2017 Report – Red Bull: On the Way to the Top?

3rd in the championship, 368 pts

3 victories

Best qualification: 2nd

With three victories under its belt, Red Bull has demonstrated this year that it is a serious contender for victory. The duo of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen is one of the most effective and balanced in the field, with only 32 points separating them in the championship, and their relationship remains cordial despite a few hiccups.

However, the Austrian team struggled to recover from the departure of its four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. No victories in 2015, two in 2016, and three this year, the team based in Milton Keynes seems to be making progress and all indicators are positive for reaching even higher.

The only weak point in this future that seems bright: the relationship with its engine supplier Renault. Historically complicated for several years, it has deteriorated to the point that the French manufacturer preferred to badge its power units as Tag Heuer before supplying them to Red Bull. The latter also leaves the door open to other possibilities for the short-term future, with Aston Martin or even Honda. But without lasting stability in this area, it will be very difficult for the team to claim to compete for the title.

In the meantime, Red Bull stands out as the only team besides Mercedes and Ferrari capable of claiming victory outright. However, the competition won’t wait long to catch up, and the team will need to keep a close eye on McLaren and Renault in the coming months.

Editorial note: 16/20

Daniel Ricciardo

4th in the championship, 200 pts

1 victory

Best qualification: 3rd 

This season, the Australian hasn’t missed many opportunities that came his way. A surprise winner in Baku, during a period when Red Bull was not in top form, Ricciardo took full advantage of his teammate’s mechanical issues to rack up big points and podiums – nine in total, including five in a row between the Spanish Grand Prix and the Austrian Grand Prix.

But from an accounting standpoint, his record is better than that of his teammate, the latter seems to have gained the psychological upper hand in the team. The renewal of Verstappen’s contract clearly shows that Red Bull wants to rely on him to build for the future. As for the Australian’s contract, it expires at the end of the 2018 season and negotiations have not yet begun for a possible extension.

Daniel Ricciardo is seen as an opportunistic, talented, and above all, combative driver. He has once again delivered many stunning overtakes throughout the season and establishes himself as a master in this art. The lack of popularity he might face compared to Verstappen is easily compensated by this asset and his fierce smile in all circumstances, even in more difficult moments like in Hungary where he was literally taken out by his teammate. No controversy but a frank explanation between the two men. It’s a change from the Vettel/Webber duo from a few years ago, but will this harmony remain the same if a title is at stake? Without a doubt, the Australian won’t give up!

Editor’s Note: 16/20

Max Verstappen:

5th in the championship, 168 pts

2 wins

Best qualification: 2nd

Orphaned by Sebastian Vettel since the end of the 2014 season, Red Bull needed to find a new mentor after the German’s four world titles. The sudden departure of Daniil Kvyat at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix allowed for the emergence of the young Max Verstappen, an undeniable rising star in the discipline.

The Dutchman, who was quite unlucky at the start of the season and suffered from the woes of his Renault power unit, managed to make an impact in the second half of the season with consecutive victories in Malaysia and Mexico. Although he missed pole position on a few occasions by just a few hundredths, he asserted himself in the race in a strong manner, as demonstrated by his overtake on Sebastian Vettel in the first corner of the race in Mexico.

Rarely caught out by annoyance after his long journey through the desert, he showed diligence to truly blossom at the end of the season and string together a series of six points finishes. In the end, he retired seven times, which is only once more than his teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

It’s not for nothing that Red Bull is counting on him for the long term and quickly extended his contract to prevent him from leaving for the competition, especially with Ferrari, who was eyeing him all summer. Verstappen is the future of Red Bull, and the driver and his team share the same ambition for the coming years: to win titles!

Editor’s Note: 17/20