Red Bull has dominated the sport for the past two seasons; however, according to a recent analysis by F1 journalist Sam Collin, the team now appears to be in hot waters. According to the latest developments, the Austrian company has faced a delay in the construction of its new wind tunnel. Since 2022, the team has been working on creating a new wind tunnel worth $100,000,000. Though the squad has kept its mouth shut on the matter thus far, team leader Christian Horner said last year that getting the project approved was late Red Bull team owner Deitrich Mateschitz’s last wish.
The wind tunnel remains an important aspect of the teams’ development. In a nutshell, wind tunnels are used to test new vehicle parts to see how they operate at high speeds and to determine drag. While the Red Bull project has been shelved, its competitors are continuously looking for ways to increase their investment in their headquarters. Given that the Austrian team will no longer be operating in a new facility, their development strategies for the coming season may be impacted.
Nonetheless, despite the Austrian team’s concern about prospective obstacles, the fact that they have dominated the current F1 season can’t be ruled out. So far, the squad has won 17 of 18 races. However, despite prevailing on the F1 tracks, the squad appears to be using only an outdated facility in one of F1’s oldest wind tunnels.
What is Red Bull’s concern about their wind tunnel project?
According to a recent Twitter thread by F1 journalist and broadcaster Sam Collin, Red Bull’s wind tunnel plans are not going well. However, before this, Collin revealed in an earlier thread that the team submitted its planning application to Milton Keynes council in March, although it was met with some initial opposition from the UK railway networks and local council. While the former was soon resolved, it was the latter that raised concerns about the facility’s influence on biodiversity.
Taking note of the aforementioned, Collins has now reported that the team has withdrawn its planning application for the new facility, indicating that construction will not begin anytime soon. In addition, the Austrian company will continue to run its 75-year-old wind tunnel at Twinwoods, UK, for the time being.
Nevertheless, while discussing the reasons precisely, Collin made a statement. He said, ” The reasons for withdrawal have not been revealed yet, but it may be that the team will have to find a new location for the tunnel or significantly modify the plans. ” Considering there is no likelihood of construction commencing soon, the 2024 car will certainly be designed and built exclusively in the current extremely outdated facilities.
With Red Bull’s ambitions failing, how will competitors perform in terms of advancement in 2024?
Red Bull’s wind tunnel project being turned down has led to all attention being drawn to two other competitors. With Aston Martin being the sole competitor to Red Bull early in the season and McLaren now chasing Red Bull by constantly closing the gap, this news may be somewhat encouraging.
Both the Silverstone team and the Woking team are slated to use the new wind tunnels for the following seasons. While Aston Martin is working on a project to enhance their speed and close the gap with rivals after their recent upgrade failed, McLaren’s new wind tunnel at the McLaren Technology Centre is now operational, with the team no longer being required to use the Toyota center in Cologne.
All of this indicates that both teams will pose a threat to Vertappen’s dominance. Regardless of how disappointing the news is for the Red Bull camp, they can still proceed with the new power unit operations headquarters. According to Sam, “Its new Power Units building is progressing through the planning process as normal; it still does not have planning permission, but there don’t seem to be many significant objections to it.” It will be interesting to see what Red Bull does with the RB model now that its competitors possess multiple advantages.
