Zoom The first win came in Shanghai, China

Red Bull Renault raised their game in 2009, recording six victories and finishing second in the constructors’ championship with an impressive 153.5 points, just 18.5 behind rival Brawn Mercedes. To put the gains made by the Milton Keynes-based team in perspective, their 2009 points tally is greater than its 2005 – 2008 total, by a large margin.

“Second is a fantastic achievement for the team,” said team principal Christian Horner. “In many respects the team is still very young and it’s only our fifth season in Formula One. We were championship contenders right up until the penultimate race – however the Championship ultimately wasn’t lost in Brazil and you have to show respect to the season that Jenson and Brawn had, with a very dominant early display in the championship. We were playing catch up thereafter.”

While Brawn ran away with the championship in the first half of the season - with Button securing six wins from the first seven races - Red Bull recorded five wins from the British round at Silverstone onwards in late June, half of the remaining rounds.

“In regards to the high point of the year, for me there have been several,” Horner continued. “The biggest was probably winning our first grand prix with a one-two finish in China. That was a really special moment for the whole team and a testimony to the support and commitment that both Red Bull and Mr Mateschitz have made to Formula One.”

On the back of three straight wins, the team heads into the 2010 season confident that they can maintain its momentum, but also aware that their rivals will be pushing to reclaim the top step of the podium.

“They’ve demonstrated in the second half of the year that they’ve worked very hard to recover, by winning races in Ferrari and McLaren’s case, and I’m sure they’ll be formidable opponents again next year,” he continued. “But, we’ll learn lessons from this year and I think, as the team has developed, it’s only got stronger.

“I’m convinced that it can continue to evolve and with continuity in our line-up, we’re perfectly placed to build on this year’s campaign.”

Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International