Red Bull reveals "edgy" new look in East London car launch

But it was in a warehouse in this trendy part of the British capital that Red Bull rolled out its 2016 car to remind its rivals it is the race team who dares to do things differently.

Even team principal Christian Horner was a little confused on his way to Wednesday's launch.

'I've not been up here before,' he confessed. 'I think I need to grow a bigger beard and come on a bicycle.'



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There was more theatrics on stage as a male dance troupe performed amid a cloud of dry ice before the car, finished in bold matte paint, was revealed. The show was complete when drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat walked out wearing their blue-hued camouflage race suits.

The camo kit looked cool but it did prompt the obvious question whether Red Bull will have anywhere to hide when the new season begins in Australia on March 20?

'It will be a season of two halves,' Horner told CNN's The Circuit. 'It will be a transitional year for us as a team.

'We went through a difficult cycle last year. We're emerging from that. The beginning of the year is going to be hard for us but there will be bigger gains during the European races.'

It was an honest assessment after a 2015 season which was something of an annus horribilis for the four-time world champions.

The high-flying team finished fourth in the team standings, behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Williams, and failed to win a race for the first since 2008.

There were fractious scenes off track too as Horner engaged in a spat with engine supplier Renault -- which has struggled to match the grunt of Mercedes since the 2014 rule changes on engines -- and Red Bull tycoon Dietrich Mateschitz threatened to pull the plug on the team.

'There were times which were tough last year,' Ricciardo summed up with cheery understatement. 'Especially after 2014 when I experienced lots of success. It was more of a roller coaster season.

'The team is happy with what they've done in the offseason. Let's see what happens on track, but I do have faith in my guys that we have something stronger than we did this time last year.

'The car has got a nice stealth, aggressive look but hopefully we're not in too many people's mirrors this year.

'To improve on last year in terms of results and to get back on the top step [is the aim]. I'd love to win as many races as possible but I'll just ask for one, if I can get one this year that will be a good step in the right direction.'

Ricciardo and his Russian teammate Kvyat will run the new-look car in preseason testing, which begins in Barcelona next week. The RB12's upgraded chassis will also be revealed replete in its new livery.

'It's sort of like Christmas Eve now, I know it's close and there are some good things to unwrap shortly,' Ricciardo added.

'But even in testing there are still some question marks and so we just want to go racing. If I could jump on a plane now and go to straight to Melbourne [home of the Australian Grand Prix] I'd 100% do that right now!'



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Leaving the Red Bull launch on a frozen February evening, Brick Lane was humming with restauranteurs hustling for business and a group of lively Londoners wearing face paint and wigs.

In the sport's more cash-conscious days, it is unusual for F1 teams to hold car launch parties but for Red Bull it was an opportunity to return to its roots as the sport's fun, energetic team -- rather than the listless complainers seen in 2015.

'It's part of going back to basics,' agreed Horner, who was seen at the launch with his ex-Spice Girl wife Geri Horner, formerly Halliwell, and tennis ace Boris Becker.

'We're going for something a little more edgy, that marks us out as different from the crowd. We're a bit more individual compared to some of the more corporate competitors that we race against.'

When the new season begins in just over a month's time, his revamped Red Bull team will be aiming to reassert itself against rivals Mercedes and Ferrari on the track.

'It's sort of like Christmas Eve now, I know it's close and there are some good things to unwrap shortly,' Ricciardo added. 'It's sort of like Christmas Eve now, I know it's close and there are some good things to unwrap shortly,' Ricciardo added. When the new season begins in just over a month's time, his revamped Red Bull team will be aiming to reassert itself against rivals Mercedes and Ferrari on the track. 'We went through a difficult cycle last year. We're emerging from that. The beginning of the year is going to be hard for us but there will be bigger gains during the European races.'

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