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Red Bull stole the spotlight across the first days of the Barcelona shakedown test after revealing Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar’s real car built for the 2026 F1 regulations.
The F1 paddock has gathered for the first time in 2026 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for a five-day shakedown. Red Bull were one of the first teams to hit the track on Monday as Hadjar set the pace. Verstappen and Hadjar both got to test the RB22 in the rain on Tuesday.
Day 1 in Spain saw Red Bull’s small sidepods baffle their rival teams as Hadjar set the fastest lap. Verstappen also revealed Red Bull’s innovative front wing concept on Day 2, as the four-time champion took his first laps behind the wheel of a car built for the 2026 F1 regulations.
Teams can run on any three of the five days at the behind-closed-doors event, but it remains to be seen whether or not Red Bull will now run again. Hadjar crashed at the end of Day 2 of the Barcelona shakedown and damaged the rear of the RB22, after an off at the final corner.
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Red Bull go to the ‘extreme’ with the hole in their rear diffuser for 2026
Hadjar and Verstappen’s efforts at the wheel of the RB22 in Barcelona have given their rival teams their first chance to see Red Bull’s real car for the 2026 season. The car Red Bull have taken to Montmelo is vastly different from the initial launch renders that the team released.
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In particular, Tuesday’s session revealed the ‘extreme’ lengths that Red Bull have taken with the design of the rear diffuser on Hadjar and Verstappen’s car for the 2026 season. Red Bull have pushed the envelope much further than Mercedes and Ferrari have for their diffusers.
That is according to Motorsport-Magazin, which reports that Red Bull have completely done away with having a sidewall between their rear diffuser and their rear tyres. Mercedes and Ferrari had respectively come up with a ‘trick’ diffuser, featuring an opening in the sidewall.
Red Bull’s engineers have used the Barcelona shakedown as a chance to test out whether it is possible to only use the brake cooling deflectors to avoid turbulent air entering their rear diffuser. Red Bull’s small sidepods are also critical for managing the airflow into the diffuser.
Red Bull are focusing heavily on their aero package at the start of the 2026 F1 regulations
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While Mercedes and Ferrari have favoured having an undercut with their sidepods, Red Bull do not believe they need an undercut due to their flatter sidepod surface that tapers earlier. Red Bull’s engineers feel their concept is enough to control the airflow to their rear diffuser.
Hadjar’s crash at the end of Day 2 may now prevent Red Bull from gathering additional data to understand whether or not their small sidepods and extreme rear diffuser worked out as desired before the pre-season tests in Bahrain. F1 visits Sakhir on February 11-13 and 18-20.
Red Bull intend to focus intently on early-season aero updates in 2026, as they feel it can be key to overcoming any deficiencies at the start of their life as an engine constructor. Rival F1 teams fear Red Bull found a loophole in the 2026 engine rules, but it is a new era for them.
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