Red Bull Racing ready to defend F1 title with RB18

A new season of Formula 1 will officially begin in a few weeks. One by one, teams are revealing their 2022 challengers. Following the HAAS launch, Red Bull Racing is the second team to reveal their new F1 car.

It’s called the RB18, and it bears a striking resemblance to the FOM concept car revealed last year. The model does show the new livery Red Bull Racing will run for the 2022 season. It looks relatively similar to the 2021 car, but there appears to be more yellow this time around. There’s also more exposure for the team’s title sponsor Oracle.

By the looks of it, there is no longer a Honda logo anywhere on the vehicle. Instead, the only reference to the Japanese automaker is a small HRC sticker at the rear, which stands for Honda Racing Corporation. HRC mainly handles Honda's motorcycle racing operations. However, the company was reorganized earlier this year to handle automotive racing as well. 

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner says the design of the RB18 isn’t final. He adds that it “won’t look very much like this” by the time the first race of the season takes place in Bahrain this on March 20, 2022. Subsequently, the team is keeping technical details and secrets of the RB18 under wraps for now.

While Honda may not be in the sport anymore, the company will reportedly still prepare the team’s engines from its Japanese headquarters. However, Red Bull has also set up its own powertrain division to build engines for itself in the long-term future.

For the 2022 season, Max Verstappen will run with number one on his car for his title defense. He will continue to be joined by teammate Sergio Perez after a stunning season last year. Will Red Bull Racing be able to defend their title from Mercedes-AMG? We will find out once F1 returns next month.