F1 | Red Bull skips RB22 shakedown: Verstappen and Hadjar will wait for Barcelona
Red Bull has decided to skip one of the traditional pre-season milestones: the RB22 shakedown. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar will now have to wait until the first winter test in Barcelona to drive the car, according to sources close to the team. The Austrian outfit has chosen not to use one of the two days allowed for filming before the tests officially begin. The RB22 will therefore hit the track for the first time on January 26, the opening day of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, although this date could shift, as teams can use three of the five available testing days.
Will the new Ford engine still be tested by Racing Bulls?
The plan is different for the Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s “sister” team, which will carry out a shakedown with their new car before heading to Barcelona. The car will make its debut in Imola, where the team will begin collecting initial data on the new power unit. This moment is crucial not only for the Racing Bulls drivers, but also for Verstappen and Hadjar, who will closely monitor the car’s progress. Every F1 team is allowed two filming days each season, during which they can cover up to 200 kilometers with the current championship car using special tires designed specifically for testing.
Concerns about engine reliability
Despite optimism surrounding the new power unit, questions about engine reliability remain. Until the RB22 is actually on track, no one can know how it will perform at full power. During the team’s presentation in Detroit, Hadjar expressed his concerns: “[…] Or maybe the engine could explode, who knows. Something like that. We can’t be too sure of ourselves. Things will happen that we hadn’t expected, and we need to stay calm.”
The first winter test will therefore be the first opportunity to understand the RB22’s true performance and assess the reliability of the new car. With the shakedown skipped, Verstappen and Hadjar approach the start of the season with a mix of curiosity and tension, knowing that their first real impressions of the RB22 will only come in Barcelona.
Red Bull’s decision to skip the RB22 shakedown marks a high-stakes departure from their usual preparation, putting immense pressure on the first day of testing in Barcelona. By allowing the Racing Bulls to take the lead with a shakedown at Imola, the senior team may be looking to iron out initial software or integration “bugs” on the sister car before risking a public failure with their championship contender. As Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar prepare for a potentially volatile debut, the focus shifts to whether this “wait and see” approach will pay off or if it will leave them scrambling to fix fundamental reliability issues during the limited testing hours in Spain.
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