Racing Bulls optimism: the development plan for the car and for the Milton Keynes headquarters

Racing Bulls is in seventh place in the constructors’ standings, just four points behind the fourth place occupied by Haas. The Italian team is satisfied with the start of the season, despite the prolonged development of the 2025 car having compromised the initial competitiveness of the 2026 project. The team, however, is optimistic that it will be able to recover with the updates in the pipeline, also thanks to the excellent Red Bull power unit. Meanwhile, away from the track, the team is also carrying out work in Milton Keynes, with the aim of further enriching the UK headquarters. Developments planned until the break The VCARB is coming off a good start to the championship, where the performances in qualifying were better than those expressed in the race. Team Principal Alan Permane, however, does not despair, having always been aware that the 2026 project would get off to a slow start: “[L’anno scorso] we developed the car until late. We knew that we would be in a bit of trouble at the start, but I expect that what we have in the pipeline will take us a little further forward in the mid-pack battle.” In Florida the developments initially planned for April will debut, partly destined to be shelved after just one race: “We had an important update planned for Bahrain, which we will obviously see in Miami. We had another one for Canada, so it’ll be two shots in quick succession. There was no way to get ahead of that for Montreal. It’s a strange situation, we will bring a significant development and then new parts that will replace it almost immediately.” Permane also reassures that the development of the VCARB 03 will not stop in Montreal: “There will be small steps forward almost at every race. We have two or three more large update packages already planned, after which we cannot predict. We have a plan until the summer break. I’m optimistic that we can remain in the middle of the pack.” Clive Rose/Getty Images The weight of the updates Racing Bulls is confident that the 2026 project, being still very young, has ample room for growth with developments. Lawson reflects: “When it’s like this at the beginning [dei regolamenti]we see some important updates that can make a big difference. Last year it was more difficult to find gains and we brought fewer developments, which perhaps gave you few downforce points. Even finding a few hundredths of a second, it would still have been a good package. This year, however, we expect to bring much more relevant innovations during the season and at a hopefully much faster pace.” The New Zealand driver has clear ideas about what VCARB 03 would need: “I simply think we lack a bit of speed and load. Once we find that, I think we’ll be in a better position.” Lawson, however, warns that increasing downforce could create complications in managing the power unit: “Often, when you end up going faster in the corners, then overall you’re slower on the lap, because you’ve used the battery more. Finding a balance is difficult. I think this was a less relevant issue for our car than for the other teams. The top ones struggle more from this point of view, because they have more load and go faster. It’s certainly something that will become more relevant for us as we find more power, or at least in Japan it was like that for me.” Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images Power unit promoted One of the best pieces of news at Racing Bulls is certainly the quality of the Red Bull-Ford power unit, which however was accompanied by many unknowns, as it was still a project in its infancy. “Obviously it worked very well,” comments Permane. “We’re not complaining and we’re continually learning. Every time the machine turns, we learn. We are working with some new people. An advantage we have is that the powertrain engineers are integrated into our offices and we work closely with them.” Linbldad also promotes the Milton Keynes power unit, while having to recognize the competitiveness of the competition: “The engine has generally been good, but there is room for improvement. In Melbourne our team was performing very well, but since the Mercedes-powered teams have started to understand, they have made a leap forward.” The reference, in particular, is for Alpine, which in the first three races was a direct opponent of the Racing Bulls, although Permane is not surprised by this: “We knew that they would have the Mercedes power unit and we expected that they would be in a good condition. We also knew that they hadn’t developed their car last year. They accepted that they would finish last and invested all their time in the 2026 project. I think they did a good job and they are very fast.” In any case, the Team Principal reiterates his optimism about the possibility of remaining in the fight with Alpine, Haas and Audi: “I remain optimistic that we will be able to keep up, if not do better than the other mid-group teams. As I said, I think we’re starting a little further behind than the others, but I think we can do a good job.” Marcel van Dorst / EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto via Getty Images The works in Milton Keynes If Racing Bulls can count on a good starting base, part of the credit also goes to having been able to develop the VCARB 03 in the new factory in Milton Keynes, active for just over a year, but already destined for new interventions. Permane says: “The new headquarters in Milton Keynes is great compared to where we were before in Bicester. It is difficult to quantify with numbers, but staff well-being and the working environment are very important aspects. There is no doubt that it is a big step forward. We haven’t finalized the plans yet, but we plan to develop it further.” “Right now we are moving our CFD data archive, which is currently located in Italy, to Milan, to Milton Keynes. It’s a process that has its challenges, but one that will speed things up for the staff who work there. This will make CFD engineers very happy, who will no longer have to wait so long for results due to transmission time. The CFD cluster will be located within their own building. This will be the next phase to improve the Milton Keynes headquarters”. The move of the CFD data archive to England does not call into question the centrality of the factory in Italy, since the aerodynamic department has always been based in the United Kingdom. The Faenza headquarters, however, will continue to host the rest of the design offices and above all the production departments, called upon to make a great effort to churn out the updates that Racing Bulls anxiously awaits.