2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

[Wouter]

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/the- ... long-runs/

Here are the 15 best long runs of the day by average laptime, with a long run being defined as having at least seven laps or more:

1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m37.663s, soft tyre for 7 laps
2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m37.926s, S 10
3 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m38.072s, hard 9
4 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m38.371s, S 9*
5 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m38.587s, S 10*
6 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1m38.637s, H 8
7 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m38.722s, S 9
8 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m38.880s, medium 10
9 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m38.903s, M 10
10 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m39.013s, S 9
11 Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) 1m39.399s, S 12*
12 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m39.765s, M 9
13 Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) 1m40.106s, S 21*
14 Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), 1m40.331s, M 12*
15 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m40.368s, S 7

*denotes runs where mid-run laptimes were discounted from the average due to being clear outliers.

Verstappen's long runs, as much as they can be at this stage of testing, were particularly impressive.
Across five stints on each of the available compounds (C3 soft, C2 medium, C1 hard), the Red Bull driver delivered
extremely consistent laptimes and his averages never required any adjustment for 'throwaway' laps,
because there were none.

[f1isgood]

I also think the car is pretty undercooked. The front wing can easily go through a marked change before Melbourne, same with the barge-boards and general body work. Would be nice if they can drop an upgrade like 2022 on the last day of testing.

[Badger]

I think RBPT have certainly so far looked significantly better than any expectation that was set for them from the outside. Everyone spent the entire of last year saying their engine will be --- and so far I don't think we have had serious indications of that being the case. With no institutional knowledge this is actually extremely remarkable. But then, they can be the kings of testing and go kaboom in the races for all I know. So I will wait.

My far too early takeaway from day 1 is that the chance of Verstappen going on a one year midfield hiatus is getting vanishingly small. That doesn't mean he is the favourite or anything, but I now believe he will be competing for wins this year at some point, which was far from guaranteed coming into the season.

[FittingMechanics]

Verstappen's long runs, as much as they can be at this stage of testing, were particularly impressive.
Across five stints on each of the available compounds (C3 soft, C2 medium, C1 hard), the Red Bull driver delivered
extremely consistent laptimes and his averages never required any adjustment for 'throwaway' laps,
because there were none.

Not sure the data agrees with that. None of his stints were metronomic, each showed degradation (or battery becoming emptier?).

The Race once again with the lazy analysis.

[Dee]

Verstappen's long runs, as much as they can be at this stage of testing, were particularly impressive.
Across five stints on each of the available compounds (C3 soft, C2 medium, C1 hard), the Red Bull driver delivered
extremely consistent laptimes and his averages never required any adjustment for 'throwaway' laps,
because there were none.

Not sure the data agrees with that. None of his stints were metronomic, each showed degradation (or battery becoming emptier?).

The Race once again with the lazy analysis.

I had a quick glance and it looked like each stint came down the same amount, from beginning to end, it looked like it was a controlled degradation..

[CHT]

I think RBPT have certainly so far looked significantly better than any expectation that was set for them from the outside. Everyone spent the entire of last year saying their engine will be --- and so far I don't think we have had serious indications of that being the case. With no institutional knowledge this is actually extremely remarkable. But then, they can be the kings of testing and go kaboom in the races for all I know. So I will wait.

My biggest concern for RB in 2026 is their PU and Max curse on his teammate.
Seem like RB has got the PU covered and now we will have to see how Isack perform in today's testing.

[AR3-GP]

Seem like RB has got the PU covered

It is probably still too early to say that. There's a long way to go and a lot to prove still. I wouldn't be surprised if there are DNFs. It happens even to the legacy manufacturers.

[CHT]

Seem like RB has got the PU covered

It is probably still too early to say that. There's a long way to go and a lot to prove still. I wouldn't be surprised if there are DNFs. It happens even to the legacy manufacturers.

The biggest concern for PU this season should not be the ICE, but the energy harvesting and deployment system
The lap times does show RB PU are already in the ball park in comparison to the rest, which mean RB can very soon switch their test to other areas, while some other team will still working on maximizing energy harvesting.

[euv2]

Craig Slater asked the James Vowles about Toto Wolfs claims about Red bull gaining 1s on the straights, he said that's a bit too much and they saw Red bull gaining around 0.6s consistently, also said speed into turn 1 is might impressive, we can't get close to them.

Zac Brown on the other hand didn't praise Red Bull as much, said all of the top 4 look strong.

I think there might be some small truth to what Toto is saying, but nowhere as much as he is making it out to be, Merc PU customers have every reason to downplay they own capabilities.

[Sergej]

Still wayyyy too early to make conclusions, and especially to be fooled by a certified troll like Toto.

[lio007]

Still wayyyy too early to make conclusions, and especially to be fooled by a certified troll like Toto.

Definitely wayyyy too early. I think we have to wait until the last lap in Melbourne to get a valid indication where we stand compared to the other teams.
Right now I'm still sceptical... the PU just can't be that good compared to the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari.

[Jdn1327]

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/the- ... trackside/

Pretty interesting article about how Max has again changed his driving style to accommodate these regulations. While it may not give him a performance advantage into corners...it helps with energy recovery.

[Sergej]

Still wayyyy too early to make conclusions, and especially to be fooled by a certified troll like Toto.

Definitely wayyyy too early. I think we have to wait until the last lap in Melbourne to get a valid indication where we stand compared to the other teams.
Right now I'm still sceptical... the PU just can't be that good compared to the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari.

I mean it's just about managing expectations, personally I had none coming into this season these early days are delightfully surprising, but still loooong way to go, so many things to verify. Let's see.

[euv2]

[organic]

Supposedly hydraulic issues