Red Bull RB5

File:Mark Webber 2009 Turkey.jpg driving the RB5 at the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix.]]

New rules in place for the 2009 season required cars to have narrower and higher rear wings and wider and lower front wings, designed to reduce air disturbance to following cars and hence make overtaking easier.{{cite web

|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72093

|title=Williams reveal 2009 wing package

|author=Matt Beer

|work=Autosport

|publisher=Haymarket Publications

|date=2008-11-12

|access-date=2009-02-09}}{{cite web

|url= http://grandprix.com/ns/ns21143.html

|title= Whiting talks about the new F1 rules

|work=GrandPrix.com

|publisher=Inside F1, Inc.

|date= 2009-01-27

|access-date= 2009-02-11}} Slick tyres were re-introduced into Formula One, after being absent since 1998.{{cite web

|url=http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2008/11/8741.html

|title=A beginner's guide to the 2009 rule changes

|work= Formula1.com

|publisher=Formula One Management

|date=2008-11-27

|access-date=2009-02-11}} This was expected to increase the RB5's tyre grip by about 20%.

There was a possibility that the RB5 could feature a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), which would allow energy which would otherwise be wasted while braking to be re-used in set amounts per lap, via a boost button on the driver's steering wheel. This was the result of new rules for the 2009 season. Red Bull originally attempted to develop their own system, but a factory fire resulting from overheated batteries stalled progress.{{cite web

|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73019

|title=Red Bull to use Renault's KERS

|author=Jonathan Noble

|work=Autosport

|publisher=Haymarket Publications

|date=2009-01-27

|access-date=2009-02-11}} In January 2009 Red Bull announced that they would use an identical KERS system to the Renault team, in an extension of the existing customer engine deal between the teams. However the RB5 never did race with KERS.

{{expand section|date=September 2015}}

The RB5 was launched later than most of its rivals, to allow a longer development time at the expense of a shorter testing time.{{cite web

|url= http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns21166.html

|title= The new Red Bull RB5 is unveiled

|work=GrandPrix.com

|publisher=Inside F1, Inc.

|date= 2009-02-09

|access-date= 2009-02-12}} Red Bull expected the RB5 to be more competitive than its predecessor, the RB4, which achieved a single podium in 2008.{{cite web

|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73197

|title=Horner hopeful on 'different' approach

|author=Edd Straw and Pablo Elizalde

|work=Autosport

|publisher=Haymarket Publications

|date=2009-02-09

|access-date=2009-02-12}} Vettel was optimistic when questioned about the car's potential:

{{quote|"Obviously it's not correct sitting here and say I am going to win the world championship. I want to, but we need to see. We need to see how we are going, where we are in comparison to the others. I believe that the new rules could give a chance to teams like us to close the gap to the front but the favourites are Ferrari and McLaren, no doubt."{{cite web

|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73189

|title=Vettel says the target is to win races

|author=Edd Straw and Pablo Elizalde

|work=Autosport

|publisher=Haymarket Publications

|date=2009-02-09

|access-date=2009-02-12}}}}

Sebastian Vettel, who (since joining Scuderia Toro Rosso) makes it a habit to name his racing cars, named his Red Bull RB5 'Kate' and after crashing it at Melbourne's Albert Park, he named his new chassis 'Kate's Dirty Sister'.{{cite web | url=http://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=359680&FS=F1 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718021637/http://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=359680&FS=F1 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2012-07-18 | title=Vettel names 2010 car 'Luscious Liz' | publisher=Motorsport.com | date=2010-03-08 | access-date=2010-03-10 }}

File:Sebastian Vettel Jerez Feb 2009 3430a.jpg testing the RB5 in February 2009]]

Initial tests of the RB5 at Jerez were halted when high gearbox oil temperatures were detected.{{cite web

|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73200

|title=Gearbox problem stops RB5's first test

|author=Edd Straw

|work=Autosport

|publisher=Haymarket Publications

|date=2009-02-09

|access-date=2009-02-12}} When the issue was resolved the RB5 was the quickest 2009 specification car at Jerez, where Vettel was faster than the equivalent Williams, McLaren and Renault cars.{{cite web

|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73211

|title=Vettel shines with new Red Bull at Jerez

|author=Jonathan Noble

|work=Autosport

|publisher=Haymarket Publications

|date=2009-02-10

|access-date=2009-02-12}} Webber returned to the cockpit after breaking his leg while cycling in November 2008; he completed 83 laps in the RB5, around the distance of a Grand Prix, and reported no problems whilst lapping faster than Vettel the previous day.{{cite web

|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73225

|title=Webber pleased with first day back

|author=Edd Straw

|work=Autosport

|publisher=Haymarket Publications

|date=2009-02-11

|access-date=2009-02-12}}

{{Clear}}

File:Red Bulls 2009 China.jpg, en route for Red Bull's first win in Formula One]]

Early in the season the car showed huge performance with Vettel taking the first win for the team in China with Webber in second place giving the team their first 1-2 ever. As the season progressed the car continued to show its pace and by the mid-season its pace had increased to the point where it had overtaken the Brawn BGP 001 as the fastest car on the grid.

The car started the season with a narrow needle like nose (as was the common practice for that year.) However, for the {{F1 GP|2009|British}}, the nose was replaced with a flatter wider nose. This design was used by Red Bull for the remainder of the V8 era.

{{clear left}}

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

{{sup|†}} Driver failed to finish, but was classified as they had completed >90% of the race distance.

{{sup|‡}} Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance completed.

{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}

{{RBR}}

{{F1 cars 2009}}

{{Red Bull}}

Category:2009 Formula One season cars

Red Bull RB05