Vettel, reclaiming the championship lead and returning Red Bull to first place in the Constructors’ Championship.
At Belgium, Webber achieved pole position and finished second; however, Vettel crashed while attempting an overtake, damaging his car and finishing fifteenth—negatively impacting his championship standing.
During Monza, both drivers had poor starts; Webber managed to recover to sixth place while Vettel finished fourth. Following Hamilton’s retirement, Webber regained the championship lead. In Singapore, Vettel qualified second and pressured Alonso closely en route to second place; Webber finished third despite colliding with Hamilton.
Red Bull dominated at the Japanese Grand Prix with an all-front row lockout. Vettel led from pole position to victory while Webber recovered from an early setback to finish second. They tactically followed Jenson Button during pit stops before reclaiming first and second positions late in the race. On the final lap, Webber recorded the fastest lap time, replicating his performance from the previous year.
At Korea, Red Bull again secured front row positions aiming to clinch the Constructors’ Championship early. However, rain disrupted proceedings; Webber crashed early taking out Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes, while Vettel retired due to an engine failure while leading. These incidents cost both drivers valuable points but left them optimistic heading into the final races.
In Brazil, Vettel won starting from second on the grid with Webber finishing second, securing Red Bull’s Constructors’ Championship title. During Abu Dhabi, Vettel clinched his first Drivers’ World Championship by winning from pole position; Webber finished eighth behind title rival Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.
Other
This vehicle appears in the video game F1 2010 as part of the official 2010 season roster. Subsequently, Codemasters brought it back as a historic model in F1 2017, F1 2018, F1 2019, and F1 2020, further solidifying its prominence within the virtual racing community.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (bold denotes pole position; italics denote fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F1 | Red Bull Racing | Renault RS27 V8 | Template:Bridgestone | BHR | AUS | MAL | CHN | ESP | MON | TUR | CAN | EUR | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | KOR | BRA | ABU | 498 | 1st | |
| Germany Sebastian Vettel | 4 | Ret | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | Ret | 4 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 1 | Ret | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mark Webber | 8 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | Ret | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | Ret | 2 | 8 |
