Red Bull Racing RB16

Red Bull Racing RB16
Red Bull Racing RB16B
	An RB16 driven by Alexander Albon at the 2020 Formula One pre-season testing
Category	Formula One
Constructor	Red Bull Racing
Designer(s)	Adrian Newey (Chief Technical Officer); Pierre Waché (Technical Director); Rob Marshall (Chief Engineering Officer); (Chief Engineer - Technology and Analysis Tools); Steve Winstanley (Chief Designer - Composites and Structures) ; Edward Aveling (Chief Designer - Mechanical and Systems); (Chief Engineer, Performance) ; Dan Fallows (Chief Engineer, Aerodynamics); Craig Skinner (Chief Aerodynamicist)
Predecessor	Red Bull RB15
Technical specifications
Engine	2020:; Honda RA620H, 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine limited to 15,000 rpm in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout; ; 2021:; Honda RA621H, 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine limited to 15,000 rpm in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout
Electric motor	Honda kinetic and thermal energy recovery systems
Battery	Honda lithium-ion batteries
Fuel	Esso/Mobil Synergy race fuels
Lubricants	Mobil 1
Tyres	Pirelli
Competition history
Notable entrants	2020:; Aston Martin Red Bull Racing; 2021:; Red Bull Racing Honda
Notable drivers	11. Sergio Pérez; 23. Alexander Albon; 33. Max Verstappen;
Debut	2020 Austrian Grand Prix
First win	70th Anniversary Grand Prix
Last win	2021 Dutch Grand Prix
Last event	2021 Italian Grand Prix

The Red Bull Racing RB16 is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Red Bull Racing to compete during the 2020 Formula One World Championship. It is powered by Honda's RA620H power unit, being the second Red Bull to use the Japanese manufacturer's engines.^[2] The drivers for 2020 are Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon, both of whom were retained by the team for a fifth and second season respectively, with Sergio Pérez taking Albon's place for 2021.^[3] Albon became the team's test and reserve driver for the 2021 season. The car was planned to make its competitive debut at the 2020 Australian Grand Prix, but this was delayed when the race was cancelled and the next three events in Bahrain, Vietnam and China were postponed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[4]^[5] The RB16 made its debut at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.

The pandemic also prompted the delay of technical regulations that had been planned for introduction in 2021. Under an agreement between teams and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 2020-specification cars—including the RB16—will see their lifespan extended to compete in 2021, with Red Bull producing an updated chassis called the Red Bull Racing RB16B, which uses Honda's upgraded RA621H power unit.^[6]^[7]

Initial design[]

With largely unchanged technical regulations for the 2020 season, the RB16 was based on its predecessor the RB15.^[8] The RB16 featured a narrower nose with two additional inlets at its front, as well as a redesigned bargeboard area and smaller sidepod inlets.^[9]^[10] The car also featured a large 'cape' element below the nose, bodywork that was popularised by Mercedes in 2017 but that Red Bull had not yet adopted. Parts of the rear suspension were raised, and the rear wing featured two supporting pillars compared to its predecessor's one.^[11] The team also redesigned the front multi-link suspension of the car, with team principal Christian Horner stating that the intention was to improve the performance of the car in low-speed corners.^[12]

Honda power units[]

2021: Honda RA621H[]

Due to difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Honda had initially decided to postpone the introduction of its all-new power unit design to the 2022 season.^[13] However, following a reassessment of the situation after its decision to leave the sport at the end of the 2021 season, it decided to bring the new design forward by a year to 2021 in a bid to try to beat Mercedes and win the championship in its final official season, although it would only have six months to complete the design before pre-season testing with a risk of significant reliability issues if it encountered problems.^[13]^[14]

The RA621H is Honda's biggest change since 2017, as it used the same basic concept between 2017 and 2020, though it does not feature a new engine layout like in 2017.^[13] Some features of the RA621H include a notably more compact camshaft layout that is placed lower, a different valve angle and shorter cylinder bore spacing compared to the previous season's RA620H.^[15] These changes have altered the shape of the combustion chamber and the airflow on the camshaft as well as created a significantly smaller engine with a lower centre of gravity.^[15] Honda believes that the engine is even smaller than the "size zero" design it initially used with McLaren when it returned to the sport in 2015, while having significantly improved performance.^[15] Other features of the RA621H include a way to increase the power output of the internal combustion engine without decreasing the MGU-K's output, modifications to the turbine and compressor as well as new plating on the cylinder block from the company's Kumamoto motorcycle mass production facility to improve durability.^[15]

Season summary[]

2020[]

Albon during the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix, the race in which he took his maiden podium.

Verstappen and Albon started second and fourth on the grid respectively for the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, however both cars would go on to retire with electrical failures during the race.^[16] Despite being reasonably competitive in the hands of Verstappen who scored several podiums including a victory at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit, the car was generally no match for the combination of Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes F1 W11 as Mercedes retained the Constructors' title and Hamilton the Drivers'. Albon struggled to find good form and was outperformed by his team mate, scoring two podium finishes to Verstappen's 11 including 2 wins. The team ended the year on a high, with Verstappen scoring a dominant victory in Abu Dhabi, the first time Red Bull won at the circuit since 2013. Albon also ended the year on a high, being able to pressure Mercedes and prevent them from trying an alternate strategy, finishing fourth.^{[citation needed]}

2021[]

Max Verstappen in the RB16B during practice at the Austrian Grand Prix 2021.

At the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, Verstappen finished second and Pérez fifth. During qualifying Verstappen achieved 1st and Pérez 11th.^[17] In the race Verstappen lead in the early stages before losing the lead in the first round of pitstops. He overtook Hamiton on lap 53 but his car was off the track and he was forced to return the position to Hamilton. Pérez suffered electrical failure on the formation lap,^[18] he managed to reset his car and was required to start from the pitlane and delivered a recovery drive to finish in fifth place.^[19]

Complete Formula One results[]

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Power unit	Tyres	Driver name	Grands Prix																						Points	WCC
2020	Aston Martin Red Bull Racing	RB16	Honda RA620H	P		AUT	STY	HUN	GBR	70A	ESP	BEL	ITA	TUS	RUS	EIF	POR	EMI	TUR	BHR	SKH	ABU						319	2nd
					Alexander Albon	13	4	5	8	5	8	6	15	3	10	Ret	12	15	7	3	6	4
					Max Verstappen	Ret	3	2	2^F	1	2	3	Ret	Ret	2	2^F	3	Ret	6	2^F	Ret	1^P
2021	Red Bull Racing Honda	RB16B	Honda RA621H	P		BHR	EMI	POR	ESP	MON	AZE	FRA	STY	AUT	GBR	HUN	BEL^‡	NED	ITA	RUS	TUR	USA	MXC	SAP	TBA	SAU	ABU	344.5*	2nd*
					Sergio Pérez	5	11	4	5	4	1	3	4	6	16^F	Ret	19	8	5
					Max Verstappen	2^P	1	2	2^F	1	18†^F	1^P^F	1^P	1^P^F	Ret^1 P	9	1^P	1^P	Ret^2 P

Notes

* Season in progress.
^† Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed over 90% of the winner's race distance.
^‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance completed.