Development of the RB15 was significantly impacted by the switch from Renault to Honda power units. This change necessitated a complete redesign of the car’s rear end to accommodate the new engine. The Honda engine featured a split turbo system, similar in concept to that used by Mercedes. Further design considerations included changes to the cooling system, aerodynamic adjustments to the wing design, and improved airflow management, alongside optimized bargeboards intended to maximize chassis performance.
The most significant technical change for the RB15 was the integration of the Honda RA619H engine. The engine’s unique split turbo layout required substantial modifications to the car’s rear end packaging. Beyond the powertrain, the RB15 featured aerodynamic refinements focused on maximizing downforce and airflow efficiency. These included redesigned bargeboards and optimized wing profiles. The team also focused on improving the car’s cooling system to handle the demands of the Honda power unit. A notable achievement was a record-breaking 1.91-second pitstop during the 2019 British Grand Prix, surpassing the previous record of 1.92 seconds held jointly by Red Bull and Williams since 2013.
At the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen secured a podium finish in third place, marking Honda’s first podium since 2008. Gasly finished outside the points in eleventh. In Bahrain, Verstappen narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth, while Gasly finished eighth. In China, both Red Bull cars qualified on the third row, with Verstappen and Gasly in fifth and sixth respectively. Verstappen finished fourth, and Gasly sixth, setting the fastest lap.
The European leg of the season saw mixed results. In Azerbaijan, Verstappen finished fourth, but Gasly retired with a mechanical issue. In Spain, Verstappen finished third after overtaking Sebastian Vettel, while Gasly finished sixth. At Monaco, Verstappen initially finished second but was relegated to fourth due to a penalty for an unsafe release. Gasly finished fifth, also setting the fastest lap. In Canada, Verstappen finished fifth, while Gasly fell to eighth. In France, Verstappen finished fourth, while Gasly struggled to tenth.
A breakthrough came at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, where Verstappen won, giving Honda their first victory since Jenson Button’s win at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. Gasly, however, finished seventh and was lapped by Verstappen, raising questions about his performance. In Britain, Verstappen finished fifth after contact with Sebastian Vettel, while Gasly finished fourth.
The German Grand Prix saw another victory for Verstappen in a chaotic wet-to-dry race. Gasly retired after a collision with Alexander Albon. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen secured his first Formula One pole position, but finished second to Lewis Hamilton. Gasly finished sixth.
Following the summer break, Red Bull replaced Pierre Gasly with Alexander Albon, starting with the Belgian Grand Prix. At the Belgian Grand Prix, Verstappen retired after a collision on the first lap, while Albon finished fifth. In Italy, Verstappen started from the back of the grid and finished eighth, while Albon finished sixth. In Singapore, Verstappen finished third, and Albon finished sixth. In Russia, Verstappen and Albon finished fourth and fifth respectively.
At the Japanese Grand Prix, Albon achieved his best result of the season in fourth, while Verstappen retired after a collision on the first lap. In Mexico, Verstappen took pole position but received a three-place grid penalty for impeding, and finished sixth. Albon finished fifth. At the United States Grand Prix, Verstappen finished third, and Albon finished fifth. In Brazil, Verstappen won, while Albon was on course for second until being hit by Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap, dropping him to fifteenth. The season concluded at Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen finished second, and Albon finished sixth.
The RB15 did not trigger any specific regulatory changes during the 2019 season.
A modified RB15 was later used during testing of the 2022 tyre compounds after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, demonstrating the car’s continued value as a testing platform even after its competitive retirement.
Gallery · 4 related images
