RED BULL RB5 Renault

   The single-seater Red Bull RB5 is not just a Formula 1 car, but represents the leap into the modern era for the Milton Keynes–based team. Designed by aerodynamic genius Adrian Newey, the RB5 transforms the Austrian Red Bull Racing team into a true world championship contender. The year 2009 marks a radical technical revolution in F1, with simplified aerodynamics (wider front wings and taller, narrower rear wings). After years of grooved tires, slicks return, and the use of KERS is allowed, the first hybrid system for recovering kinetic energy, which Red Bull chooses not to adopt in order to preserve the car’s balance. The RB5 is probably the most elegant and slender car on the grid, with two features that make it unique: the high, narrow nose with a V-shaped profile, a distinctive design that channels airflow masterfully toward the car’s floor, and the new rear pull-rod suspension, which allows for an incredibly low and clean rear bodywork (the famous “rake setup”).

RED BULL RB5, Mark Webber
Istanbul Park, Turkish GP 2009

   The aerodynamics of the Red Bull RB5 represent a watershed moment in Formula 1 history. While competitors attempt to interpret the new regulations with conventional solutions, Adrian Newey designs a car that will set the guidelines for the following decade. Unlike other cars featuring flat or slightly rounded noses, the RB5 has a slim, V-shaped cross-section with raised edges, designed to create controlled air vortices along the sides of the nose. These vortices help seal the airflow passing underneath the car, directing it precisely toward the flat floor and increasing overall efficiency without adding drag. The RB5’s sidepods are extremely undercut in the lower section to separate airflow streams: the air flowing above is directed toward the rear wing, while the air flowing below is accelerated toward the upper diffuser area to extract as much air as possible from the floor. The RB5 pioneers the rake concept. Newey designs the car so that the rear sits significantly higher than the front. His idea is to create a sort of “Venturi effect”: by tilting the entire car forward, the flat floor itself acts like a large wing, accelerating airflow underneath the chassis. This generates enormous downforce from the floor, allowing the use of smaller, less loaded wings, ensuring high top speeds on straights and incredible stability in fast corners. The RB5 is initially developed without the double diffuser that makes Brawn GP nearly unbeatable at the start of the season, and when the FIA declares it legal, Newey must completely redesign the rear of the car. The challenge lies in the pull-rod suspension, which occupies the space where the second diffuser channel should pass. However, Newey manages to integrate the system so efficiently that by mid-season it surpasses even Brawn GP’s performance. The “B” version of the RB5 (introduced at Silverstone) becomes the benchmark for airflow cleanliness. For some races a new nose is also used, still very high but with a greater width.

RED BULL RB5, Mark Webber
Nürburgring, German GP 2009

   In early-2000s Formula 1, mechanical components often had to sacrifice performance to make room for aerodynamics, and on the RB5 this concept is taken to the extreme. The rear pull-rod suspension allows springs and dampers to be positioned very low, freeing up the upper area of the gearbox and exhausts and enabling an extremely tapered engine cover design. The rear of the car is incredibly slim, allowing undisturbed airflow toward the rear wing and over the diffuser, maximizing aerodynamic load generated by the bodywork. Moreover, by lowering the suspension mass, the car becomes much more responsive during direction changes. The RB5 features a transmission designed in-house by Red Bull Technology, with a composite gearbox casing that is extremely lightweight and serves as a rigid mounting point for the pull-rod suspension. The differential is positioned as high as possible to leave room for the diffuser channels underneath, a significant mechanical challenge to avoid raising the center of gravity excessively. At the front, the car retains a conventional push-rod layout, but with the upper wishbones mounted very high on the chassis to create an “anti-dive” effect under braking and maintain a stable distance between the front wing and the ground. The heart of the RB5 is the Renault RS27 V8 engine, which, although less powerful than Mercedes and Ferrari V8s, is the ideal mechanical choice for Newey’s philosophy. Its lower fuel consumption allows the car to start with less fuel, making it lighter and better balanced in the early laps, while its ability to operate at higher temperatures requires smaller radiators, reducing frontal area and improving aerodynamic efficiency of the sidepods.

RED BULL RB5, Mark Webber
Melbourne, Australian GP 2009

   The Red Bull Racing technical staff in 2009 is a group still on the rise. The Austrian team is completing its transition from midfield competitor to technological powerhouse, thanks to an aggressive recruitment campaign orchestrated by Christian Horner (Team Principal) and Helmut Marko (Motorsport Consultant). Adrian Newey (Chief Technical Officer) is the architect of the success, recognizing that the return of slick tires and the reduction of aerodynamic appendages require a slimmer car and a return to rear pull-rod suspension. Geoff Willis (Technical Director), a highly experienced engineer, oversees the operational management of the technical department. While Newey focuses on aerodynamic vision, Willis handles system integration and reliability. However, he leaves the team midway through 2009 due to disagreements over the technical direction, which is heavily centered around Newey. Rob Marshall (Chief Designer) translates Newey’s brilliant ideas into mechanical reality and plays a crucial role in making the RB5’s complex mechanics function despite tight packaging constraints. Peter Prodromou (Head of Aerodynamics) is Newey’s right-hand man, having previously worked with him at McLaren on fluid dynamics. Other key figures include Mark Ellis (Chief Engineer Performance), Iain Bomphray (Chief Engineer Composites), Andrew Green (Head of R&D), and Dan Fallows (Chief Aerodynamicist). On the pit wall, two crucial figures are Guillaume “Rocky” Rocquelin, Vettel’s race engineer, and Ian Morgan, responsible for race strategy.

RED BULL RB5, Sebastian Vettel
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 2009

   The performance of the Red Bull RB5 in 2009 tells the story of a fierce comeback. Although it does not win the title, many experts consider it the inherently fastest car of the season, hampered only by a slow start and some early reliability issues. Only from the British Grand Prix at Silverstone does the Austrian team introduce the “B” version, featuring a heavily upgraded aerodynamic package that finally includes the double diffuser. From that point on, the RB5 becomes the car to beat, securing five victories in the second half of the season. The two drivers, Germany’s Sebastian Vettel and Australia’s Mark Webber, manage to close the gap to the Brawn GP drivers, finishing 2nd and 4th respectively in the final standings, while Red Bull Racing secures 2nd place in the Constructors’ Championship. The RB5 sets a direction and becomes the progenitor of all the successful Red Bull cars that follow. From its direct evolution come the RB6, RB7, RB8, and RB9, the cars that allow Vettel to win four consecutive world titles from 2010 to 2013.