The RB2 represented a consolidation year for Red Bull following their debut season with the RB1. The switch to Ferrari power brought immediate complications: cooling problems during pre-season testing significantly curtailed the team's preparation time. Development on the RB2 was also curtailed mid-season when Red Bull chose to redirect resources toward the 2007 challenger, allowing new Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey to focus on the following year's car rather than trying to extract further performance from the current one.
The 2006 season was a difficult one for the team overall. The car spent most of the year mired in the midfield, and Klien struggled for results before being replaced after the Italian Grand Prix by third driver Robert Doornbos. The background to his removal was a disagreement with the team over a proposed move to Champ Car racing for 2007, at a point when it had become clear that Mark Webber was being lined up as his replacement.
The season's standout moment came at Monaco, where Coulthard took the team's first podium finish — a third place. The result coincided with a promotional deal for the film Superman Returns: Coulthard wore a red cape on the podium, and team principal Christian Horner honoured a pre-race promise by jumping into the team's swimming pool wearing one of the capes. The Superman livery extended across the Monaco weekend, with a red cape motif starting from the cockpit and wrapping around the upper bodywork.
The team finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship with 16 points.
Christian Klien had been with the team since its debut year under the Jaguar banner but was released after the Italian Grand Prix. Robert Doornbos, who had served as test driver, stepped up for the final four rounds. Mark Webber was confirmed as Coulthard's partner for 2007.
The RB2's livery was largely identical to the RB1's, retaining the dark blue and red scheme. The differences were minor: the colour scheme of the three side stripes was reversed, and a checkered flag motif was removed from the bonnet and rear wing bulkheads, replaced by a continuation of those side bands.
The RB2 season is remembered less for its results than for what it represented: the arrival of Adrian Newey at Red Bull, which would transform the team into one of the dominant forces of the sport. Newey's focus shifted almost entirely to the RB3 from mid-season, and the dividends of that investment began to appear from 2009 onwards, when Red Bull became genuine title contenders and ultimately World Champions across four consecutive seasons from 2010 to 2013. The RB2 is therefore the car that quietly set that trajectory in motion.