It was one of the first questions we asked ourselves this year: having to fit the same power unit, who between Red Bull and VCARB would be right with the sizing of the cooling system? Which of the two came closest to the real needs of the engine? The extreme solution mounted on the RB22 or the more conservative one present on the VCARB0-03 at the time of presentation? The answers started coming in today.
For our part, we have to do mea culpa. We made the wrong prediction. We answered the question believing that it was the VCARB engineers who were in "defect" and that, looking at the progress of the top teams, they would then try to straighten the shot by reducing the airscope entrance section and bellies (followed by the photo from the day of the Red Bull and Racing Bull launches on January 15).
However, on the first day of closed-door testing on the Barcelona track, we had a first important signal. The VCARB has even increased its intake ports, if you will, as has the Red Bull in its RB22.
Red Bull and VCARB have increased the size of the air inlet sections to the PU
A first sign that the engineers in the Milton Keynes powertrain zone are not sleeping soundly at all. If we look at the work done by the other teams, the Red Bull is still quite in line with the openings sized by Audi and Mercedes. Ferrari is so far, truly, the most aggressive of the group in the concept presented. The airscope section of the SF-26 is reduced only to the distinctive roll-bar triangle.
On the other hand, we have the solution presented by the Racing Bulls technicians who have even increased the sections, making its VCARB-03 the air-intensive car of the entire paddock. From the pictures, even though we don't have a full version, it looks like at least the entrance section of the VCARB bellies is a little smaller than on the day of the presentation. Red Bull's results, however, were increased.
The situation can still change between now and Australia, and it will be very interesting to see the direction developments take between now and about a month and a half.
Cover photo: X, Formula 1 (description: RB22 vs. VCARB-03 comparison, Barcelona Day-1 2026 winter test season)
Other photo: Red Bull Racing
Read also in italian language: Red Bull, la prima modifica alla RB22 nasconde un problema con la power unit
