Verstappen and teammates pick their favourite Red Bull F1 cars

Verstappen joined key teammates of the Red Bull team celebrating the organisation's 20th year as an F1 team at the legendary and increasingly popular Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend.

While their first official entry was for the 2005 Australian Grand Prix, the morphing of Jaguar into Red Bull began in 2004, two decades ago when Dietrich Mateschitz launched what has become a dream team.

Also present with the triple F1 World Champion were his teammate Sergio Perez, VCARB driver Daniel Ricciardo, the team's elders statesman driver David Coulthard, team principal Christian Horner and soon-to-depart chief technical officer Adrian Newey.

All were asked to pick their favourite Red Bull F1 car by ultra-knowledgeable and always enthusiastic Karun Chandhok to which Verstappen replied: I got three favourite cars. Yeah, I can't choose.

"The first one is the RB12, because I thought that was a fantastic car to drive. First, win with it as well. It was a bit slow on the straights, but that had nothing to do with the car. Then the 16B, the first championship. That's always, I think, pretty emotional, but also it was a great car to drive.

"And then I have to pick the 19, I think, yeah, will probably be my most successful car as well ever, you know. So, yeah, there's always an emotional one, for sure," added Verstappen.

Fine choices they are two as StatsF1 show the Red Bull RB12 was the 'love at first sight' car that took Verstappen to his first F1 victory on his debut for the Red Bull senior team at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

The RB16B took the Dutchman to his first F1 world champion title in 2021, winning ten times with it and Perez once a winner that year.

The RB19 of the 2023 F1 season is the most formidable winning machine the sport has witnessed in the modern era, with Verstappen claiming 19 GP victories thanks to it. Perez bagged a further two as Red Bull took home 21 of the 22 P1 trophies last year.

Perez shared his pick of the best he has driven for the team since he joined in 2021: "I go for the 19, because it was, yeah, a very strong year for the team. We broke a lot of records last year. So definitely it's one for history that will be a very important car."

David Coulthard, who Newey credits for convincing him to join the Red Bull project, who led the driver-line-up for their 2005 debut with the RB1, added: "That's got to be RB19, because it's the most successful car. I was lucky enough to drive it at Silverstone just before the Singapore Grand Prix last year, which is the one race they didn't win..."

Horner struggled to pinpoint the top Red Bull car: "It's like picking a favourite child. I think the 16B. That was such a massive year for us, that went all the way down to the final race. So seeing it down there and seeing Max in it again today was fantastic."

Also in the team for part of the 2005 campaign, Klein picked his: "I like the cars a bit smaller, and I go by the noise. So it's the RB1. With the V10 engine."

Ricciardo reminisced to a time when he drove for the team: "It's probably the, I think it's the RB10, the 2014 one, yeah. First win, that one."

Up next, Newey also found it tough to pinpoint his 'favourite child': "It is, it is so difficult. But I guess in many ways, RB5, because although he didn't win the championship with that one, it was the one that set us on the on the path of the next four, and it was what really put us on the map."

Webber took the baton and added: "The bigger brother, Red Bull RB6. So as Adrian said, the foundations were laid for the RB6. So to win a few Grand Prix with that car was beautiful."

Notably absent was their first F1 World Champ Sebastian Vettel who cited family commitments not to be at the historic occasion at Goodwood this weekend.

Since they embarked on the remarkable journey 20 years ago sparked by one Didi Maetschitz's pure passion for an F1 dream team built his way, Red Bull Racing have competed in 381 GPs to date, winning 120 of those and their drivers celebrating 277 podiums.

Vettel won four F1 world titles in a row from 2010 to 2013. Verstappen has won three in a row since he bagged his first in 2021 and looks set for a quartet too, in 2024. Red Bull were F1 constructors' champion in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022 and 2023. With 2024 virtually a foregone conclusion.