(Motorsport) Red Bull will become the first team on the grid to unveil the new chassis of the RB18 for the upcoming 2022 Formula 1 season. The reigning champions have announced a launch date of Wednesday, 9th February which means they will be the first to reveal their brand new car which has been designed in accordance with the radical new regulations. Williams is the only team remaining which has yet to commit to a date for their new challenger.
As Max Verstappen is the reigning Formula 1 champion, the RB18 will be the first Red Bull car to feature ‘1’ on it’s nose since Sebastian Vettel last won for the team in 2014. Verstappen and Perez will be racing together yet again for the 2022 season and the Dutchman will undoubtedly look to defend his world title. Red Bull’s engine manufacturer Honda had initially pulled out after the 2021 season and the team has formed a new Powertrains division in order to maintain its V6 hybrid turbos at its Milton Keynes base. However, Honda will be producing the power unit for the RB18 cars.
In anticipation of Honda’s departure, Red Bull Racing recently announced that Honda F1 boss Masashi Yamamoto will join the team in a consultancy role for the upcoming season. Yamamoto is said to have a strong relationship with Red Bull boss Christian Horner and Red Bull Motorsport Adviser Helmut Marko and will help ease the transition as many former Honda employees have joined Red Bull’s Powertrains division. Both Red Bull and Honda are also in talks for supplying power units beyond the upcoming season until the new regulations come into effect in 2026.
Red Bull will unveil their RB18 car in a live broadcasting event with upto 5000 fans joining the event via Red Bull Racing’s digital loyalty platform. Fans will also have the opportunity to share the event via their own social media channels with Christian Horner, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez set to be present at the event. The countdown to the unveiling will be done by Red Bull’s partner Tag Heuer who has also launched a Red Bull Racing Special Edition Formula One watch. The event will be broadcasted at 9:30 pm IST.
Also read: Ferrari name 2022 Formula 1 car F1-75 in honour of first production car
