Red Bull’s ageing wind tunnel remains a hidden limitation as new facility nears

Red Bull’s 2026 turnaround has been impressive, but Pierre Wache’s technical team still works around a notable handicap: F1’s oldest wind tunnel. Laurent Mekies admits the facility has delivered extraordinary results, yet accepts it is likely the least modern tool in the paddock. Christian Horner once called it a “Cold War relic” and flagged correlation problems between tunnel data and track behaviour.

Why it matters:

Wind tunnels are now a major investment area. McLaren’s own facility has accompanied its recent progress, while Aston Martin’s state-of-the-art tunnel—praised by Adrian Newey—has not yet produced on-track gains. A new tunnel is an enabler, not an instant fix.

The details:

• Red Bull’s new facility is on its Milton Keynes campus, easing logistics.
• Mekies says it is not ready and will come online sometime next season.
• Timing depends on commissioning and calibration, possibly across Q1-Q3.
• It should mainly benefit the second part of the 2027 car and most of the 2028 car.
• Mekies expects a competitive advantage but warns it will not arrive “as soon as we switch on everything.”
• Verstappen sees it as a less obvious reason for 2027 confidence, though not for the RB23’s initial development.

What’s next:

Red Bull must maximise the current tunnel while preparing the new one, which could sharpen correlation from late 2027.