‘We looked at the results from our initial CFD tests and made a judgement on how best to operate a ground-effect car at all the circuits’
Paul Monaghan, chief engineer of the RB18
The Red Bull RB18, Red Bull Racing’s response to a set of radically new technical regulations for 2022, proved insuperable in the first season of F1’s new era. The team sealed the 2022 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship as Max Verstappen won the United States Grand Prix in Austin, the 19th round of the 24-round season.
The Constructors’ title, paired with Verstappen’s second successive Drivers’ Championship, is Red Bull’s first since 2013 and ends an eight-year streak of domination by German manufacturer, Mercedes.
The RB18 finished the 2022 season as one of the most successful cars to date in F1, taking the chequered flag at 17 races in total – 15 for Verstappen and two for Sergio Perez.
The RB18’s concept stood out from the outset at Barcelona testing in February 2022, featuring some unique design elements, including the extended lower lip of the sidepod intake openings and the swept back rear leg on the front suspension. However, it was the car’s well-behaved driving manner that caused the most interest when it seemed to suffer significantly less from so-called porpoising than many of its rivals. This smooth introduction to F1’s new era saw it at the sharp end of the grid from there on out.
Development path
Despite Red Bull’s 2022 success, the realisation of the RB18 could certainly have been smoother sailing for the Milton Keynes, UK-based outfit. The team was forced to pull resources from the 2022 project in the latter stages of 2021 as the season came down to a shootout with Mercedes in the later races. Therefore, the personnel, wind tunnel, CFD and design resources that would have otherwise been directed toward the 2022 car remained on the 2021 RB16B, right up until the
