Max Verstappen Addresses Wind Tunnel Issues at Red Bull Racing

Formula 1 star Max Verstappen has shed light on the handling issues his Red Bull car has been experiencing, attributing them not solely to correlation problems with the team’s aging wind tunnel. The RB21 has faced a challenging start to the season, with a car that is hard to balance and exhibits excessive tire wear compared to leading competitors like McLaren.

Red Bull’s Struggles with Technical Issues

Despite Verstappen’s efforts to mitigate the damage in the first two rounds, he managed to secure a surprising pole-to-flag victory in Japan. However, the Bahrain Grand Prix, held on a demanding Sakhir circuit that took a toll on rear tires, further exposed the RB21’s weaknesses, with Verstappen finishing sixth.

After the race, team boss Christian Horner admitted that Red Bull is still grappling with similar technical issues that hindered its defense of an initial championship lead against McLaren last year. It appears that some of the quirks the team is encountering on track cannot be fully replicated in their aging wind tunnel.

Red Bull is constructing a new wind tunnel at Milton Keynes, but it won’t be operational before 2027. Acknowledging the wind tunnel discrepancies, Verstappen stated that they aren’t helping matters, but pointed out that the team was still successful with the unit in 2022 and 2023, suggesting that not all issues can be blamed on the infrastructure.

When asked about his pessimism for Red Bull’s 2026 prospects given the current struggles, Verstappen replied, “That’s a completely different car, so you can’t compare that. It could be a different team that suddenly gets everything right.