What is the name of Max Verstappen's Formula 1 car?

Max Verstappen's car

In Formula 1, it is good practice to give the car a model number. In fairness, Red Bull is not the most creative team in this regard. Max Verstappen's team has been using 'RB' (Red Bull) for years, followed by an annually increasing number. That started in 2005 with the RB1, rising to the RB19 in 2023.

Logic dictates that the 2021 car would be called the RB17, but that was not the case. Verstappen's car went through life as the RB16B. The reason was simple. The RB16B was a direct development of the RB16. In F1, it is customary to add a 'B' to indicate that it is not an entirely new car. "It would not be 'fair' to call the car the RB17," team boss Christian Horner gave as his reason. To ease pressure on teams during the Covid restrictions, teams were permitted to run, and evolve, their 2020 cars into 2021.

In this case, the RB17 designation was reserved for the first car built under the new regulations. It was actually supposed to see the light of day in 2021. It later emerged that the RB17 was not coming at all. At least, not in the form of a Formula 1 car. In fact, Max Verstappen's 2022 car is called the Red Bull RB18. The long-awaited term 'RB17' was attached to an Adrian Newey-designed hypercar.

Max Verstappen's car at Jumbo

Despite all sorts of sponsorship commitments and innovations, Red Bull Racing has long adhered to a car design centred on the energy drink manufacturer's corporate identity. The blue/yellow combined with the red bull recurs every year. The constancy in liveries leads to brand loyalty and ensures that scale models of Verstappen's cars are also in high demand. For instance, Max Verstappen's miniature cars always sell like hot cakes at supermarket chain Jumbo. Other Red Bull Racing merchandise is also extremely popular.

Max Verstappen's Formula 1 car in 2023

The new F1 car Max Verstappen will drive in 2023 is called the RB19. Read all the latest news about Verstappen's new car on RacingNews365.com.