Red Bull Racing RB18: The Adrian Newey Car That Carried Verstappen to a Second Title

The Red Bull Racing RB18 was the Formula One car that carried Max Verstappen to his second consecutive drivers' championship in 2022, with Sergio Perez as his team-mate. It also gave Red Bull its fifth constructors' title, the first since 2013. Designed by Adrian Newey, it is one of his most successful cars to date and is regarded as one of the most dominant Formula One cars ever built.

What was the Red Bull Racing RB18?

The RB18 was Red Bull Racing's Formula One car for the 2022 world championship. Max Verstappen, the defending champion, drove it alongside Sergio Perez. It won Verstappen his second straight drivers' title and gave Red Bull the constructors' championship, its fifth and its first since 2013.

Red Bull brought upgrades during the season, including weight-saving changes at Emilia Romagna and more weight removed from the chassis in Spain. Those steps came on a car that was quick enough to win on several different kinds of circuit.

A car built for speed and stability that gave Verstappen a second title and Red Bull its first constructors' crown since 2013.

Who designed the RB18?

Adrian Newey designed the RB18 for Red Bull Racing. It is one of his most successful designs to date, and only its successor, the RB19, sits above it in that respect. It remains one of the strongest entries on his record.

How did the RB18 start the 2022 season?

The RB18 debuted at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, where Verstappen qualified second and Perez fourth. Verstappen retired on lap 54 with a fuel lock problem, and Perez spun at turn 1 on the final lap with the same issue. It was Red Bull's first double retirement since the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.

The next race in Saudi Arabia was far better. Perez took his maiden pole position, while Verstappen qualified fourth and was unsure why the car lacked grip. Verstappen beat Carlos Sainz off the line to take third, and a crash by Nicholas Latifi at the final turn brought out a safety car that let Leclerc, Verstappen and Sainz pit cheaply. Verstappen took the lead on lap 47 and kept it to win, the first victory for both him and the RB18 that season.

Australia was harder. Verstappen qualified second, 0.3 seconds behind Charles Leclerc, and both Red Bull drivers suffered graining on their front-left tyres. Verstappen had a fuel leak on lap 39 while running second and retired, so Perez inherited second place, finishing more than 20 seconds behind Leclerc.

Emilia Romagna brought weight-saving upgrades, and Verstappen took his first pole of the season in a rain-affected qualifying session. He won the sprint after passing Leclerc on lap 20, then won the main race as well, his second grand slam. Perez moved past Leclerc at the start to finish second, and the 1-2 result was Red Bull's first since the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix.

At Miami, Verstappen had overheating and hydraulic problems in free practice and qualified third behind the two Ferraris. He passed Sainz at the first corner and took the lead from Leclerc on lap 10. Perez had a sensor issue on lap 20 that cost him straight-line speed, and a late safety car on lap 41 let him pit for fresh mediums, but he could not get past Sainz. Verstappen held off Leclerc to win, and Perez finished fourth.

How did the RB18 perform in Spain, Monaco, Azerbaijan and Canada?

Red Bull won in Spain, Monaco, Azerbaijan and Canada. Verstappen took three of those wins, and Perez won in Monaco, where Ferrari had locked out the front row and rain later changed the race. Across these four rounds the team kept building its lead in both championships.

In Spain Verstappen qualified second and Perez fifth, with Verstappen suffering a DRS failure in his final Q3 run. A gust of wind sent Verstappen into the gravel at turn 4, and he pitted for mediums on lap 14. Leclerc retired on lap 27, and Perez yielded the lead to his team-mate under team orders. Perez then set the fastest lap, and Red Bull recorded its second 1-2 finish of the season.

Ferrari locked out the front row in Monaco, and the RB18 struggled to match the cornering and traction of the Ferrari F1-75. Rain on race day changed the picture. Perez pitted for intermediate tyres on lap 17 to undercut Leclerc, and after a red flag caused by Mick Schumacher's crash, Perez won while Verstappen finished third. It was Perez's first win of the season.

In Azerbaijan Leclerc took his fourth pole in a row, ahead of Perez and Verstappen. Perez led into turn 1, but Verstappen passed his team-mate on lap 15 and pulled away. Leclerc's engine failed on lap 20, leaving Red Bull with an easy 1-2 order. That result was Red Bull's third 1-2 finish in five races, and Verstappen extended his title lead to 21 points over Perez and 34 over Leclerc.

Canada gave the RB18 its third pole of the season, with Verstappen just under a second ahead of Fernando Alonso in a mixed wet and dry session. Perez crashed in Q2 and started 13th, then retired on lap 9 with a reported gearbox problem. Verstappen went on to win, defending against Sainz's Ferrari in the final stint.

What happened at the British and Austrian Grands Prix?

The British Grand Prix started with wet qualifying, which cancelled out the Red Bull advantage seen in free practice. A collision involving three other drivers brought a red flag and a restart in the original grid order. Verstappen finished seventh after floor damage, while Perez took second.

Red Bull changed the appearance of the engine cover bodywork before Silverstone. In free practice the team seemed to have the edge, but qualifying in the wet took that away. Verstappen qualified second and Perez fourth. After the collision involving Guanyu Zhou, George Russell and Pierre Gasly, the race was red flagged, and the cars restarted in their original grid positions. That demoted Verstappen to second and promoted Perez to fourth.

Verstappen took the lead when Sainz ran wide at Copse on lap 10, but on lap 12 he picked up floor damage from debris from Gasly's car and had to pit. He emerged sixth and later pitted again, eventually finishing seventh. Perez came through a three-way battle with Hamilton and Leclerc to take second, and the team stayed top of both championships.

Verstappen took his fourth pole of the season in Austria, beating Leclerc by a mere 0.029 seconds. Perez qualified fourth but was demoted to 13th for track limits in Q2. Verstappen won the sprint after the two Ferraris behind him squabbled, while Perez recovered to fifth.

In the Austrian race Perez spun after contact with Russell and retired with sidepod damage. Verstappen suffered tyre degradation, and Leclerc passed him on lap 12. The lead changed several times, but Verstappen finished second behind Leclerc after Sainz retired on lap 58. Perez dropped to third in the championship.

How did the RB18 win the French and Belgian Grands Prix?

In France Verstappen won by over 10 seconds after Leclerc crashed and brought out a safety car, with Perez finishing fourth. In Belgium, Verstappen started 14th after engine penalties and still won by more than 17 seconds, leading a Red Bull one-two.

Red Bull ran a low-downforce setup at the French Grand Prix, which gave it a clear edge on the straights but cost time through the corners. Leclerc took pole by three tenths, helped by a tow from his team-mate, while Verstappen and Perez qualified second and third. On lap 17 Leclerc crashed at turn 11, and the resulting safety car promoted Verstappen to first and Perez to third. Verstappen pulled away at the restart and won, while Perez lost his podium place to Russell on a virtual safety car restart.

At Belgium Verstappen took engine penalties and started 14th, then jumped to eighth on the first lap. He passed Sebastian Vettel and then Fernando Alonso, and on lap 12 he moved to the front when Sainz and Perez were in the pits. After his own stop he emerged about four seconds behind Sainz and reeled him in to lead on lap 18. Perez passed Sainz for second on lap 21, and Sainz held on for third.

How did Verstappen and Perez compare in 2022?

Verstappen was the stronger of the two drivers over the season, and his results delivered the drivers' title. He took his first pole in Emilia Romagna, his third in Canada and his fourth in Austria, and he had five wins by Azerbaijan. Perez took his maiden pole in Saudi Arabia and his first win in Monaco.

Verstappen's first pole of the year came in a rain-affected qualifying session at Emilia Romagna, and that weekend ended with a second grand slam for him. His fourth pole in Austria came by a mere 0.029 seconds over Leclerc, although he then struggled with tyre degradation in the race and finished second.

Perez had a tougher season in several places. A sensor issue in Miami cost him straight-line speed, a crash in Q2 in Canada left him starting 13th, and a track-limits penalty in Austria sent him to 13th on the grid.

Red Bull recorded 1-2 finishes at Emilia Romagna, Spain and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijan result was the third of those, and it put Verstappen 21 points clear of Perez in the drivers' standings.

What were the RB18's results race by race?