2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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Wouter
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Joined: 16 Dec 2017, 13:02

Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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Valeo wrote:
06 Apr 2026, 19:20
.
The translation isn't correct.

" As per Motorsport Italia, an issue emerged with the RB22’s weight distribution, which is regulated. To balance the car, the team had to add weight to meet the rules. Suboptimal power unit packaging made it difficult to achieve the correct balance without compromise.

Red Bull is considering slightly shortening the RB22’s wheelbase, potentially by modifying the gearbox structure. The intention is to move the differential further back to adopt a concept introduced by Ferrari.

Changes at the rear of the RB22 are planned, with hopes of introducing a blown exhaust similar to Ferrari’s SF-26."



Italian Motorsport once again came up with nothing but speculation. Another translation:

In Japan, the team brought an update package in hopes of improving the situation, but the new parts, which were entrusted exclusively to Max Verstappen, didn’t work; they made the car very unstable and difficult to drive for the four-time world champion. The difficult work of making the car lighter has likely begun, and with the new radiator grilles and a sleeker side profile, efficiency can be improved by reducing drag; however, by changing the aerodynamic pressure point, it’s possible that the RB22 has become something of a runaway horse.

There are whispers about the possibility of slightly shortening the wheelbase, perhaps by modifying the gearbox structure: the intention is to have a differential positioned further back than is currently the case, in order to potentially benefit from an idea introduced by Ferrari.

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tinuva
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Joined: 20 May 2022, 13:47

Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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So rather than iterating on performance, they may first need to fix structural and regulatory compliance issues before they can truly unlock the car's potential.

Valeo
Valeo
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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The car that was supposed to deliver superstar Max Verstappen his fifth world championship title has fallen by the wayside. More than a second, F1‑Insider.com learned from Red Bull sources, is what Red Bull is currently missing to reach the front. Particularly severe for technical director Pierre Waché: eight tenths of that deficit are said to come from the chassis, only two tenths from the engine, which was developed in‑house for the first time in cooperation with Ford.
One problem — but not the only one. The chassis is reportedly twelve kilograms over the minimum weight. In Formula 1, that alone costs well over four tenths of a second per lap due to the excess weight. As a result, the car is already being ironically dubbed the “Fat Bull.” Worse still, the car lacks balance, constantly switching between understeer and oversteer. “The car was almost undriveable,” Verstappen said in frustration after the last race in Suzuka.
The result: Waché has lost the confidence of his staff. Back in December, F1‑Insider research revealed, he had still been boasting that his new creation would be one second faster than the sister car of junior team Racing Bulls. That prediction has proven to be incorrect.
The Racing Bull is not only just as fast, but also more forgiving to drive — meaning significantly more predictable. That is why a Red Bull insider is convinced: “With the Racing Bull, Max Verstappen would be starting further up the grid.”
Also noteworthy in this context: chief designer Craig Skinner left the team shortly before the start of the season. Disagreements with Waché are said to have been the reason for Skinner’s sudden departure.
Turning things around will not be easy. The new parts that were supposed to put Red Bull back on track in Suzuka actually made the RB22 slower instead of faster. As a result, the race in Miami is already being seen as a do‑or‑die moment for Waché. If the extensive update package planned for that weekend turns out to be another flop, the Frenchman’s days at Red Bull are likely to become increasingly numbered.
Phew... shambles

pantherxxx
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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I mean as chief designer Skinner was responsible for the overweight car, but as so Wache.

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WardenOfTheNorth
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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rijtuig wrote:
01 Apr 2026, 13:10
I have the feeling Max wants to jump ship now that they are no longer the "fastest".

Bit of a shame - was hoping he's up to the challenge.
I more get the impression that he really is close to being done with F1. At least for a time. He's still young. He could quite conceivably go and spend a few years doing GT or other series and then see where F1 goes with the PU in 2030/1 before looking at a return.

With Kimi coming good, I'm no longer sure that Toto would feel the need to stump up the money Max would command either.
"From success, you learn absolutely nothing. From failure and setbacks, conclusions can be drawn." - Niki Lauda

Alexf1
Alexf1
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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WardenOfTheNorth wrote:
07 Apr 2026, 16:29
rijtuig wrote:
01 Apr 2026, 13:10
I have the feeling Max wants to jump ship now that they are no longer the "fastest".

Bit of a shame - was hoping he's up to the challenge.
I more get the impression that he really is close to being done with F1. At least for a time. He's still young. He could quite conceivably go and spend a few years doing GT or other series and then see where F1 goes with the PU in 2030/1 before looking at a return.

With Kimi coming good, I'm no longer sure that Toto would feel the need to stump up the money Max would command either.
Kimi could become a very interesting curveball in the driversmarket. I get the feeling Toto is not very fond of George because of his ways. If Kimi starts beating him George could very well be on his way out, as I can imagine Toto has put a "compared to teammate" performance clause in his contract

Badger
Badger
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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gearboxtrouble wrote:
05 Apr 2026, 16:13
f1isgood wrote:
05 Apr 2026, 11:41
Red Bull does not get the power deficit advantage according to the rumors on the other threads. Damn, what a fantastic job Hodgkinson and company pulled off. Even more crazy that Red Bull are doing it without the compression trick.

Wache's turn to fix the chassis and show that Red Bull can fight for wins this year. It's very early in the regulations and even if the car is as bad as the W13 was, they should be able to develop it to win races, like the W13 did.
While impressive its a bit of an own goal because Ferrari seems to be a lock to get that boost and McLaren will figure out the Mercedes PU soon enough, leaving Red Bull far behind with a weight problem that doesn't seem easy to fix and aero balance issues. They should have started with a less developed spec on the PU so that they could guarantee ADUO qualification. It feels like Ferrari and Audi did exactly that and now stand to benefit hugely.
I don't see your logic. Having an engine that is basically competitive already is preferable to getting extra development time on an uncompetitive engine. Bringing a new homologation mid 2026, and then another one at the start of 2027, and then another one mid 2027, that will all be very expensive and disruptive for your development and production. Far better to have a good engine from the start and then just focus on bringing a 100% competitive engine at the start of 2027.

Also there is the compression ratio change for 2027. Engines will no longer be required to conform to 16:1 at ambient, it will only be at 130 C. This is a fundamental change and complicates any ADUO changes brought in 2026 as they will not be optimised for this. I suspect many teams that have decreasing CRs at operating temperatures may end up just focusing on 2027 instead of trying to "fix" their 2026 engines.

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organic
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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So they made the engine powerful, but the weight distribution of the entire car is compromised and that's why we're heavy? I feel like a weak engine with good weight distribution and access to extra development could be the correct approach like Ferrari have done

Valeo
Valeo
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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organic wrote:
08 Apr 2026, 11:31
So they made the engine powerful, but the weight distribution of the entire car is compromised and that's why we're heavy? I feel like a weak engine with good weight distribution and access to extra development could be the correct approach like Ferrari have done
True but questions need to be asked why apparently? the junior team did a better job in that area

Badger
Badger
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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organic wrote:
08 Apr 2026, 11:31
So they made the engine powerful, but the weight distribution of the entire car is compromised and that's why we're heavy? I feel like a weak engine with good weight distribution and access to extra development could be the correct approach like Ferrari have done
There's no logical connection between these things. The engine is good and the chassis is weak, the chassis isn't weak because the engine is good.

pantherxxx
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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Apparently the sentiment is now positive within the team, since they know that when they will fix the weight distribution, and reduce the weight, they can unlock lot of performance. It's better than in 2024 and early 2025, where they didn't even know what was causing the problems with the cars.

Brahmal
Brahmal
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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Badger wrote:
08 Apr 2026, 17:55
The engine is good and the chassis is weak, the chassis isn't weak because the engine is good.
What if the engine is good because the engine is heavy?

gearboxtrouble
gearboxtrouble
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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Valeo wrote:
08 Apr 2026, 11:43
organic wrote:
08 Apr 2026, 11:31
So they made the engine powerful, but the weight distribution of the entire car is compromised and that's why we're heavy? I feel like a weak engine with good weight distribution and access to extra development could be the correct approach like Ferrari have done
True but questions need to be asked why apparently? the junior team did a better job in that area
This is a good point - RB are only slightly overweight from the numbers that have been posted and seem to have a more driver friendly car that Lawson and Lindblad are able to push hard. Its right up there with Haas and Audi just behind Alpine and if you look at the driver lineup, it's potential might be even higher than that. If Red Bull are 6-7 kg heavier than the RB then its likely not because of the drivetrain's cooling, weight or balance.

edu2703
edu2703
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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Gianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull to join McLaren, according to dutch newspaper De Limburger

https://www.limburger.nl/sport/auto-mot ... aign=share

Badger
Badger
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Re: 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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Brahmal wrote:
09 Apr 2026, 01:14
Badger wrote:
08 Apr 2026, 17:55
The engine is good and the chassis is weak, the chassis isn't weak because the engine is good.
What if the engine is good because the engine is heavy?
The engine has a generous weight limit and has been in development for far longer than the chassis.