Red Bull reveals when its long-awaited new F1 wind tunnel will be operational

Red Bull has been waiting for its new wind tunnel for a long time now, but, ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, team principal Laurent Mekies has confirmed that it will not come online until some point during the 2027 season.

This new facility in Milton Keynes will replace its current tunnel sat in Bedford. With it once being described by former Red Bull chief Christian Horner as a "Cold War relic", the squad is very much looking forward to enjoying the fruits it will surely bear.

It was originally meant to be online for the 2026 season, so fans of the team will appreciate the update.

“In terms of timeline, it is not ready yet," he told the media after a question from Motorsport.com. "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.”

He added that the date will depend on a number of factors.

“It will be based on how much time we need to get it online first and then to complete the calibration work. So most likely for the second part of the 2027 car, and hopefully for most of the ‘28 car.”

Mekies admitted that Red Bull is currently working with what is likely to be the oldest wind tunnel in F1, despite the success the team has enjoyed with it.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

“As much as the wind tunnel we are using have been ultimately producing extraordinary results in the last few years, I think you are right in your assessment that it is most likely the oldest one on the grid.”

Red Bull won four consecutive drivers’ titles with Max Verstappen between 2021 and 2024 using the Bedford facility. In fact, Red Bull's 2023 campaign was the most dominant in the championship's history - not bad for an antique.

Mekies expects the new tunnel to give the team a boost, but it won't happen overnight.

“If you jump to a state-of-the-art facility, and the team have really tried to design and now produce something that will put us back at the very first place in that area, of course you expect a competitive advantage from there.

“So it’s not going to come up as soon as we switch on everything, but it’s certainly going to unlock potential, and to give the talented people we have in the aero departments another way to express their ideas.”

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