The Red Bull RB7 will be on time for the first tests

The Red Bull Renault team has confirmed that they are on track to run in early February with their new car, the RB7: The schedule is being adhered to.

In early February, the first Formula 1 tests will take place in Valencia, Spain. Many teams will not yet have completed the development and preparation of their 2011 cars. McLaren, Force India, Virgin, and HRT will therefore run with a hybrid car, part 2010, part 2011. Conversely, Red Bull plans to use its 2011 version on track. The Austrian team indeed wants to fully optimize all the test days available to them, unlike last season when the official 2010 car did not participate in the first winter tests.

“We are respecting our schedule,” commented Christian Horner to Autosport. “We should be ready for the first tests, on time for Valencia. That’s our objective and we will confirm our plan and information on the new car’s presentation very soon.”

The director of the Austrian structure – 2010 world champion – indeed recalls that last season the team did not participate with their latest creation in the pre-season tests.

«We prioritized wind tunnel testing and had to wait until the last moment to release the final version.»

This year, however, the presence of new tires brought by the change of manufacturers forced the team to reassess its priorities: « The tires brought by Pirelli are quite different from those of Bridgestone in their behavior. We therefore need to test the car on the track rather than in the wind tunnel. »

«For his part, Helmut Marko confirmed starting the season without a real launch but with the RB7 in Valencia.»