Today is the turn of Red Bull, the former champions.
L-R: Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel
Red Bull have dominated the world of F1 for the past 4 years, they've been so successful that I've disliked them. I've hated them. I've wanted failure to reach them, and in particular I have wanted to see Sebastian Vettel crash off in every race - but this year, not so much.
There was something about the partnership between Vettel and Webber last season that left a bitter taste in the mouth. They were clearly not on good terms, and Vettel felt and acted as though he was the top dog. Granted, he has been the World Champion for 4 years running, but he could've been a bit more humble about it.
He reminds me sometimes of a Lord Farquaad type character. He is confident and ruthless, which are great qualities in F1 - but he lacks the personal touch and has a sense of arrogance. He challenges his team, and selfishly seems to put himself and his personal gains ahead of those who helped him get there. He has been a very dislikeable character.
Mark Webber retired at the end of last season and after a long time deliberating, Red Bull promoted Daniel Ricciardo from Torro Rosso, their sister team. It was a popular choice all round as Ricciardo has shown in his few years of F1 that he can race, he is consistent and more importantly - he is very likeable. He brought with him a breath of fresh air to the Red Bull garage, one I feel has turned them into a team I almost quite like.
Don't get me wrong, Vettel still has his flaws - but this season, with the current dominance of Mercedes, Vettel is quieter. He wears the Number 1 on his helmet, but he knows he currently can't compete. He actually comes across as a nice guy in interviews.. and more brilliant than that, Ricciardo is currently outracing him and is showing that he's adapted to his new surroundings with ease.
Daniel Ricciardo, smiler, fan of the honeybadger. I will admit that when the Red Bull seat was available, I was routing for his then-teammate Jean-Eric Vergne to take it. There was generally nothing between the two drivers at Torro Rosso, but for me JEV was seen as the outsider and I couldn't help but support him as an underdog. Ricciardo has a smile that covers about 90% of his face and has an extremely positive outlook. He is a perfect fit for a team ruined by a bitter rivalry last season.
As well as the two drivers, they have Christian Horner as Team Principal - and I don't know if I like him or not. I have to give him credit for being Principal in a team that has won everything, but I don't like the hint of arrogance he has;
He decided to ignore the warnings from officials in Australia that Ricciardo was exceeding the fuel flow rate, claiming that the equipment was faulty and that their own equipment showed different readings. Ricciardo, after finishing 2nd in his home Grand Prix, was later disqualified. Red Bull appealed, they lost the appeal.
The issue here is that the officials in Australia apparently sent out the same message to other teams who were exceeding the fuel flow rate - but those teams listened to the officials and adjusted the cars mid-race. Horner chose not to do this and paid the price.
I can't really talk about Red Bull without mentioning Adrian Newey, their Chief Technical Officer who has consistently helped provide Red Bull with not only fast cars, but cars that will win races on a regular basis - thus leading to the dominance of Red Bull in recent years. When qualifying and races are timed to the thousandths of a second, the fine intracacies of the car make all the difference.
So I guess ultimately my opinions of Red Bull are mixed. I like Ricciardo and want him to do well. Vettel, I'd quite like to see him compete but not win too often. As a team, I don't hate them like I used to, though I'm reluctant to say that.
#F1 #RedBull
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