Red Bull are hoping Max Verstappen decides to stay when he sees ‘incredible’ £65m wind tunnel

Follow us on Google Discover

Red Bull are hoping that the construction of a brand-new wind tunnel will help them persuade Max Verstappen to stay at the team long-term.

Verstappen is under contract at Red Bull until the end of 2028, though there are performance-based exit clauses in the deal. The details of his contract will be academic, of course, if he decides to retire at the end of the year.

While Verstappen’s main gripe is the 2026 regulations, Laurent Mekies and Red Bull are doing what they can to make their biggest asset happier and more settled.

Red Bull’s implicit message to Max Verstappen over ‘incredible’ wind tunnel

According to The Race, Verstappen visited the Red Bull factory last week. Whilst there, he would have seen the progress the team are making on their brand-new wind tunnel, which is due to be operational from mid-2027.

Red Bull hope that the new facility will show Verstappen where they can be in the ‘longer term’. The team have slipped into the midfield in the early races of the new formula.

If Verstappen decides to stay in F1, the next hurdle for Red Bull is retaining his faith in their project. Mercedes have shown a strong interest in the past and have begun the year in a dominant position.

Mekies said of the wind tunnel: “It’s true that the opposition may have shot earlier compared to us in some respects, but globally, in terms of the legs of the project, it put us into an incredible position.”

When Red Bull announced the project in 2022, Auto Motor und Sport estimated that it would cost up to €75m (£65m). McLaren and Aston Martin have also opened new wind tunnels in recent years.

Why Red Bull’s current wind tunnel is a problem

Former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner repeatedly described their current wind tunnel as a relic of the ‘Cold War’. This refers to the external structure rather than the technology inside.

Because the building is made of concrete, it isn’t ‘totally insulated’ from the weather outside, as explained by The Race. This affects the density of the air in the tunnel and, with it, the value of the team’s findings.

• READ MORE: Martin Brundle warns Max Verstappen it won’t be ‘easy’ to leave Red Bull in 2027

Red Bull’s upgrades have been hit and miss in recent times, and this is partly down to a lack of correlation between factory conditions and the track.

This appears to have become a more significant weakness as rivals like McLaren have made technological strides.