Red Bull ahead in the construction of its new wind tunnel

A great piece of news for the future of Red Bull. While the team is already performing on the track, with the acquisition of a fourth consecutive title for Max Verstappen, its technical director, Pierre Waché, indicated that they are ahead of schedule in their project to create a new wind tunnel. A good announcement when we know the importance of this facility for the development of a Formula 1 car, especially at a time when on-track tests during the season are becoming increasingly rare. Thanks to this narrow channel, it is possible to simulate real track conditions for a single-seater, especially with the presence of moving air.

The wind tunnel: an indispensable element in F1

With the arrival of ground-effect cars in 2022, the wind tunnel has become increasingly important, to the point of being one of the main reasons for a team’s success, as illustrated by McLaren, which completed its new wind tunnel in 2023 and is now the best team on the grid. For Red Bull, the urgency is even greater as they have a 70-year-old facility. This relic of the Cold War, as described by Christian Horner, the head of Red Bull, was indeed used for airplane development during World War II. In Formula 1, its facilities located in Bedford, near Milton Keynes, have been used for a long time, perhaps too long according to Pierre Waché.

A modernization of the mandatory structures at Red Bull

“It’s the oldest wind tunnel in F1,” said the Frenchman. “I even discussed it with Jos [Verstappen] the other day: they were already using this wind tunnel when he was at Arrows [where he raced in F1 in the early 2000s].” While he indicated that the team has regularly updated this facility, it remains limited in hopes of finding even more performance. “There are many more recent things inside, but we have limits. We know them and we try to work around them, but it clearly becomes more difficult when looking for a little extra performance. That’s why we are investing in the new wind tunnel. We believe it can provide us with advantages that we don’t have with the current model.”

A necessary modernization in response to the resources deployed by other teams. McLaren, which used Toyota’s old wind tunnel in Cologne between 2010 and 2023, completed the construction of its new wind tunnel last year. Aston Martin made the same decision for its Silverstone factory. In this development race, the Austrian team has just received very good news: it is three months ahead of its initial schedule.

Red Bull ahead of schedule on its construction project

« With the construction work and then all the new machines, we never know exactly when it will happen, but we are currently ahead of schedule », said Pierre Waché to Autosport. « We are three months ahead of forecasts. The teams are doing an excellent job, but you never know if delays might occur elsewhere. It’s a major project. »

Initially planned to aid the development of the 2027 car, Red Bull’s new modern wind tunnel could ultimately be in place as early as 2026. A boon for a team preparing to face significant changes in the coming years.