Red Bull - No Bull

[Dutton]

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[Dutton]

Originally Posted by Glen

I don't think I was that far out, in fairness (not that I expect anybody to be fair to me!)

[Gabrio]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

Qualifying around the 10th-12th mark with a run through to 7th/8th in the race, behind Renault, McLaren and Ferrari.

I fully agree. Just look at the fastest laps in the race and the potential of each team is pretty clear.

[Dutton]

Pace in Melbourne does not automatically translate into the same relative pace in Malaysia..........

[Kicking-back]

True - but we can reasonably assume those three teams will be quick everywhere.

[neil_davidson2]

It was good to see DC looking far more relaxed and human than the corporate robot that seemed to be while working for the Macs. I had thought that he would enjoy this season more than he had the last couple but I was thinking more of the atmosphere than for posting good results from the off. Very well done to all at RBR as well as both their drivers for being consistent and reliable enough to make the best of the admittedly jumbled grid.

I agree that they will probably run mid-field from here on (weather permitting!) but there's every chance that they will be able to grab more points as the season progresses.

[billiaml]

Definitely a good start to the season! Hopefully, they will continue to be competitive through the rest of the season -- but only time will tell. It would be nice if the Cosworth engine was good enough that RBR sticks with it over the long haul. Of course, that also remains to be seen.

[sr230772]

i think d.c was brillant those who say it was a fluke watch the race again he was awrsome maybe red bull wont get many points but that has to go down as his best drive it reminds me of damon hill in the arrows in hungary

[pitcrew]

dont get me wrong it was a good perfomance but unfortunatly i doubt they well remain in that half of the grid,

[Snrub]

Another point that no one has mentioned yet is that the Cosworths looked quiet fast. The end of straight speeds were impressive and the potent BMWs did not look to have a substantial advantage. Straight line speeds alone don't mean that much as we've seen with teams like Toyota and Sauber in the past, but they had the lap times to back it up. I really think that Cosworth's independance could be a great thing for the independant teams. Imagine if Red Bull, Sauber, Midland-Jordan, Minardi and potentially team Dubai pooled their money to buy from Cosworth. Cosworth would have a LOT more R&D money and ensure that these teams weren't stuck with 'B' engines.

For the next race I'd make a similar prediction to Kicking-back, 7-8th finish, but I think they'll get a car to 9-10th in qualifying. If Red Bull can be consistant and not make mistakes, they will capitalize on the mistakes of those in the bigger teams and be able to use their speed to get the results. Renault, McLaren, Ferrari and Williams are faster than Red Bull at the moment. BAR and Toyota look to be fairly similar.

I'm not quiet ready to eat pie on DC. I think his experience helped the team, but no one was really putting in fast laps and in the past that's been DC's past downfall.

[BootsOntheSide]

At present I can see DC being able to qualify top 8 on merit a few times, probably usually around 12th, with Klien a couple of places behind. As long as their reliability is average or better, than should translate into several minor points placings, although I agree that by mid-season Toyota and perhaps Sauber will have shuffled them down the order (although by that time the top teams will probably have ironed out any performance or reliaility gremlins, so there'd be less points on the shelf anyway).

[joe rossi]

I don't think it has been mentioned yet, but I think those 7 points will really come in handy now. In more "normal" races it will be very hard to get points with all the bigger teams filling those slots. I think that by the end of the season those 7 points will put Red Bull above Sauber in the pecking order

[billiaml]

That would be nice to see

[Skam85]

Anyone noticed that RBR have done in their first race that Jag couldn't do in 5 yrs-achieve a double points finish!

[enemy-ace]

They can thank Jag for that!

[Mosport67]

It does show what Jag could have done with a more efficent and effective structure.

[Wrex]

Like Fisi, DC was flattered by quals. Also like Fisi, he drove a great race to consolidate the starting position into a much needed result.

I was very impressed by both DC and Redbull this weekend. I wont be bagging Jag though, as they did design this car (and if it were a dog, many would already have made that connection).

These guys could be in the hunt for best of the rest IMO, and I wont be suprised to see a fiesty DC sticking it to the top lads a fair bit. That car had some pace, on a few laps he was able to pull away from Webber so it is'nt a slug.

Well done guys, more to come I hope.

[enemy-ace]

Being a former Jag supporter I feel somewhat vindicated by RBR's performance. In a way by default I find myself cheering on RBR as well. I don't think there are any illusions as to their ultimate pace but the one thing that the team has improved on from last season's car is their consistency. Last years Jag liked to eat it's tires. Both of the Bull's maintained their pace throughout the race which is a good sign. Here's hoping the Red Bull team can do what Ford refused to do and develop the car's potential.

[flor]

According to "Motorsport Aktuell" RBR will get Honda engines from 2006

[JV_11]

Originally Posted by joe rossi

I don't think it has been mentioned yet, but I think those 7 points will really come in handy now. In more "normal" races it will be very hard to get points with all the bigger teams filling those slots. I think that by the end of the season those 7 points will put Red Bull above Sauber in the pecking order

There's still 18 races left but what you said is very true.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by enemy-ace

Being a former Jag supporter I feel somewhat vindicated by RBR's performance. Here's hoping the Red Bull team can do what Ford refused to do and develop the car's potential.

According to Ron's post race comments he wasn't surprised by its pace. He said that it was being developed since May last year...which even with a couple of months down time due to the buy out, means that development was on par with the heavy hitters (FIAT EXCEPTED!)

Ford had the decency to further develop the basis of a good car (the R5) so that whoever bought it could benefit from it now BEING a good car. With the extra dough being chucked at it (almost double that of Ford apparently) it might possibly stick close to the pace all season

Yep, on board cameras showed clearly that DC was going away from Webbo down the straight, but it did appear that he was slower in the twisty stuff.

Malaysia will be interesting....Melbourne lap times showed it's a second off...but a second off what? Alonso's pace? What is the ultimate pace though as many people only were quick in spurts as ooposed to whole race?

This RBR is very interesting indeed!

Oh and is it just me or in nose shape and colour scheme doesn't it look just like the '96 or '97 Saubers?!

[billiaml]

speedtv.com also reported RBR's pending switch to Honda power for '06. Being a Cosworth fan, I'm disappointed but, at the same time, they'll reportedly be saving @ $10 million per year so I can see why they're doing it.

[Setantra]

Fair play to them. Christian Horner deserves all the credit. But lets see how they fair in Malaysia

[Setantra]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Oh and is it just me or in nose shape and colour scheme doesn't it look just like the '96 or '97 Saubers?!

I agree. It does when you squint your eyes a bit.