Red Bull’s Replacement for Horner’s ‘Cold War Relic’ Wind Tunnel Delayed Into 2027

In April 2025, Christian Horner famously labeled Red Bull’s wind tunnel facility a ‘Cold War Relic’ that has been limiting the potential of their F1 challenger. Having subsequently announced a new wind tunnel facility, the team has been waiting for an update on its development ever since. Originally slated to be operational in 2026, the facility has now been delayed to the second half of 2027.

Following a question from the media regarding the development of the facility, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies revealed, “In terms of timeline, it is not ready yet. It’s something that will come online sometime during next season. Is it first quarter, is it second quarter, is it third quarter? We’ll see.”

Per Mekies, the date will depend on several factors, including how much time they need to get it online first and then do the calibration work. However, the 49-year-old is confident that the facility will be up and running for the second part of the 2027 car and most of the 2028 challenger.

Mekies also echoes the words of his predecessor, as he admitted that Red Bull is currently working with the oldest wind tunnel on the grid. And while the team is still able to perform well, their progress has been somewhat halted because of the current setup.

The ‘Ancient’ Wind Tunnel That Red Bull Continues To Rely On

Located in Bedford, Red Bull uses a 70-year-old wind tunnel that was used to design the Concorde supersonic aircraft in the 1960s and 70s. During the period of tensions between the US and the Soviet Union, the facility remained a major point of interest for the production and development of similar machines.

Red Bull gained access to the property when it took over Jaguar, but it has not been heavily upgraded since it was formed.

Meanwhile, teams such as McLaren and Aston Martin have recently opened up their new state-of-the-art wind tunnel facilities, dropping Red Bull further down the pecking order in that department. As such, Horner was on an almighty push to get the tunnel working for the 2026 season.

The British engineer understood that there was no inherently bad team on the grid and that it was effectively the facilities that each team housed that made the difference. And with the grid running very tight until he was around, Horner knew that a new wind tunnel facility was a must.

However, with Mekies replacing him at the helm, the push has taken a back seat, with the new team principal having to first work through the changes under the new regulations.

And while all this goes on, the team also has to get ready for life in 2027 and beyond with key personnel changes.

Red Bull Setting the Tone for 2028

In 2027, Max Verstappen will be saying goodbye to his long-time Formula 1 race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase (GP), who will join McLaren in 2028 after serving a one-year gardening period. The team has therefore locked in on Tom Hart to serve as GP’s successor, and preparations are already underway.

As part of the phase-out, Hart has already filled in for GP in some of the practice sessions during the summer break. During the United States GP, Hart even stepped up during the entire race weekend, though Lambiase kept a close watch from behind.

While radio comms issues remained a theme for the team in Austin, the overall result was still a positive sign for the team considering it was Hart and Verstappen‘s first race together.

Meanwhile, no official date has been set for when GP will officially be stepping away from Red Bull to join McLaren. While the Austrian outfit will be hoping to delay the exit for as long as possible, the Woking-based team will be itching to get a hold of him as soon as possible.

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