Verstappen, the reigning double world champion, scored 15 of Red Bull's 17 victories from 22 races during the 2022 season, which saw the rules reset.
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Oracle The RB 19, Red Bull Racing’s F1 vehicle for 2023, has been unveiled. Max Verstappen and Sergio “Checo” Perez, the team’s two drivers, as well as team owner Christian Horner attended the car’s official unveiling in New York. Daniel Ricciardo, the team’s new backup driver, was also present at the launch event. Red Bull enters the 2023 season looking to defend both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. Verstappen, the reigning double world champion, scored 15 of Red Bull’s 17 victories from 22 races during the 2022 season, which saw the rules reset.
On Friday, Red Bull gathered in New York for a “season launch.” Team Principal Christian Horner, full-time racers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, as well as third driver Daniel Ricciardo, were there to oversee the event. The team displayed their 2023 look using the traditional blue, yellow, and red colour scheme, which embodies the core colours of the Red Bull company.
While Miami and Austin will be joined by a new Las Vegas race, Horner revealed that Red Bull will hold a competition for fans to create a unique livery for the three races held in the United States this year. As Horner hinted at, preseason testing for the 2023 Formula One season will take place in Bahrain from February 23–25. The opening round will then take place at the same Sakhir venue a week later.
Speaking at the launch, Horner commented: “It’s incredibly special to be in the Big Apple, in the US, in New York. The US is playing such a big role in F1 these days – three Grands Prix, [with] Las Vegas coming onto the calendar as well – so it seemed only fitting to unveil the RB19, and our plans for the season ahead, here.”
As for Red Bull’s 2023 on-track expectations, Horner continued: “It’s going to be an incredible season. Our rivals, for sure, haven’t stood still. We’re expecting Ferrari to be competitive, Mercedes are going to be there, [and] there’s some other teams that could well make some big progress as well. This time of year, it’s all a big unknown, and it’s a question of focusing on ourselves, doing the best we can. Then in Bahrain, in a couple of weeks’ time, we’ll get to see everybody’s car and we’ll realise, ‘Have we missed something? Have we not?’ Then we set off on this 23-race journey between March and November. There’s going to be highs and lows along the way, I’m sure, but I think we’re in a good place and looking to carry on that momentum from last year.”
At the unveiling of Red Bull Racing’s new F1 car for 2023, Ford announced that it was ready to make its over 20-year absence from the sport official. When the new engine regulations for Formula One take effect in 2026, the American giant will collaborate with Red Bull. There won’t be a Ford factory team competing. Instead, the company has partnered with Red Bull Powertrains, and from 2026 to at least 2030, the two of them will jointly develop the powertrains for Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri. For its F1 engines, Red Bull currently works with Honda; however, this partnership will end to make room for the Ford arrangement.
“As an independent engine manufacturer, to have the ability to benefit from an OEM’s experience like Ford puts us in good stead against the competition,” said Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing team principal. “They are a manufacturer rich in motoring history that spans generations. From Jim Clark to Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, the lineage speaks for itself. For us, as Red Bull Powertrains, to open the next chapter of that dynasty, as Red Bull Ford, is tremendously exciting. 2026 is still a while a way, but for us the work already starts as we look to a new future and a continued evolution of Oracle Red Bull Racing.”
The intricate MGU-H system (capturing energy from exhaust gases) will be abandoned due to the new engine regulations, which have also encouraged Audi to enter Formula 1. Instead, the MGU-K will produce 350kW, which is more than three times the current combined output of the MGU-H and MGU-K (recaptures energy under braking). The 1.6-liter turbo engine will also use fuel that is 100 percent sustainable.
“Ford’s return to Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing is all about where we are going as a company– increasingly electric, software-defined, modern vehicles and experiences,” said Jim Farley, president and CEO, Ford Motor Company. “F1 will be an incredibly cost-effective platform to innovate, share ideas and technologies, and engage with tens of millions of new customers.”
