Red Bull RB3

Controversy

The RB3 of David Coulthard in the garage at the 2007 United States Grand Prix

Controversy surrounded the Red Bull and Toro Rosso teams during the 2007 launch season as a row over customer cars erupted. Both Williams and Spyker claimed that the cars of the two teams were identical, having been designed by Red Bull Technology, a third-party subsidiary of the Red Bull parent company. Thus, the teams themselves did not design their respective cars themselves, which Williams and Spyker believed was a breach of F1's Concorde Agreement. The FIA however declared that the cars were legal for 2007. Gerhard Berger, Christian Horner and other Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing staff have also stated that they had their legal representatives confirm that the cars they were running were legal and that the operations they had set up (two teams running the same chassis, designed by Red Bull Technology) were legal.

Performance

The car, in the hands of both Mark Webber and David Coulthard, is seen to have point-scoring pace, highlighted by Webber's series of top-ten qualifying positions and Coulthard running fastest in the pre-race Barcelona testing.^[1] The design is distinctly Adrian Newey, bearing a resemblance to past cars such as the 2005 McLaren MP4-20. However, like the McLaren, poor reliability and mechanical problems have hampered the drivers on numerous occasions. Problems included things as trivial as faulty brake pedals and^[2] notoriously jamming fuel-flaps. However the most pressing reliability issue was the introduction of a seamless-shift gearbox to the car, which resulted in numerous race retirements for both Mark Webber and David Coulthard, such as at the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix respectively.^[3]

Comments made throughout the season stated clearly that the car had much potential, despite David Coulthard's distaste of the word.^[4] Towards the middle of the season, after being frustrated by continuous retirements at the expense of championship points, team principal Christian Horner put into place a strict and thorough method to deal with and eradicate any mechanical unreliability,^[5] which along with the appointment of Geoff Willis (formerly of the Williams and BAR/Honda teams), was expected to provide better results in the 2008 season.

The car's best result was in the hands of Mark Webber, when he scored a podium in changeable conditions at the 2007 European Grand Prix. It scored points on only two other occasions for Webber, 7th in both the United States and Belgian Grand Prix, despite his consistent fast qualifying, starting in the top 11 on eleven occasions. Coulthard was more successful, scoring points at four races, including a 4th place at the Japanese Grand Prix, a race at which Mark Webber was running in second before he was hit from behind by Sebastian Vettel, driving Red Bull's sister Toro Rosso car, under the safety car.

David Coulthard driving the RB3 at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix.
David Coulthard driving the RB3 at the 2007 British Grand Prix, with the one-off Wings for Life livery.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Points	WCC
2007	Red Bull Racing	Renault V8	B		AUS	MAL	BHR	ESP	MON	CAN	USA	FRA	GBR	EUR	HUN	TUR	ITA	BEL	JPN	CHN	BRA	24	5th
				Mark Webber	13	10	Ret	Ret	Ret	9	7	12	Ret	3	9	Ret	9	7	Ret	10	Ret
				David Coulthard	Ret	Ret	Ret	5	14	Ret	Ret	13	11	5	11	10	Ret	Ret	4	8	9

References

↑ "Coulthard ends on a high" - Official Formula One site. Retrieved May 14th 2007.
↑ "Selected Drivers Quotes - Malaysia." - Official Formula One site. Retrieved May 14th 2007.
↑ "Another Gearbox Problem for Red Bull" - F1 Technical. Retrieved June 30th 2007.
↑ F1 Racing Magazine. April 2007.
↑ F1 Racing Magazine. May 2007.

External links

Cars that competed in the 2007 Formula One season

McLaren MP4-22 Renault R27 Ferrari F2007 Honda RA107 BMW Sauber F1.07 Toyota TF107 Red Bull RB3 Williams FW29 Toro Rosso STR2 Spyker F8-VII Spyker F8-VIIB Super Aguri SA07