Red Bull has been dominating the modern-day F1 since 2022. It was when the cost-cap era replaced the turbo-hybrid era that there was a shift in dominance. Prior to that, Mercedes enjoyed total hegemony on the grid. They won all the eight constructor titles from 2014 to 2021. During that period, obviously, Lewis Hamilton was the most dominant racer. He won six Driver’s World Championships. Previously, the great Briton won his maiden title with McLaren in 2008. Then, it was the change in regulations in 2014 that helped Hamilton’s new team to build the fastest car. Eventually, there was no way to stop them for eight years in a row. Previously, Red Bull dominated the sport from 2010 to 2013, with Sebastian Vettel steering the wheel.
But the change in regulations played a massive role in determining which team would dominate the sport as well as which driver. And then, coming to the ongoing regulations, the Austrian outfit proved that they can build the most superior cars with a limited budget on them. Nevertheless, the RB19 car has been, so far, the most dominant car ever in the sport. But the teams are aware that there will be new regulations from 2026. Lately, Red Bull car designer mentioned the new regulations seems to him like “Strange formula.”
Adrian Newey Not Too Sure If The 2026 Regulations Are Good For F1 Cars
Recently, in an interview with Autosport, the Red Bull car designer mentioned why he thinks that the 2026 regulations seem to him like a “Strange formula.” Moreover, the mastermind behind the superior cars, like RB18 and RB19, as well as the current RB20, told Autosport that it is going to be strange because, as per the new regulations, the engines will work mostly like generators for most of the time. Hence, Adrian Newey says that it will take some time to make the engine work in the middle of “Loews hairpin.” On top of that, Newey explained that the problem is quite possibly the cost at present on the electric and battery side.
The Red Bull genius car designer talked about the electric motors to the Formula 1 standards, including, batteries and inverters. Moreover, Newey mentioned the cost is too high. However, he believes the production techniques can play an essential role to bring the cost down in the future. Apparently, Newey has mixed feelings about the 2026 regulations as it will start a new era of turbo-hybrid engines. These regulations will see a 50/50 split between ICE and the battery. Newey thinks the new regulations will allow weird characteristics to come in like different outfits will try running “Full revs” in Monaco at the hairpin.
Chief Technical Officer Of Red Bull Talks About Teams Possibly Introducing Active Aero In 2026
Autosport quoted Adrian Newey mention that it will be difficult to handle the settings with active aero and new engine with a 50/50 split. Red Bull’s aero wizard mentioned that while introducing these rules the concerned people did not give a lot of thought on the chassis side.
As a result, there are a lot of problems arising while trying to come up with a solution to execute these regulations on tough tracks like Monaco. However, Newey feels these regulations do promote efficiency. Previously, the Red Bull CTO talked about using Formula 1 to “Popularize a trend.” And if these regulations promote efficiency, Newey thinks that has to be in line with what he said earlier.
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