Red Bull RB8
| Company type | Racing car |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Red Bull Racing |
| Headquarters | Milton Keynes , United Kingdom |
| Products | Formula One car |
| Parent | Red Bull Racing |
The Red Bull RB8 was developed by Red Bull Racing specifically for the 2012 Formula One season. It was piloted by the reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel alongside Mark Webber, with Sébastien Buemi serving as the test driver. The RB8 was unveiled online on 6 February and made its first appearance during pre-season testing at the Circuito de Jerez.
Design
Prior to the start of the season, Red Bull opted against incorporating Lotus's reactive ride-height technology into the RB8. Team principal Christian Horner highlighted that "the car must function as an integrated package rather than through isolated components." This system was subsequently prohibited by the FIA. Consistent with most 2012 designs, the RB8 featured a 'stepped-nose' configuration to comply with updated safety standards. A distinctive slot was incorporated into the nose step, which Adrian Newey clarified was intended exclusively for driver ventilation.
Sebastian Vettel chose to nickname his RB8 'Abbey', describing it simply as "a cool name". During the 2012 British Grand Prix, the car's livery showcased 25,000 images submitted by fans in support of the Wings For Life Foundation.
Legality
Throughout the 2012 season, the RB8 encountered several regulatory disputes. Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, rival teams raised concerns over a slot located in the rear floor of the RB8. Red Bull defended their design, emphasizing its compliance with regulations and noting it had passed FIA inspections since its Bahrain introduction. Nonetheless, prior to the Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA banned floor holes, compelling Red Bull to modify their design.
At the German Grand Prix, FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer referred Red Bull to race stewards over allegations concerning an illegal throttle map. The previous year's practice of enhancing downforce through exhaust flow was outlawed in 2012, requiring a linear relationship between throttle input and torque output. Red Bull was accused of circumventing this by permitting greater throttle opening than torque in medium-speed corners to increase downforce and potentially assist traction control. The stewards ultimately cleared Red Bull of any violations; however, subsequent FIA rule changes before Hungary necessitated further adjustments.
A third controversy emerged before the Hungarian Grand Prix when Red Bull was accused of illicitly changing ride height under parc fermé conditions during Canada following FIA-mandated modifications. Regulations stipulated that ride height alterations must be performed using tools, yet FIA had requested a component allowing manual adjustment. Team principal Christian Horner denied any illegal changes after qualifying.
Season review
Following three pre-season tests at Jerez and Barcelona, the RB8 made its competitive debut at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix. Webber and Vettel qualified fifth and sixth respectively and finished fourth and second as their race pace improved. In Malaysia, similar qualifying positions led to mixed race results due to wet conditions and incidents; Webber secured fourth while Vettel finished outside points after suffering a puncture. In China, Webber qualified seventh and Vettel eleventh but managed fourth and fifth place finishes respectively.
The RB8 achieved its first pole position and victory in Bahrain with Vettel leading most of the race despite pressure from Lotus drivers. Webber completed the race in fourth, marking his fourth consecutive fourth-place finish. This success propelled Vettel and Red Bull to lead both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships for the first time that year.
In Spain, following the sole mid-season test at Mugello, Webber started eleventh and maintained that position; Vettel improved from seventh to sixth after front wing replacements due to technical difficulties. At Monaco, Webber secured pole position (following Schumacher's penalty) and went on to win; Vettel began ninth and finished just behind his teammate in fourth place. Despite six different winners in as many races, Red Bull remained unique as the only team with multiple victories. Competitors McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Lotus all emerged as championship contenders alongside Red Bull.
After adapting to an FIA-mandated floor modification, Vettel secured pole in Canada but finished fourth due to additional pit stops caused by tyre wear; Webber dropped from fourth to seventh. Hamilton won and took over the drivers' championship lead. In Europe, Vettel earned his third pole of 2012 but retired from first place due to an alternator failure—an issue recurring with Renault engines—while Webber recovered from nineteenth on the grid to finish fourth.
At Silverstone, Webber qualified second and overtook Alonso late in the race to claim victory; Vettel recovered from a poor start to finish third. In Germany, Alonso won from pole; Vettel qualified second but received a post-race penalty for an off-track overtake that demoted him from second to fifth. The Hungarian Grand Prix saw Hamilton win from pole; Vettel finished fourth starting third while Webber moved up from eleventh to eighth. Red Bull led the Constructors' Championship by 53 points over McLaren, with Lotus and Ferrari close behind; Alonso led Drivers' standings followed by Vettel second and Webber third.
Following the summer break at Spa-Francorchamps, Vettel qualified eleventh but climbed to second during the race; Webber finished sixth as Button secured victory for McLaren. In Italy, Hamilton achieved his third consecutive win; Vettel qualified sixth but retired due to another alternator failure while Webber spun out leading to retirement—the team's first double DNF since 2010.
In Singapore, Red Bull introduced a "double-DRS" system akin to Mercedes’ earlier innovation but subsequently banned for 2013 amid controversy; Lotus attempted a similar device prior to Red Bull’s debut. Hamilton took pole but retired with gearbox failure; Vettel inherited victory while Webber finished eleventh following a penalty. At Suzuka, Red Bull locked out front row positions for the first time in 2012 with Vettel on pole and Webber second. Vettel led every lap en route to victory while Webber recovered from a first-lap spin to finish ninth. These results reduced Vettel’s deficit to Alonso in Drivers' standings to four points with five races remaining; Red Bull maintained a strong lead over McLaren and Ferrari in Constructors'.
In Korea, Red Bull once again secured front row lock-out (Webber on pole), though Vettel took an early lead and won with Webber finishing second for a one-two result. Alonso completed third but remained behind Red Bull and McLaren pace-wise. At India, Red Bull recorded their third consecutive front row lock-out—their first since 2007—with Vettel leading every lap for his fourth straight win and fifth overall in 2012. Webber held second for most of the race but lost position to Alonso due to KERS issues near race end; he defended against Hamilton to secure third place on the podium.
Subsequent applications
Following the conclusion of the 2012 season, the RB8, much like its forerunner, was regularly showcased in demonstration events and featured in a variety of different liveries:
- In 2018, MotoGP titleholder Marc Márquez along with Dani Pedrosa piloted the RB8 adorned in the Toro Rosso STR13 colors at the Red Bull Ring.
- On 5 March 2020, Max Verstappen took the RB8 out on track sporting the Red Bull RB16 design at the refurbished Circuit Zandvoort.
Additionally, the RB8 made brief appearances in drag racing competitions organized by Carwow.
Full Formula One results
(key) (bold signifies pole position; italics denote fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F1 | Red Bull Racing | Renault RS27-2012 | Template:Pirelli | AUS | MAL | CHN | BHR | ESP | MON | CAN | EUR | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | KOR | IND | ABU | USA | BRA | 460 | 1st | |
| Germany Sebastian Vettel | 2 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 4 | Ret | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 22 † | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | ||||||
| Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Mark Webber | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 20 † | 11 | 9 | 2 | 3 | Ret | Ret | 4 |
Driver did not finish but was classified as having completed more than 90% of the race distance.