Autoracer reported that Mercedes and Ferrari are at the weight limit. Ferrari even brought a lighter chassis to the 2nd test.Seanspeed wrote: ↑20 Feb 2026, 19:10Where he also says everybody is in the same boat, so doesn't really mean anything. Does not mean they are heavier than anybody else, let alone everybody.
I think usually Bahrain has been a pretty decent barometer although these regulations it might change significantly from track to track depending on the braking zones. Bahrain might even look better than usual for the teams as it has plenty of zones to harvest.Valeo wrote: ↑20 Feb 2026, 18:15I mean it's only one track and we still don't really know at which kind of tracks the different teams struggle or excel.f1isgood wrote: ↑20 Feb 2026, 18:05I don't think it's much to do with doom. We have had 9 days of testing and 6 with telemetry. A consistent theme is Red Bull have lacked in the most important Sector 2 at Bahrain. Fundamentally there is no reason for this weakness to disappear.
That said, it is indeed amazing work by RBPT. I think they are up there with the other engine manufacturers except Mercedes, which would be massive if it's true given where they started from.
They were also nowhere in Bahrain last year (also in S2 and S3) but won the race before at Suzuka and could have won the race after Jeddah.
By no means it's certain they'll compete for the championship.
Just want to point out that past says things can change really quick.
I tend to agree with this. I think the engine turned out better than expected and the chassis worse than expected.
I dont know. Red Bull seem like a big unknown to me. As somebody else says, you can easily slow cornering performance by always running with a moderate amount of fuel onboard during faster laps. And we know Red Bull are sandbagging hard on the power unit since that first day. They could easily be way more competitive than it seems.f1isgood wrote: ↑20 Feb 2026, 19:12In any case they lack half a second, heavy or not to the front running teams (Ferrari/Mercedes). That's all there's to know. It's an uphill development battle.
Indeed I get this impression as well. Makes sense to produce a low drag car to start this regulation set with given the uncertainty regarding the PU ahead of this season. But now that the PU seems fine, they do seem to lack some downforce. Also 2025 was always going to hurt the 2026 car. As mentioned the car is likely heavy as well. It is solid and reliable though, so not a terrible place to start from. But they've definitly some homework to do.Paa wrote: ↑20 Feb 2026, 17:46My impression is that the focus for RB22 was to have the least drag. I think they made most design decisions prioritizing having a slippery car, which is kind of logical given the energy hungry ruleset.
But probably now they are surprised that other teams can have similar straight line performance, while being considerably more competitive in the twisty part.
Maybe Red Bull will have slight speed advantage, but now it looks like the trade off is too big, they are not at the optimal point.
It is also possible that their engine is indeed slightly worse than for the others and only their low drag makes it look like it is almost on par with the Merc/Ferrari.
And don't forget that at least part of their S2 performance probably comes from some extra weight.
Last year's car was without Newey and won 8 races. I think they're generally fine but we had a discussion here about how these guys had been at Red Bull for 20 years and its natural to see them move elsewhere.
I think its pretty clear they're not fighting Ferrari/Mercedes. Where they are wrt McLaren remains to be seen. McLaren so far have been a bit disappointing. They should have had an easy transition really and looked like Ferrari (imo). I think they're lacking a bit when compared to Ferrari.Seanspeed wrote: ↑20 Feb 2026, 19:47I dont know. Red Bull seem like a big unknown to me. As somebody else says, you can easily slow cornering performance by always running with a moderate amount of fuel onboard during faster laps. And we know Red Bull are sandbagging hard on the power unit since that first day. They could easily be way more competitive than it seems.
Slightly more illuminating was them being a bit slower than Mclaren during Verstappen's race sim, as you cant exactly run more fuel there, but there are still other ways to disguise pace.
I dont think anything is 'clear' at all regarding the top four teams. Gaps in testing performance have not been nearly big enough to pick out even a rough running order.f1isgood wrote: ↑20 Feb 2026, 22:28I think its pretty clear they're not fighting Ferrari/Mercedes. Where they are wrt McLaren remains to be seen. McLaren so far have been a bit disappointing. They should have had an easy transition really and looked like Ferrari (imo). I think they're lacking a bit when compared to Ferrari.Seanspeed wrote: ↑20 Feb 2026, 19:47I dont know. Red Bull seem like a big unknown to me. As somebody else says, you can easily slow cornering performance by always running with a moderate amount of fuel onboard during faster laps. And we know Red Bull are sandbagging hard on the power unit since that first day. They could easily be way more competitive than it seems.
Slightly more illuminating was them being a bit slower than Mclaren during Verstappen's race sim, as you cant exactly run more fuel there, but there are still other ways to disguise pace.
