Red Bull Racing has revealed the livery that will be carried by the team’s new RB18, which will be the first car not to be officially powered by Honda for four years.

However, the new car will carry the same Honda power unit that helped the team to its first World Championship in eight years, with the engine being rebranded as a Red Bull powertrain.

The team’s classic blue, red and yellow livery remains for another season whilst Honda’s logos are replaced by Honda Racing Corporation and Red Bull on both the engine cover and the rear wing.

Oracle becomes the team’s new title sponsor after signing a five-year contract worth $500 million. The American tech company’s logos replace Red Bull’s logos on the sidepods whilst Reach’s logo appears on the car’s floor along with Tezos.

Mobil 1 and Claro appear on the inside and outside of the front wing endplates, whilst Esso’s logo adorns the rear wing endplates.

Other notable differences include a change of Max Verstappen’s number as the reigning World champion has elected to ditch his number 33 plate for the illustrious number 1 plate that hasn’t been used since 2014.

Verstappen will hope that 2022 is the year he wraps up his second World Championship after an outstanding 2021 campaign that saw him finish in the top three eighteen times and win ten Grand Prix’s. 

The 24-year-old from Hasselt in Belgium is curious and excited to jump back in the car after just under two months away.

“I am just looking forward to getting back in the car and start driving it to see how everything is handling, and yeah, I had a good bit of time off and recharged to go driving again. A lot is unknown about the car, so personally, I feel good, but I am also very curious about how the car behaves on track.”

Despite going into the season with a target on his back as the reigning World Champion, Verstappen’s approach for the 2022 season remains unchanged.

“No, there's no reason to suddenly be different, and of course, as a driver with the new regulations, you have to get used to the car, it’s not like you suddenly jump in, and it’s an upgrade from last year, so that’s going to be the biggest adaptation, but the rest is pretty straightforward. Now I just can’t wait for that first moment when I drive out of the pitlane in the RB18.”

The Dutchman will once again be supported by Mexican Sergio Perez, who is back for his second year at the Milton Keynes based outfit after a good albeit tumultuous 2021 season.

The start of Perez’s first season at Red Bull wasn’t a smooth one as he struggled to get to grips with the RB16B during the season’s opening five races, but things finally came good for the Mexican as he took victory in an eventful race at Baku.

After securing yet another podium in France, Perez endured a barren run of form before rebounding with an excellent third in Istanbul after holding Hamilton off in tricky conditions. The Mexican took further podiums in Austin and Mexico City, much to the delight of a partisan home crowd.

But it was in the final race of the season where Perez made the most significant impact as he came to Verstappen’s rescue by holding off Hamilton for over a lap, shirking the gap between the pair to just over a second.

Like his team leader Perez believes that there will be a lot to learn about the new regulations, which he thinks will make the racing very interesting.

“I am so excited to start the new season, and I cannot wait to be on track with the new RB18. All of us on the grid are starting from zero this season, so it is set to be an exciting year. There will be a lot of things we need to learn and adapt to, but these new regulations are set to make everything very interesting.”

“One thing I can’t wait for this season is to see more fans back at the track; Formula One is growing so much all over the world, so I can’t wait to feel that atmosphere again. I hope that we can give the fans great entertainment and great racing.”

Team principal Christian Horner said that the RB18 would look completely different when the team arrives in Bahrain for the season’s first race.

He also believes that his team is in great shape and are ready to rise to the challenge of defending Verstappen’s drivers’ championship crown.

“With the new regulation changes this year, the whole philosophy has altered, which means every single component is different to last year’s car. It’s a clean sheet of paper for every single team. By the time we get to the first race, the RB18 won’t look much like it looks today; the evolution will be very quick as we progress through the season. It is a steep learning curve for everyone, and it is a contest in development between the first and the last race.”

“We believe we have a good car for 2022; the RB18 is coming to life, and seeing it today is fantastic. It has been a huge effort from the team, and I am looking forward to seeing it out on the track now. We plan to build on 2021, we have number one on the car this year, and now the challenge is it keep it and defend that title with Max. The excitement and hard work of 2021 really galvanised the team, and it means we go into 2022 in great shape for the season ahead.”

Introducing the lean, mean, #RB18 🔥 #F1 pic.twitter.com/8RldKjT4cE

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) February 9, 2022