Formula 1 VAVEL

Team Trivia: Red Bull Racing

Next up in Vavel's series of Team Trivia is Red Bull Racing, the team that made the big boys take notice.

Team Trivia: Red Bull Racing
The so-called party team of F1, are now heralded as it's saviours, should it topple Mercedes. (Image Credit: Sutton Images)
jake-nichol
By Jake Nichol

When they came into Formula 1 in 2005, Red Bull Racing were seen as a party team, not to be taken seriously. After all, what damage could a energy drinks  company to the likes of Ferrari and McLaren, the two most established teams in the sport ?

Well, as it turns out, they can do a lot of damage. Adrian Newey mastered the 2009 rule changes, although Brawn GP won the titles, owing to a double-diffuser, something Newey  believes to this day to have been illegal, before in 2010, Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel embarked on a period of dominance seldom seen in F1 circles. 

Over the course of 2009-2013, the team scored 47 wins and were no longer the party team, although their sense of fun and light-heartedness is still abundant. 

Now, after the Mercedes years of domination, the same people who derided the energy drinks company, are the same ones who are desperate for them to topple the Silver Arrows. Funny how these things work out. 

Team Stats

Founded - 2005

First F1 GP - Australia 2005

First F1 win - China 2009

Races started - 224

Wins - 52

Pole Positions - 58

Fastest Laps - 52

Points - 3,520.5

Drivers' Titles - 4 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)

Constructors' Titles - 4 (2010, 2011, 2012,2013)

Owner - Dietrich Mateschitz 

Team Principal - Christain Horner 

Chief technical officer - Adrian Newey 

Daniel Ricciardo knows he must be at the top of his game to beat Max Verstappen (Image Credit: Octane/ Getty Images)
Daniel Ricciardo knows he must be at the top of his game to beat Max Verstappen (Image Credit: Octane/ Getty Images)

Daniel Ricciardo

The nickname given to Daniel Ricciardo, the 'Honey-badger' is rather apt. They are both tenacious, determined creatures who will not give up without one helluva fight. An on-form Ricciardo is almost impossible to stop. 

Having burst onto the scene at Red Bull in 2014, and taking three wins, just one win in the following two seasons hurts the Aussie. And he will want better. 

At 27 years old, the Perth native knows that the time is now to deliver. He was arguably the best driver on the grid last season, and to finish just over 100 points behind World Champion Nico Rosberg, despite only winning one race to the German's nine was a monumental effort. 

And that is exactly what he will need again this season, seeing as who is in the other RB13.

Born - 1st July 1989, Perth, Australia 

Age - 27

Race Number - 3 

Debut - Britain 2011

First Win - Canada 2014

Races started - 109

Wins - 4 

Poles - 1

Points - 616

Titles - 0

2017 will be a crucial year in Verstappen's development. Just how far he will go this year is the question. (Image Credit: Mark Thompson/ Getty Images)
2017 will be a crucial year in Verstappen's development. Just how far he will go this year is the question. (Image Credit: Mark Thompson/ Getty Images)

Max Verstappen

And this is who is in the other RB13. Max Verstappen. There is little more that needs to be said about Verstappen, except that to be compared to Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher at just 19 and just 40 races under your belt means you are going places. 

A little rough around the edges maybe, but Verstappen has come in and shook up the establishment. 

It may be too early still for a full out title tilt, seeing as he still needs to work on his Qualifying, but the experience of being in a close fight with a team-mate such as Ricciardo is only a good thing for him and for F1 itself. 

Born - 30th September 1997, Hasselt, Belgium

Age - 19

Race Number - 33

Debut - Australia 2015

First Win - Spain 2016

Races started - 40

Wins - 1 

Poles - 0

Points - 253

Titles - 0