Red Bull has run its new RB14 for the first time at Silverstone today.
Daniel Ricciardo put the first laps on the team’s 2018 challenger.
This article will be updated.
2018 F1 season
- McLaren staff told us we were “totally crazy” to take Honda engines in 2018 – Tost
- ‘It doesn’t matter if we start last’: How Red Bull’s junior team aided Honda’s leap forward
- Honda’s jet division helped F1 engineers solve power unit problem
- McLaren Racing losses rise after Honda split
- Ricciardo: Baku “s***show” was Red Bull’s fault
Oxnard (@montalvo)
19th February 2018, 13:01
I wonder if the sidepods are supposed to be closed in like that by the extended bargeboards. Could also just be there to keep things ‘secret’.
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
19th February 2018, 13:04
Good to see the car(s) on track again. 2018 cars may have a halo, but the further development of the 2017 regulations means the cars will look very aggressive, fast and cool. This car is a case in point. Let’s hope it’s fast too.
faulty (@faulty)
19th February 2018, 13:47
Indeed, good to see teams shakedown their cars before the Barcelona tests, it means they’re on schedule with their testing preparations.
Tristan
19th February 2018, 13:05
Really clever with the blue squares on the livery. Plays havoc with the image compression. Proper nightmare trying to analyse what’s happening on the darker parts of the car.
PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
19th February 2018, 13:36
Wow that front wing is a work of art.
Also all teams are coming out with some very intricate bodywork around the side pods area.
thedolphins
19th February 2018, 13:36
Is it me or is the RB14 significantly longer wheelbase? In the article cover image it looks especially long, perhaps the rake accentuates the illusion.
faulty (@faulty)
19th February 2018, 13:49
I think it’s the angle of the picture, with all that much grass and how it compresses the tarmac that it makes the car seem longer.
John H (@john-h)
19th February 2018, 21:36
I thought exactly the same thing. I think in most pictures it looks longer than last year.
Uncle Ben (@uncleben)
19th February 2018, 14:01
Any good news concerning the sound?
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
19th February 2018, 14:05
I don’t think it’s any different this season, sadly.
San
19th February 2018, 14:44
Red Bull Twitter posted a clip of Danny exiting the paddock. It sounded dirty. Loved it.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
19th February 2018, 14:04
I can’t get over it – that side view is so disturbing. The contrast of black and white turns the car into a moving blackboard with the words Esso, Red Bull, Tag Heuer, Aston Martin graffiti’d on the car.
No clue what Verstappen is talking about the halo being ugly – Red Bull has managed to make the Halo disappear on this… The car is so ugly that the Halo makes no difference whatsoever to its oveall design even in the side view where the halo is the most visible on the silhouette of the car.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
19th February 2018, 14:17
False alarm – according to another comment on the original article the “digital camo” is not the actual livery. Red Bull is obviously hiding the car’s components from the opposition until race day. Whew, close one :-)
erikje
19th February 2018, 19:28
Still, question of taste it seems ;)
Hugh (@hugh11)
19th February 2018, 14:10
I really wish they didn’t have the halo, but I could get used to it. Especially when they get more inventive with the way it looks in following seasons, I think it could be alright.
Also in my opinion they’d look better if the shark fins went down like they are, but attach to the rear wing or something (kind of roughly like this https://i.imgur.com/zBHlmuF.png). Sad to see them go as I actually liked them.
AMG44 (@amg44)
19th February 2018, 14:27
Its a shame Halo is ruining and effecting the looks of the car so much. I dont think me and many fans will get used to this Halo 1.0 version. Need to bring modified v2.0 soon. Also spotting drivers would be difficult as helmets can be barely seen.
lee1
19th February 2018, 14:38
Theoretically they could paint the halo in the helmet colours.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
19th February 2018, 14:43
I have a feeling that the car must look absolutely incredible in the actual livery and judging by the masterstroke of the rear wing on this car Red Bull will produce their best design. The halo disappears in camo design (like all elements tend to ) and will look absolutely hideous on the other car at least based on Verstappen’s comments.
pastaman (@)
19th February 2018, 15:17
I hardly notice it, you must be hyperfocused or something.
PK
20th February 2018, 4:16
@amg44 The helmets can barely be seen because F1 is a closed cockpit series now.
#NoHalo
AliceD (@aliced)
19th February 2018, 14:29
The car does not have that “raked” look where the rear is a lot higher than the front. This car looks more like it is going for serious top speed instead of focussing on corner-ability only. Who knows, I am just wishing it is so.
San
19th February 2018, 14:46
Really? I thought that first picture shows huge rake.
Aldoid
19th February 2018, 18:04
I agree it looks to be running a lot of rake. Check Red Bulls twitter for a video of Daniel leaving the pits. The rake angle looks huge!
Andy
19th February 2018, 21:18
There is lots of rake… quite clear in the side pictures.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
19th February 2018, 14:39
The Aston Martin “wings” logo looks absolutely sublime on the rear wing of the car. When combined with Red Bull’s “gives you wings” slogan , it creates a classy, triple-theme cross-brand masterstroke!
Sun Siyuan (@peking901)
19th February 2018, 14:58
+1
Aapje (@aapje)
21st February 2018, 19:48
@freelittlebirds
Tramp stamp ;)
sukmykok
19th February 2018, 14:40
i cant stand the halo!!
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
19th February 2018, 14:49
I know it’s not really the point of following F1, but I love this time of year. So far on the RB14, I have read three analyses, one of which was negative (Gary Anderson), one very positive (Scarbs F1) and one also quite positive (Mark Hughes). This just shows, at this stage nobody knows anything. In the comments here I see interesting speculation on all manner of parts of the car (does it have a rake? What about those sidepods? etc) and I love seeing how incongruous some of the remarks are. I love the first tests, when we start to see a bit of the order the cars will be in during the season: almost always something is surprising, something is depressing, something is disappointing. I am really looking forward to the next reveal and the first day of testing next week, and to see all the interesting and not-so-interesting conclusions, takes and what-not from the testing. It’s exciting every single time.
Matteo (@m-bagattini)
19th February 2018, 15:37
+1
Philip (@philipgb)
19th February 2018, 17:18
Yeah Gary Anderson thought McLarens 2013 car was a masterpiece and the Mercedes 2013 car had made no significant leap forward from 2012 around the launches that year, I wouldn’t put any weight behind his review
us-brian (@us-brian)
19th February 2018, 15:17
There are videos out there of the car leaving the garage and driving down the pitlane. Sounds nice. I have to say after years of complaining, that I am starting to get used to the engine sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiSRHiCXub0
It’s just a shot clip but it does look nice.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
19th February 2018, 15:33
@us-brian – Unless Liberty has stepped up its game in terms improving the official FOM microphones and audio mix, we can continue to expect audio on the broadcast feed that sounds worse/wimpier than this; and we will have to wait for bootleg/non-FOM recordings from the trackside (like your link) to actually hear their true sound.
RB14
19th February 2018, 15:31
Most of the links are broken for me. Thumbnail loads ok but no big picture.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
19th February 2018, 20:45
I’m not able to replicate this problem at the moment – anyone else?
RB14
20th February 2018, 9:52
@keithcollantine loading fine today. Maybe it was something on my end but it was going to a link does not exist page with the RF header etc yesterday
Nifer
19th February 2018, 15:56
Now that’s a good-looking livery.
cdavman (@cdavman)
19th February 2018, 16:51
Who’s driving? I can’t see the helmet, because they’ve stuck a whacking great girder in the way…
Oh, now the massive driver numbers they insisted on least season make sense.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th February 2018, 18:36
@cdavman I don’t have a problem seeing the helmet despite the Halo.
deMercer (@)
19th February 2018, 17:53
Cool, even the racing suit Riccardio is wearing is in the same test livery!
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
19th February 2018, 19:55
Well I know only 3 cars have been launched this year so far but I find them all pretty ugly. I thought last year’s were pretty unattractive but I think these are worse so far, if anything.
Especially when compared to the pretty attractive IndyCar chassis for 2018 that we were provided with pictures of on here a week or two ago. I hope someone comes out with something a bit easier on the eye. Roll on 2020 I say!
For the record I am from the UK and have been an F1 fan for over 30 years so I have seen lots of designs come and go. Last year I think the most attractive cars were those of Mercedes and Torro Rosso as did many I think.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
19th February 2018, 22:42
Halo is growing on me and color scheme looks great. I hope they keep it.