Red Bull is lagging behind in Formula 1. What was often true on the track in the second half of the last season is a bitter reality when it comes to the wind tunnel. With a view to the major construction site, the racing team is now reporting positive news.
Red Bull is working hard to finally build a modern wind tunnel on the company premises in Milton Keynes and, according to head of technology Pierre Wache, is more than on target.
“With the construction work and the new machines, you never know when the time will come, but we are ahead of schedule at the moment,” said Wache on “Autosport”.
To be more precise, according to Wache, it is three months, but one never knows exactly whether there will be delays, according to the Frenchman, who spoke of a “big project”.
The wind tunnel should be ready for use in 2026. Red Bull could then use it to develop the car for 2027.
According to Wache, the team around series world champion Max Verstappen has so far had to make do with the “oldest wind tunnel in the sport”. “I recently spoke to Jos [Verstappen] “We talked about how they had already used the wind tunnel when he was racing at Arrows,” Wache said. Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, raced at Arrows in 2000/01.
Formula 1: Red Bull at a disadvantage compared to McLaren
The outdated wind tunnel near Bedford, “a relic of the Cold War” according to team boss Christian Horner, is now a mortgage for Red Bull in the development race against the competition.
McLaren – long dependent on the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne – has been using a state-of-the-art facility since 2023. Aston Martin is also upgrading and investing heavily in its corporate structure in Silverstone.
Last season, Red Bull lost the constructors’ championship to McLaren, the traditional team was at the top again for the first time since 1998, the Bulls only finished third. For the coming season that means a little more testing time in the wind tunnel – but in the old thing.
“This is an old tool that we have updated. There are a lot of newer things in it, but we have some limitations,” Wache explained the problem: “We know these limitations and try to work around them, but that’s natural more difficult if you’re looking for a small delta.”