Red Bull’s journey into F1 started when they bought the struggling Jaguar Racing team at the end of 2004. Instead of just keeping things as they were, they completely transformed the team, bringing in fresh energy, a new brand identity, and a clear ambition to succeed.

The RB1 wasn’t a completely new car as it was heavily based on Jaguar’s 2004 model, the R5. However, Red Bull’s influence was already visible, both in the car’s design and in the team’s attitude. It was powered by a Cosworth V10 engine, making it one of the last F1 cars to use a naturally aspirated V10 before the sport switched to smaller V8s in 2006.

For their first season, Red Bull put their faith in experienced driver David Coulthard, who had spent years at McLaren, and paired him with young talents Christian Klien and Vitantonio Liuzzi, who took turns driving the second car.

Right from the first race in Australia, the team surprised everyone. Coulthard finished fourth, and Klien crossed the line in seventh, scoring points on their debut. It was the perfect way to announce themselves to the F1 world.

Throughout the 2005 season, Red Bull was a solid midfield team, regularly scoring points and finishing ahead of more established names like Sauber and Toyota. By the end of the year, they had secured seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship with 34 points, which was not bad at all for a brand-new team.

That season laid the foundation for Red Bull’s future success. Christian Horner, who was brought in as team principal, proved to be the right man for the job, and the team’s decision to bring in legendary designer Adrian Newey later that year was a game-changer. After that, it didn’t take long before Red Bull started climbing the ranks, and just five years later, they won their first championship with Sebastian Vettel in 2010.

Looking back now, the RB1 might not seem all that special compared to the Red Bull cars of today, but it was the car that started everything. Without it, there would be no Verstappen dominance, no Vettel era, and no four-time championship-winning streak in the early 2010s. Every great team has to start somewhere, and for Red Bull Racing, it all began with the RB1.