Even though Vettel is wearing different colors today, back in 2012 he went out in his Red Bull RB8 at COTA and owned every corner on his way to a 1:39.347 lap record.
The 2012 Formula One season was a very tight and spectacular affair due to a spirited battle at the top between Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. The two finished the season just three points apart, with Vettel becoming champion after an excellent 2nd half of the year.
That was also the year when the 2.4 liter naturally aspirated mid-mounted Renault V8 power unit in the RB8 led the team to a Constructors Title, 60 points clear of Ferrari and 82 points clear of McLaren-Mercedes. The RB8’s V8 unit was limited to 18,000 rpm and mated to a Red Bull 7-speed hydraulic power shift transmission which – pretty much an unstoppable combination when also factoring in the car’s excellent aero settings.
It was a very controversial car, suspected of more than just a few technical wrong-doings during the 2012 F1 season, and even though the FIA cleared Red Bull of every accusation, the team still needed to constantly make changes to their car.
None of that seemed to stop Vettel from excelling behind the wheel of the RB8 and even though he didn’t win in Austin (finished P2 behind Lewis Hamilton), he did set the fastest lap of the race right at the very end.
The car is fast, the engine is properly loud and it almost seems like Vettel could have gotten on the power even earlier during certain corners, but only because it’s just so incredibly well balanced.