Why Red Bull had to get one Formula 1 rule changed during their first season on the grid

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Red Bull celebrated 20 years in Formula 1 in 2024, with it being one of the most successful teams to compete in the championship.

During that period they have won eight Drivers’ Championships and seven Constructors’ titles, putting them close to the all-time record set by Mercedes in 2021.

It took a while before Red Bull was competitive in F1, having taken over the Jaguar operation in 2004 and rebranded the following year.

The team was expected to announce David Coulthard alongside upcoming Italian driver Vitantonio Liuzzi as their lineup, however, they eventually went with Christian Klien.

However, after agreeing that Liuzzi could race at select races, the Italian ended up making an appearance in four races during the 2005 campaign. This led to Red Bull needing the FIA to change the rules, as they still wanted to have Klien in the car for continuity purposes.

Red Bull changes F1 rules regarding Friday practice drivers

The regulations at the time stated that Friday test drivers must not have competed in more than six Grands Prix in the previous two years. By that stage, Klien has participated in 21 Grands Prix.

Late Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz began a campaign to get the regulations changed, securing support from BAR boss Nick Fry and Renault’s Flavio Briatore. This led to a change of rules according to journalist Glenn Freeman, when speaking on the Bring Back V10s podcast.

“Marko wanted Liuzzi to get chances as well and Red Bull said it was only fair to get him a shot. Unsurprisingly, Klien said he didn’t see the point in changing after making a decent start in 2005 and when Red Bull made the switch after three races,” said Freeman.

“He said he was totally disappointed, even though he could see it coming. Red Bull then had to get the Friday third car driver rules changed to allow Klien to drive when he was the team’s reserve and was too experienced.”

Vitantonio Liuzzi takes part in four races with Red Bull

Liuzzi had impressed Helmut Marko during his time as a test driver for Red Bull, which earned him the outing with the team during the 2005 season.

Out of the four races that he competed in, Liuzzi only finished in two while he retired in the others due to problems.

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He brought some attention when Liuzzi became the only man to overtake Michael Schumacher on his first racing lap at Imola, while he would go on to score points on his debut.

Red Bull would later put him in at Toro Rosso for the following season, with Klien getting a full-time drive before being replaced by Robert Doornbos midway through the year.