Red Bull RB18 Speculation Thread

[bauc]

I still have difficulty to understand the purpose of showing a car that is not going to test, not going to race and probably never will be produced. Not even as a mockup. I have even bigger problems understanding people having any interest in that.

Since RB seem that they will be showing a real chassis, it is almost certainly will be a real tub. To build a fake tub would be silly! If they are going to do a shakedown at Silverstone tomorrow, then the launch car probably actually has a power unit and wiring in it too -- all assembled and ready to be loaded in the truck for that matter (if the shakedown is not until weeks later then, sure, perhaps the bodywork is just hollow tomfoolery).

The very same chassis almost certainly will go to Silverstone (probably using the aero bits from the launch, which will be sufficient for a shakedown), it will go to Barcelona and it will probably go to Bahrain too, even if it is the spare car and the later tubs have some refinements. With the cost cap, they can't afford to build unncessarily build 7-8 tubs per season anymore.

I think it is safe to say that it almost certainly wasn't a real tub and almost certainly never will run. Not even a shakedown.

As per some sources the real RB18 has not passed the FIA crash tests yet.

[Just_a_fan]

Are you sure ?I’ve never seen such a dummy. I’ve only seen them using old cars and renders. Making a dummy is more work than you think.

I have seen basic bodywork over any old bit of hardware. It doesn't have to be a current tub to have apparently current clothes draped over it. I've seen all sorts of cobbled together stuff over the years - even an old tub with plywood additions with bodywork on it once. Some is very convincing and some doesn't stand up to any close scrutiny. But if it's just to sit in a sponsor's office foyer, it won't really make any different either way. It's the shiny paintwork that will make unknowing folk think "it's Max's F1 car!".

I stand corrected. You are right, it was probably plywood...

These days, it's probably a few layers of moulded carbonfibre with some stiffeners, but's certainly won't be a "tub" as we would think it.

[lio007]

Since RB seem that they will be showing a real chassis, it is almost certainly will be a real tub. To build a fake tub would be silly! If they are going to do a shakedown at Silverstone tomorrow, then the launch car probably actually has a power unit and wiring in it too -- all assembled and ready to be loaded in the truck for that matter (if the shakedown is not until weeks later then, sure, perhaps the bodywork is just hollow tomfoolery).

The very same chassis almost certainly will go to Silverstone (probably using the aero bits from the launch, which will be sufficient for a shakedown), it will go to Barcelona and it will probably go to Bahrain too, even if it is the spare car and the later tubs have some refinements. With the cost cap, they can't afford to build unncessarily build 7-8 tubs per season anymore.

I think it is safe to say that it almost certainly wasn't a real tub and almost certainly never will run. Not even a shakedown.

As per some sources the real RB18 has not passed the FIA crash tests yet.

Can you name or share with us these sources?
Or do you mean the rumors a couple of weeks ago?

[TimmTurbo]

Didnt they actually want to run a shakedown in Silverstone today ?

Pushing the FOM mockup a few laps with some mechanics

[Tizz]

Didnt they actually want to run a shakedown in Silverstone today ?

Pushing the FOM mockup a few laps with some mechanics

If so, it will not necessarily be the same "car"...

[TimmTurbo]

Didnt they actually want to run a shakedown in Silverstone today ?

Pushing the FOM mockup a few laps with some mechanics

If so, it will not necessarily be the same "car"...

Exactly Tizz. In fact it will have to be something real. I just wanted to know whether somebody knows anything about the shakedown in Silverstone but i may be wrong with the date on this one

[basti313]

Didnt they actually want to run a shakedown in Silverstone today ?

Pushing the FOM mockup a few laps with some mechanics

If so, it will not necessarily be the same "car"...

Exactly Tizz. In fact it will have to be something real. I just wanted to know whether somebody knows anything about the shakedown in Silverstone but i may be wrong with the date on this one

The shakedown today was cancelled and they did not announce a new date. It is unclear if this is for production reasons (behind schedule) or because they just will hold it at another secret date to avoid too many good pictures.
Horner said they want to make the shakedown but do not know when, Marco said it will maybe not happen at all....

[lio007]

Didnt they actually want to run a shakedown in Silverstone today ?

Pushing the FOM mockup a few laps with some mechanics

If so, it will not necessarily be the same "car"...

Exactly Tizz. In fact it will have to be something real. I just wanted to know whether somebody knows anything about the shakedown in Silverstone but i may be wrong with the date on this one

Christian Horner

We'll probably [still] do a shakedown before we go to the first test; it's tight, but it's on schedule

https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-prov ... -day-looms

[TimmTurbo]

Thanks for clearing that up guys. So i wasnt wrong on a potential shakedown today.

To be fully honest i was expecting them actually to go for the real deal as quick as possible in order to verify numbers and getting used to the significantly different animals they have to deal with this year. I was almost sure that neither one of them would sandbag.

I hope the actual cars timeline is not messed up anyhow and the moc up livery hoax we`ve seen yesterday was not driven by desperation

[cooken]

Christian Horner

We'll probably [still] do a shakedown before we go to the first test; it's tight, but it's on schedule

https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-prov ... -day-looms

I could've sworn the first test was a shakedown? Now I'm confused...
/sarcasm

What a circus they're creating. Just be at least a little bit straight up with the fans, is that asking too much?

P.S. "They" meaning FIA/FOM/Teams. RB is targeted here but all teams are guilty to some extent.

[west52keep64]

Since RB seem that they will be showing a real chassis, it is almost certainly will be a real tub. To build a fake tub would be silly! If they are going to do a shakedown at Silverstone tomorrow, then the launch car probably actually has a power unit and wiring in it too -- all assembled and ready to be loaded in the truck for that matter (if the shakedown is not until weeks later then, sure, perhaps the bodywork is just hollow tomfoolery).

The very same chassis almost certainly will go to Silverstone (probably using the aero bits from the launch, which will be sufficient for a shakedown), it will go to Barcelona and it will probably go to Bahrain too, even if it is the spare car and the later tubs have some refinements. With the cost cap, they can't afford to build unncessarily build 7-8 tubs per season anymore.

That's the thing, they didn't need to build it, FOM sold the show cars to all teams!

[Just_a_fan]

Since RB seem that they will be showing a real chassis, it is almost certainly will be a real tub. To build a fake tub would be silly! If they are going to do a shakedown at Silverstone tomorrow, then the launch car probably actually has a power unit and wiring in it too -- all assembled and ready to be loaded in the truck for that matter (if the shakedown is not until weeks later then, sure, perhaps the bodywork is just hollow tomfoolery).

The very same chassis almost certainly will go to Silverstone (probably using the aero bits from the launch, which will be sufficient for a shakedown), it will go to Barcelona and it will probably go to Bahrain too, even if it is the spare car and the later tubs have some refinements. With the cost cap, they can't afford to build unncessarily build 7-8 tubs per season anymore.

That's the thing, they didn't need to build it, FOM sold the show cars to all teams!

Exactly. All Red Bull have done is throw some marketing over someone else's product. There's an irony there as that's how Red Bull originated after all - it's someone else's drink with marketing thrown over it.

I think that what Red Bull have done is show the world that their 2022 car isn't ready yet.

[mzso]

I have seen basic bodywork over any old bit of hardware. It doesn't have to be a current tub to have apparently current clothes draped over it. I've seen all sorts of cobbled together stuff over the years - even an old tub with plywood additions with bodywork on it once. Some is very convincing and some doesn't stand up to any close scrutiny. But if it's just to sit in a sponsor's office foyer, it won't really make any different either way. It's the shiny paintwork that will make unknowing folk think "it's Max's F1 car!".

I stand corrected. You are right, it was probably plywood...

These days, it's probably a few layers of moulded carbonfibre with some stiffeners, but's certainly won't be a "tub" as we would think it.

Maybe they just printed the car in a plastic printer in pieces, glued it together and painted it.

[Big Tea]

I stand corrected. You are right, it was probably plywood...

These days, it's probably a few layers of moulded carbonfibre with some stiffeners, but's certainly won't be a "tub" as we would think it.

Maybe they just printed the car in a plastic printer in pieces, glued it together and painted it.

Leggo?

[mzso]

These days, it's probably a few layers of moulded carbonfibre with some stiffeners, but's certainly won't be a "tub" as we would think it.

Maybe they just printed the car in a plastic printer in pieces, glued it together and painted it.

Leggo?

Grinding it down to the final shape would have been prohibitively time consuming.