Secret photos hint at cause of Red Bull testing problem and unseen RB21 upgrades

An issue with Red Bull's RB21 in Bahrain testing🤪 might have been uncovered

Liam Lawson
Liam Lawson

Secretive photographs have offered a clue into Red Bull’s problem in Thursday’s F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.

168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Liam Lawson’s RB21 caused a commotion when it retur🌃ned to the garage but the exact issue was unclear.

However, F1 tech expert Sam Collins thinks he has♑ uncovered the truth.

“I have been spending a lot of time staring at a lot of photos of the Red Bull,” he said ꦏon 🅺Sky Sports.

“At the end of [Wednesday] I felt like they didn’t understand the car. If someone came to me and said ‘that’s the car they raced at the end of last year’, I would stru🅷ggle to disagree.

“However, I have heard on the ꦡgrapevine that the issue Red Bull faced earlier on was ♍a water pressure issue."

Photos offer clue about Red Bull RB21

Red Bull
Red Bull

“I have seen some photos," Collin🌼s continued. "Unfortunately I can’t share 🐟them with you.

“But the photos I’ve sꦉeen make it clear what’s different about this year’s Red Bull.

“While it looks really similar, on the skin, Christian Horner says itꦿ’s 99% new and every s♊urface is different.

“That’s absolutely right - the more you loo🉐k at the photos, the more y🐎ou see the little differences on the car.

“Every shape is slightly different.

“A producer yesterday pointed out the angle of the front wing endplates is slightly more inward-facing, they point toward the n♉ose more than they did in Abu Dhabi last year.

“The conce𒊎pt is the same - the pull rod front suspension, the push rod re🌳ar.

“Tha🏅t’s a concept that is moving towards being universal for this generation of cars. Unless you speak Italian and you live in Maranello where they chose to do something different.

“Even Mercedes would have evolved towa𝔍rds that concept if these rules stayed in place 𒉰longer.

“Everybody copied Red Bull’s sidepod concept. You c✨an see the protruding upper edge, the vertical cooling slot, the horizontal cooling slot. That’s a pure Red 🦩Bull design.

“But where the big differences are🐟 with the Red Bull are underneath the bodywork.

“The water pressure is, I think, relates to the fact that they are running a co💛mpletely new cooling system on the car.

“They have m✱oved the radiators and heat exchanges around.

𓆉“On the sidepods is a dis♈tinctive horizontal V-shape which I first saw on Ferrari-powered cars in 2016.

“That concept has carried through to this Red Bull after many years of no🧜t really bei🐻ng present in Formula 1.

“So the water pressure issue, with a new cooling system, probably ♌suggests something might not be designed right, or maybe a bit of pipework is chafing, or it’꧋s not as well manufactured as it should be.

“Or 📖could it be the age-old problem of finger trouble, where somebody hasn’t bolted something on as tightly as they should have.

“Thꦺat’s why you go te🌄sting - to find these problems.

“But the car concept itself looꩵks similar to last year.

“The aerodynamic brain power of Red Bull woulꦜd have been dedicated to this car until January 2. They were not allowed to work on the 2026 cꦦar until that date.

“After that date? I don’t know how much goes into next year’s Red Bull, and how much goes into this year’s Red Bull a💜nd its cooling system.”

At fi🌠rst glance, the RB21 which broke cover in 2025 did not appear to look significantly different to🍒 its predecessor.

But Red Bull boss Horner has pointed o🍌ut that last year’s car won mo🎃re races than anybody despite the team conceding the constructors’ championship to McLaren.

No🌃w with Lawson racing ins𓂃tead of Sergio Perez, Red Bull hope their new driver can make a difference.

Max Verstappen was unable to offer much feedback (he did not drive in testing until Thursday) but his desire will be for a car which is less unpredictable than last yea🍌r’s RB20.

Verstappen is gunning f𝓀or a fifth dr💃ivers’ title in a row.

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