News summary
- Max Verstappen says Red Bull’s outdated wind tunnel is one of the team’s main problems under the current F1 regulations.
- The team is building a new facility expected to be ready for the start of the 2027 season.
- Verstappen admits Red Bull risks falling further behind rivals if their latest upgrades continue to deliver performance gains.
Max Verstappen believes Red Bull will only be able to make a major step forward under Formula 1’s current regulations once the team begins using its new wind tunnel, scheduled to be completed ahead of the 2027 season. Until then, the four-time World Champion acknowledged that Red Bull could see its main rivals build an even greater performance advantage.
After 12 rounds of the 2026 season, the Milton Keynes-based team sits fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with 186 points, exactly 239 behind leaders Mercedes. Ferrari and McLaren have each taken two victories, while Red Bull’s best result so far has been Verstappen’s second-place finishes in both the Austrian and Hungarian Grands Prix.
A major factor behind Red Bull’s difficulties in developing the RB22 has been its correlation problems between wind-tunnel data and the car’s behavior on track. The issue is not new. In 2024, then-team principal Christian Horner described the facility as “a relic of the Cold War” while discussing plans to build a new wind tunnel for 2027. Red Bull’s plans for a new wind tunnel
Speaking to Swedish streaming service Viaplay, Verstappen discussed his expectations for Red Bull to start using the new facility as soon as possible.
“I hope that the correlation with the car will be a bit easier to understand in the new and more modern wind tunnel that we are building, instead of using a wind tunnel that comes from the Second World War,” Verstappen joked.
“So, of course, we hope that as a team we can take a step forward in that area,” added the #3 driver, who went on to say that “this is certainly one of the main problems” facing Red Bull.
The wait for the new facility comes as Red Bull continues to fight for performance under the current regulations. The team has already faced a difficult 2026 campaign, and Verstappen admitted that rivals can naturally pull further away whenever their upgrades work as intended.
“Of course, there are other teams that have brought some upgrades. And if they work, naturally you end up being one more step behind. That makes it even more difficult to compete,” the Dutchman concluded.
Formula 1 returns this weekend, from September 4 to 6, at Monza. GRANDE PRÊMIO will cover all the action from the 2026 Italian GP, the 13th round of the season. For the complete Italian GP 2026 schedule and session times, check the weekend guide before the action begins.
FAQ
Why is Red Bull building a new wind tunnel?
Red Bull is constructing a new, more modern wind tunnel to improve the correlation between aerodynamic data generated away from the track and the car’s real-world behavior.
When will Red Bull’s new wind tunnel be ready?
The facility is expected to be completed ahead of the 2027 F1 season, allowing Red Bull to begin using it as the team enters the next phase of Formula 1 regulations.
Why is wind-tunnel correlation important in F1?
Accurate correlation helps teams translate aerodynamic data from simulations and wind-tunnel testing into performance on the circuit. Poor correlation can make it harder to identify which upgrades will deliver genuine gains on track.
