Red Bull seems to have started the new era in their Formula 1 life well. The Austrians will supply engines themselves from this year onwards, and the new power source seems to function as desired. Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson is positive about the new engine.
New aerodynamic and engine rules apply in Formula 1 this year, and that means that a lot will change. Red Bull has been working on its own engine project for years, and these power sources will have their baptism of fire this week during the closed winter test in Barcelona. Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls use the engines developed by Red Bull Powertrains and Ford.
On the first day of testing, everything looked good for Red Bull. Isack Hadjar even recorded the fastest time in his RB22, although that says little during a test. Everything also seemed to function as expected at sister team Racing Bulls, and Liam Lawson had an almost flawless day. He fell silent once, but this didn’t seem to be a major problem.
How is the feeling?
After the test day, Lawson told F1 TV that they are doing well: “To be honest, it felt good. It is of course very difficult to say where we stand, but the most important thing for now is reliability. We were able to complete a number of excellent laps and only encountered minor problems. The inconveniences we had were more of a precaution than they were really serious problems.”
How does the new power source feel?
Lawson is also pleased with the new Red Bull power source: “In terms of the engine, to be honest, it went very well. But again: it is very difficult to know where you stand compared to all the other teams. We will certainly learn a lot more in the coming days.”
Today it is quiet on the Barcelona circuit. Due to the expected rain, many teams have decided to miss this day. Max Verstappen did take to the track in his Red Bull.
Photo’s F1 Test Barcelona 2026
