Red Bull RB7
| Company type | Formula One car |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Red Bull Racing |
| Headquarters | Milton Keynes , United Kingdom |
Area served | Formula One World Championship |
Key people | Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber |
| Products | Formula One racing car |
The Red Bull RB7 is a Formula One race car engineered by Red Bull Racing specifically for the 2011 championship. Piloted by reigning champion Sebastian Vettel alongside Australian competitor Mark Webber, the RB7 achieved 12 victories and stood on the podium 27 times. This exceptional performance was instrumental in Red Bull securing the Constructors' Championship, while Vettel claimed the Drivers' Championship that season.
Season overview
Unveiled at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia on 1 February 2011, the RB7 was first tested by Sebastian Vettel.
Throughout pre-season trials at Barcelona, the RB7 consistently posted the fastest times with Vettel behind the wheel. The car triumphed at the opening race in Melbourne, with Vettel taking victory and Webber finishing fifth. Over a total of 19 races, the RB7 finished outside the top five only on two occasions—Webber crashed during the Grand Prix, and Vettel retired in Abu Dhabi.
Vettel secured the 2011 World Drivers' Championship in Japan, while Red Bull clinched the Constructors' title in South Korea. The RB7 achieved three one-two finishes, won 12 out of 19 races, and secured all but one pole position during the year. Its dominance was largely attributed to an innovative yet contentious exhaust-blown diffuser design.
Vettel affectionately named his RB7 chassis Kinky Kylie.
This model represented Red Bull's inaugural full works collaboration with Renault, following Renault's divestment of its stake in their former team, which subsequently became Lotus Renault GP and later Lotus F1 Team. Additionally, it was the first KERS-equipped Formula One car to win a constructors' championship.
Subsequent appearances
Following its competitive career in 2011, the RB7 has been frequently featured in demonstration events adorned with various liveries:
- On 15 March 2014, Daniel Ricciardo piloted an RB7 against a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18 Hornet, flown by RAAF pilot Michael Keightley.
- On 14 January 2016, future Red Bull driver Max Verstappen showcased a snow demonstration run with the RB7 in Kitzbühel.
- On 4 February 2023, New Zealand Formula 2 competitor Liam Lawson completed a demonstration lap at the Mount Panorama during the 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour event.
- On 15 March 2025, Curitiba in Paraná hosted a Red Bull Showrun featuring two RB7 variants: the F1 model driven by Patrick Friesacher and the Racing Bulls edition driven by Scott Speed. The event attracted an audience exceeding 100,000 attendees.
- On 2 April 2025, both cars appeared with identical liveries at the Red Bull Showrun x Powered by Honda event held in Tokyo, preceding the Japanese Grand Prix.
- On 8 June 2025, RB7 models participated in a Red Bull Showrun event in Sofia, driven by David Coulthard and Nikola Tsolov.
- On 26 July 2025, Klaipėda in Lithuania hosted its second Red Bull Showrun, featuring driving duties by Patrick Friesacher.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (results shown in bold denote pole positions; results in italics indicate 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:Pirelli | AUS | MAL | CHN | TUR | ESP | MON | CAN | EUR | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | KOR | IND | ABU | BRA | 650 | 1st | |
| Germany Sebastian Vettel | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Ret | 2 | ||||||
| Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mark Webber | 5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
Ret |
3 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
