Red Bull Racing once shocked the paddock with a camouflaged F1 car
Red Bull Racing had once decided to hide its secrets in testing by a camouflage livery.
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The Red Bull Racing RB11
Red Bull Racing has gained a reputation for carrying on the same colors every F1 season. Red Bull have raced almost identical matte liveries in F1 since 2016 and 2023 is no different. Although, the energy drinks giant has had its fair share of one-off designs in a bid to tease the fans. However, Red Bull once designed a livery with the purpose to prevent its rivals from seeing the car’s technical aspects.
For the 2015 Pre-season testing. Red Bull Racing pulled up to Jerez in Spain with an eye-catching RB11. The car was completely camouflaged by the Austrian team in a bid to keep its technical details secret. Such camouflage is often used by automakers while testing prototypes to avoid the media from getting a clear look at the vehicle before its eventual launch. For Red Bull, this camo did a similar job.
F1 teams always try to hide their latest innovations from the competition. The art of copying a rival is fairly common in the sport as teams try new ways to make the cars go faster. Subsequently, Red Bull Racing’s unique livery allowed for no room for such spying by the grid. Certainly, any team would hide its designs when they have aero genius, Adrian Newey on their side. Interestingly Daniil Kvyat even drove the camo car without a front wing during testing due to the lack of spare parts.
The camo livery was inspired by Sebastian Vettel’s camo helmet in 2014
Red Bull Racing’s history in many ways is intertwined with Sebastian Vettel and this camo livery is no different. Sebastian Vettel used a dazzle camouflage crash helmet during the 2014 Italian Grand Prix held at Monza. This amazing helmet is what became the inspiration for Red Bull’s similar dazzle camo for the RB11. Unfortunately, Vettel did not get to drive a camouflaged Red Bull as he departed for Scuderia Ferrari at the end of 2014.
Fans cherished the RB11 dazzle camo design. Sadly, the Austrian team hasn’t brought back the dazzle again since. Although the team teased the fans with a digital camouflage livery for the 2018 shakedown for the RB14. Additionally, the team has raced one-off designs in the past including the 2021 Honda tribute livery. However, it seems that Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will have to work with the standard Red Bull Racing colors.
Red Bull Racing’s camo livery may have won over the fans. But the design itself is not feasible for a whole season of Formula 1. F1 is all about marketing as cars are often seen as ‘billboards on wheels.’ Hence, brand image is a key pillar for any F1 team and of course for sponsors. Thus, a full camouflage livery might not be seen in a Grand Prix any time soon. Although, it would be fun to see such a design pop up in testing once again.
Read More: Delving into the Force India livery that never raced in F1
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)