F1 Red Bull: Max Verstappen’s RB21 gets bigger air intake to handle Marina Bay heat. Red Bull upgrades the RB21 for Singapore GP with a larger vertical air intake.

F1 Red Bull: larger vertical air intake, RB21 hungry for airflow

Red Bull’s updates for Singapore go beyond the new front wing. Pierre Waché’s team has worked hard to ensure the reliability of the Honda power unit under Marina Bay’s intense heat. The airflow has been increased both at the intake and exit of the sidepods.

Max Verstappen remains relentless, and so does Red Bull. While other teams have already shifted their technical focus entirely to the 2026 project, Milton Keynes continues to develop the RB21. All eyes have been on the new front wing, which Verstappen has used to address the car’s persistent understeer.

After Zandvoort, Pierre Waché’s staff identified the areas of the car to improve, and the results were clear in Verstappen’s victories at Monza and Baku. Those circuits required low aerodynamic downforce and suited the car’s characteristics perfectly, whereas Singapore is the exact opposite. Marina Bay demands maximum vertical downforce while presenting extremely hot conditions that challenge both driver endurance and car reliability.

Another less obvious modification, noted in Red Bull’s FIA documentation, concerns the Honda power unit. For two years, the Milton Keynes team has dedicated time and resources to preserving engine reliability. The radiator inlets and outlets in the engine cover area are frequently revised to optimize heat evacuation.

On the RB21, Red Bull decided to tackle high temperatures and humidity gradients by modifying the vertical intake in the sidepods. Designed to minimize aerodynamic drag while ensuring sufficient airflow to the radiators, the intake has now been enlarged and reshaped for Singapore. The slits for heat extraction have also been redesigned.

In addition to the enlarged side gills of the engine cover, the long slot running along the dorsal fin of the cover to the rear exit has also been expanded. Red Bull pays meticulous attention to the longevity of the Japanese power unit: Max Verstappen is still on his fourth unit of the season, while Yuki Tsunoda has already received a penalty using his fifth engine.

The RB21 remains the car that most heavily stresses the exhausts from the 6-cylinder engine to the turbo: seven units have already been used, and the eighth would trigger a penalty, making careful management essential.