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Red Bull decimated the competition in the final year of the V8 engine era with Sebastian Vettel winning a world record 9 consecutive races after the summer break. Ferrari, Mercedes and Lotus-Renault were in a close fight for second, but the Adrian Newey car was clearly and comfortably the best on the grid and won for the fourth year in a row with RB9.
The four titles on the trot for team and driver underlined Red Bull’s complete mastery of the regulations that came had come into effect from 2009.
It could also be seen as a season of two halves. The season was closer until the British Grand Prix with wins and poles being spread around. But after Pirelli introduced an entirely new specification of tire in time for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull found another gear. They notched up 24 podiums, 11 pole positions and 13 wins in the season.
2013, apart from being an unpopular season among fans because of the 'platypus-nosed' cars, also didn't have a single wet race, which would have allowed for some surprising results.
Except Red Bull, only Lotus (1), Ferrari (2) and Mercedes (3) won races, with Kimi Raikkonen winning the opening race in Australia, Alonso winning classics in China and Spain, while Nico Rosberg finished first in Monaco and Silverstone, and Lewis Hamilton in Hungaroring, Budapest.
Red Bull held sway because of their aerodynamic development being ahead of the competitors, but that advantage was withered away as the V6 turbo era shifted the focus back to the engines. Engine suppliers Renault weren't as quick as Ferrari and Mercedes, and so, the dominance of one season gave way to trailing Mercedes by a distance in the next.
The frustration led to them being at constant loggerheads with engine supplier Renault. Although the Milton Keynes outfit have won races every year since, except in 2015, they have come never close to clinching the constructor's championship again in the 5 years of the 1.6L V6 turbo era.
