Purple Reign: The RB9 Launch

Sunday 3^rd February began at 04:25am in sleepy suburbia, 279 miles north of Red Bull Racing. There’s nothing quite like six hours of British public transport to get you geared up for the launch of a Formula One car. Several cups of tea, three delays and one rather violent case of Christian Horner foot tapping disease later, I made my arrival at Milton Keynes Central station.

In the modest station foyer, there’s a suited man holding a purple plate bearing the Infiniti-Red Bull Racing logo. At that moment, it all becomes exceptionally surreal. My fellow guest bloggers echo the oddness of the situation and we share a giggle over the ‘My other car is an RB9’ sticker decorating the back of our chauffeur driven Infiniti. We sank in to the luxurious seats and discussed all things F1 as the slinky hybrid silently cruises towards our destination.

There it was, quietly sitting behind a cluster of leafless trees. A sweeping arc of glass, navy blue panels and a Red Bull logo visible from outer space, the flowing carousel of black, white and silver Infiniti’s pull us closer to the birthplace of the RB9. This was ‘Charlie and the Better than Chocolate Factory’ stuff.

One by one, the queue of cars dropping off lucky guests by the reception doors thins and it’s our turn to step out and take our first glimpse of the glamorous RB9 launch. The factory’s reception is crowded with cameras, Red Bull drinkers and a trophy ‘cabinet’ to rival all trophy cabinets. For a team that boasts more trophies than we’ve had hot dinners, silverware storage is pretty high on the agenda.
 

Infiniti-Red Bull Racing Reception

Media accreditation wrist bands received, photographs taken with the groaning trophy cabinet and we’re off to the super-secret warehouse where the RB9 lies in wait as the F1 world gravitates around her. The entrance to said warehouse is a gaping mouth screaming James Bond villain lair but the any-drink-you-want on arrival and handy cloakroom suggests otherwise. Purple is the predominant colour woven in to the carpets, curtains and flamboyant furnishings of the best-night-club-on-earth style bar area; it’s the kind of place almost too cool to exist.

Help yourself to cocktails, a bowl of sushi and more alcohol, and then meander through the crowds to where the magic really happens. The bulky army style truck in the corner of the room seems a bit out of place, but it’s decked out with DJ decks blasting a bass that shakes the floor. We grab a seat while we can; they’re going fast!

Infiniti-Red Bull Racing launch warehouse

Sitting three rows from the stage, you can almost hear the RB9 delicately snoring beneath her velvety purple sheets. Martin Brundle assumes position, introducing “three times world champion, Sebastian Vettel, nine times a grand prix winner, Mark Webber, Christian Horner and Adrian Newey… to unveil the new RB9,” but not before the foursome have left poor Martin hanging on stage. It’s a stunt he later describes to me as “just banter” when we bump into him amidst the flurry of macaroon carrying waiters at the bar. The roll of his eyes and weary breath of exasperation tells the story of a thousand practical jokes at his expense thanks to his F1 colleagues.

As the cover is lifted, it’s strange knowing I saw the car for the first time along with Seb, Mark and many team members. The RB8 launch which I gawped at on a 3x2” screen with failing Wi-Fi in a university lecture seems a world away. Seb’s playful treatment of the subsequent press conference culminates in a pinkie to mouth gesture (Dr Evil-esque) when quizzed about his plans for world domination, while Mr Newey bashfully assures us the “grey area” of car regulation has nothing to do Fifty Shades of Grey. We believe you, Adrian.

Infiniti-Red Bull Racing hanging showcar

Post-reveal and the cavernous warehouse empties sharpish, journalists hurry to laptops and guests chase autographs. We begrudgingly hitch a lift, chauffeur style, in the car Seb had been whisked away in just moments earlier. It really brought new meaning to Infiniti and beyond.

For more pictures from my adventure, pop over to Imgur or see my Twitter RB9 photo walkthrough to witness Martin Brundle's glorious tan.

- F1Lass 

F1 2013: Lights Almost Out

Christmas decorations have been taken down and New Year’s Eve antics are long forgotten but who can shake the 2012 Formula One season hangover. Hailed by racing legends, broadcast pundits and hard core fans as one of the most memorable seasons to date, it’s going to be a challenging one to beat. 

The twelve week F1 dry spell has made us all irritable and itching to see some rubber to track action and with March just around the corner, it’s nearly time to put down our over-played season review DVDs and stop taking the apex on the roundabout. However, before we can completely cancel our social life for a race weekend, every season has to start somewhere and that’s with testing. 

Let’s face it; pre-season testing often proves, well, not much. Not all of the technical goodies have been fitted to the car, flat out and there’s no way we’ll see the fruits of this winter at full capacity just yet. For competitions’ sake, there’s no logic in playing your strongest card before the game has really begun; be the dark horse, keep it all close to your chest and keep up the poker face until Interlagos.

TESTING ETIQUETTE

Following suit from previous years, the first round of pre-season testing kicks off in the southern Spanish 10ºC heat, at Circuito de Jerez. It’s a thirteen-turn track favoured by drivers and teams alike despite its non-appearance on the F1 calendar since the late nineties. 

        Jerez                                 Credit: Leo Hidalgo

For teams who have elected not to launch their shiny new cars in top-secret warehouses (see Purple Reign: The RB9 Launch) or at a very wet Silverstone garage, the initial winter test is the time to do it. All but one team, Williams, have revealed their 2013 labours of love - the struggling British outfit anticipate going live on 19 February, the first day of the second round of winter testing.

Last week’s Jerez test saw Mercedes, Toro Rosso, Caterham and Marussia all roll out a new set of wheels.

From Tuesday to Friday, the highly theoretical thirty-two hours of driving time is usually divvied up between the team’s two drivers. However, reserve and test drivers might get a look-in for half a day too. For teams such as Force India who have yet to secure a race mate for Scot, Paul di Resta, Christmas came around pretty early for fellow Brit, James Rossiter and Frenchman, Jules Bianchi, who bagged a full day’s driving respectively in absence of a second driver. For Ferrari, the trio of reserve drivers has come in handy, as their numero uno driver, Fernando Alonso, chose to tame a bucking bicycle over the prancing horse to lengthen his pre-season fitness training. 

Jerez testing also offered this year's rookies a ride in their new motors. Esteban Gutierrez (ESP), Valterri Bottas (FIN), Giedo van der Garde (NDL), Max Chilton (GBR) and Luiz Razia (BRA) are the newbies with the priceless/metaphorical keys to a 2013 F1 car. Familiar faces around the paddock such as Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenburg and Charles Pic retain their keys after an expensive and lucrative game of musical chairs, which sees them all moving teams for the season ahead.

THE LOWDOWN

This year’s first round of testing had its fair share of drama: a Mercedes in the wall, a Ferrari and Merc on fire and Nico Rosberg tripping over at the W04 launch. Particularly one Brackley based team seemingly stealing most of the limelight as they try to smooth over the shame of an unrewarding return to F1.

Jerez: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)                 Credit: Leo Hidalgo

However, as is the case with this sport, molehills are often made in to mountains. If we consider relativity, the matters of pre-season testing are generally insignificant to the wider picture of the upcoming season. For instance, Lotus’s 2012 testing proved disastrous after they discovered a major flaw in their chassis build but finishing fourth in the Constructors’ Championship is far from a tragedy.

This time around, Lotus experienced a bit more success with their E21 topping the timesheets on the fourth and final day of testing. McLaren’s Jenson Button, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and both Lotus drivers set the fastest lap times during the week with around one second separating those in P1 from P2. But as we know with Formula One, every tenth counts.

While we can’t glean much from pre-season testing with teams running various set-ups, fuel loads and teething problems being ironed out and recurring on the cars, there is a nostalgic value to this year’s winter test in particular. This time next year, we won’t be hearing the howl of a V8 engine but the decidedly less aggressive cry of a V6. While many F1 fans consider the current engines unworthy of holding a candle to the V10 and V12s of the past, generations of baby-faced fans will remember this engine as the one that ignited a passionate love affair with motorsport.

So although testing isn’t quite lights out, there’s only a couple of weeks to separate us from donning the new team wear and screaming in front of the telly. To coin a recent quote from the highly irreplaceable Finn, Kimi Raikkonen, “it’s better than totally s**t.”

Winter testing continues 19 February (Circuit de Catalunya)

- F1Lass