This forum contains threads to discuss teams themselves. Anything not technical about the cars, including restructuring, performances etc belongs here.
Don't you save the tyres also if you are cool on turns, recharging and go full beans on straights? What's the point of pushing the car in turns?
"bang for buck" a.k.a efficient use of energy is in the slow zones where there is less aerodynamic drag that will be like a parasite. 2MJ of deployment in a slow/medium corner can probably buy X tenths, whereas the same 2MJ on a long straight probably buys X/3 tenths (numbers are heuristics). However, the usefulness of X tenths may be less than the X/3 tenths in a race situation, since overtaking zones are usually straights. This 'puzzle' would surely have existed throughout the hybrid-era, over the past 12 years ; however, with movable aero and 50% share of peak power belonging to battery, the puzzle just went from 'hard' to 'extreme' level of difficulty.
"Where to deploy, where to recharge" is going to be the mantra on every single track. Sprint weekends with a single FP session will particularly be poker play, not just with the mechanical 'setup' of the car, but also with the 'energy management software'.
Don't you save the tyres also if you are cool on turns, recharging and go full beans on straights? What's the point of pushing the car in turns?
"bang for buck" a.k.a efficient use of energy is in the slow zones where there is less aerodynamic drag that will be like a parasite. 2MJ of deployment in a slow/medium corner can probably buy X tenths, whereas the same 2MJ on a long straight probably buys X/3 tenths (numbers are heuristics). However, the usefulness of X tenths may be less than the X/3 tenths in a race situation, since overtaking zones are usually straights. This 'puzzle' would surely have existed throughout the hybrid-era, over the past 12 years ; however, with movable aero and 50% share of peak power belonging to battery, the puzzle just went from 'hard' to 'extreme' level of difficulty.
"Where to deploy, where to recharge" is going to be the mantra on every single track. Sprint weekends with a single FP session will particularly be poker play, not just with the mechanical 'setup' of the car, but also with the 'energy management software'.
Its scientifically proven that young people learn faster primarily due to a rapid spike in the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) during learning, which stabilizes new information. Their brains also have higher neuroplasticity, allowing for faster neural connection formation, alongside less "brain noise" and increased cognitive flexibility
I think this is where younger drivers will excel more than older drivers. I reckon Alonso will have a hard time dealing with Honda PU and steep learning curve related to track specific recharging strategies.
Some of the already UK-based Honda staff who RBR recruited into RBPT a couple of years back have returned to HRC. There's probably going to be a lag, only after which that loss will be felt.
Another key loss we can expect may be felt is when chief strategist Will Courtenay leaves, due to move mid-2026 to McLaren.
Some of the already UK-based Honda staff who RBR recruited into RBPT a couple of years back have returned to HRC. There's probably going to be a lag, only after which that loss will be felt.
Another key loss we can expect may be felt is when chief strategist Will Courtenay leaves, due to move mid-2026 to McLaren.
Some of the already UK-based Honda staff who RBR recruited into RBPT a couple of years back have returned to HRC. There's probably going to be a lag, only after which that loss will be felt.
Another key loss we can expect may be felt is when chief strategist Will Courtenay leaves, due to move mid-2026 to McLaren.
Courtenay left a while ago. Another strategy person also left. Nick someone.
Some of the already UK-based Honda staff who RBR recruited into RBPT a couple of years back have returned to HRC. There's probably going to be a lag, only after which that loss will be felt.
Another key loss we can expect may be felt is when chief strategist Will Courtenay leaves, due to move mid-2026 to McLaren.
Courtenay left a while ago. Another strategy person also left. Nick someone.
Some of the already UK-based Honda staff who RBR recruited into RBPT a couple of years back have returned to HRC. There's probably going to be a lag, only after which that loss will be felt.
Another key loss we can expect may be felt is when chief strategist Will Courtenay leaves, due to move mid-2026 to McLaren.
Courtenay left a while ago. Another strategy person also left. Nick someone.
That's Nick Roberts who left VCARB
Oh ok for some reason I thought he was with Red Bull.
I think Courtenay is more a gain to McLaren than a loss for RB. They have been able to prepare for the loss of key race strategy personell for years, they have been able to handover his role for a year and also, it is more about the strategic sim tooling and processes than about the ingenuity of a single person.
There were two major strategy errors last year, Spain and Brazil.
Both times, they never trusted that Max could hold position and thought that dropping position was a better option..
Spain, he was on soft tyres that weren't that old - went for hards which dropped him to 3rd against cars on new softs, just a really really bad call. Never asked Max either, just said "do you want new tyres" instead of, "do you want hards to the end?"
Brazil, he was leading, Lando would have to pass and if he did he would only drop to 2nd instead of dropping to 3rd and fighting back to the front in a very short time. I still find this strange, I really don't think Lando would have risked anything and just hung back, even if he had a pace advantage if Max was aggressive in his defence, which he would have been..
Oracle and Oracle Red Bull Racing will work together to implement a new AI-powered strategy agent, marking a major step forward in how race engineers process information and make decisions.
Developed with Oracle’s comprehensive AI stack and designed to work alongside human engineers, the AI agent will automate data collection, interpret historical and real-time race inputs, and surface insights to help engineers respond more quickly to changing conditions.
Next-Generation Hybrid Power Unit
The debut of Red Bull Ford Powertrains’ next-generation hybrid engine, engineered with and tested extensively on OCI, marks a defining milestone. As a newcomer, building a power unit from the ground up in four years, competing against manufacturers with decades of engine experience, represents a significant technical achievement.
The Team relied on OCI’s high-performance computing, bare metal infrastructure, and large-scale simulation capabilities to design, validate, and refine its power unit in record time.
Oracle has supported the program from inception and will continue to run updates and integration work through the season on OCI.
Advanced Race Simulations
The 2026 regulations demand far more sophisticated modeling, and OCI enables the Team to run deeper, more granular simulations tailored to the new strategic landscape. These next-generation models—far richer and more varied than in previous seasons—account for energy usage, active aero configurations, deployment windows, tire interactions, and thousands of potential race scenarios.
This expanded simulation capability equips both drivers and strategists with clearer, data-driven guidance on how to optimize strategy decisions throughout a race weekend.
As F1 leans more heavily on advanced modeling and simulation, OCI delivers the scale and speed Oracle Red Bull Racing requires to test, learn, and adapt faster than the competition.
Operational Excellence
With Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, Oracle Red Bull Racing will be able to leverage the latest AI capabilities embedded in the suite to increase efficiency, improve decision making, and maintain a competitive edge.
The Team will use Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications for finance, HR, and marketing to optimize planning and budgeting, simplify payroll, improve the employee experience, as well as deepen fan engagement through personalized content, members-only rewards, and an innovative fan loyalty program.
Lots of stuff that's already in use but expanded for new regs. AI strategy agent is new and could be useful.
