2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

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The weight drop hasn't happened. The car has been phenomenal on the brakes since preseason

[woocasz]

Well I could believe antonelli being on his level

You wouldn't believe Lewis would out qualify Leclerc... but he did None of Leclerc's previous teammates ever did that.

By far the most overrated driver on the grid. I mean by the fans, especially Scuderia fans who say he is Max equal. Team principals put him 7 th best last year. Nice effort by Lewis although it’s clear Ferrari was pole capable car today. Therefore it is still an underperformance, by both of them. If you actually go several pages back I predicted this outcome exactly saying I wouldnt bet a penny on Ferrari because of their drivers.

Until Charles touch the wall, he had a 0,1s (purple middle sector) lead over Antonelli... with practically no brakes and a much weaker engine....
come on, you cant be so ignorant.

[Valeo]

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How many km has this engine done lol

[gearboxtrouble]

How many km has this engine done lol

Should still be within its design spec - next season they have to go 24 races with 3 engines.

[AR3-GP]

How many km has this engine done lol

Should still be within its design spec - next season they have to go 24 races with 3 engines.

It's not the same. Normally the 1st engine gets converted to a practice only engine which they can run at a lower power level for much longer. It's unusual to string along the 1st PU this far. They've done 3 sprint weekends on it in addition to the regular GP weekends with all practice. It's a very well used combustion engine and this is the component that loses the most performance with mileage.

At this point we think it's because they are waiting for ADUO to use a new PU on Max's car.

[euv2]

6th race of the season. Max and Gabi the only ones on the 1st PU. Max has taken the least components. I'm guessing they are waiting for Austria for the new PU+update combo.

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You don't have the calm/inner confidence the team has had since start of the season for no reason.

[gearboxtrouble]

I never understood the negativity around Red Bull. They're far ahead of my expectations from before the season. The engine is a lot better than I expected - a close second to Mercedes on performance and reliable enough that it's perfectly capable of winning races in its first season. The chassis started behind but again not a surprise given all the resources poured into Max's 2025 title challenge. The team has proven again and again that they are capable of developing an initially difficult car through a season until it's near or at the front. The AMR disaster is proving that it wasn't all Newey and the bench strength on the team is more than capable of carrying it forward. Max's discontent has never been about the team, its been about the rules. My original expectation for this project as a brand new manufacturer was a difficult 26 with a few late season podiums, multiple wins in 27 and a title challenge in 28. This looks like it's a year ahead of that timeline.

[lio007]

Can the reduction to the minimum weight (6-8kg have been mentioned) really make a great difference in terms of suspension stiffness?

[Gillian]

You don't have the calm/inner confidence the team has had since start of the season for no reason.

Like I have been saying, this is a good car at her core. First upgrades have delivered, setup issues just made it look worse, but considering the easy gains to come (weight, engine), that car is a title contender, especially in the hands of Verstappen. Just need to hope the points gap wont be too big come Austria, but seasons are damn long nowadays!

[Gillian]

Can the reduction to the minimum weight (6-8kg have been mentioned) really make a great difference in terms of suspension stiffness?

Ofcourse! 8kg is an obscene amount! They can run it softer just due to the lesser weight and when you can move ballast as well its even better.

[euv2]

Yeah, just watched the side by side comparison of Max and Kimis laps, the kerb usage of the Merc at Nouvelle chicane won them the pole, Max took less kerb and car still bounced up more than the W17.

[avantman]

Yeah, just watched the side by side comparison of Max and Kimis laps, the kerb usage of the Merc at Nouvelle chicane won them the pole, Max took less kerb and car still bounced up more than the W17.

He was driving around the kerbs all weekend. Not just in the chicane…everywhere.
The difference was the engine in the end. From what i can see on telemetry Max is a bit earlier at full throttle out of the final corner, from higher speed but still got beaten to the line. He was coming out of the final corner still ahead.

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I wonder if the austria upgrade package will include an improvement to the kerb riding