Racing Bulls will give Liam Lawson the complete VCARB 03 aerodynamic upgrade package at the Hungarian Grand Prix, including the narrower airbox and reshaped engine cover that Arvid Lindblad raced at Spa-Francorchamps. The revised bodywork is intended to reduce drag and improve the efficiency of the car’s entire rear section as the Faenza team targets fifth place in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship.
Racing Bulls drew level with Alpine at Spa and will now attempt to move ahead decisively. The team has made no secret of its ambition to become the leading outfit outside Formula 1’s established front-running group, and its recent development progress has strengthened that objective before the Hungaroring weekend.
Liam Lawson receives complete Racing Bulls upgrade in Hungary
Racing Bulls reached Alpine in the Constructors’ Championship after Arvid Lindblad scored two points at the Belgian Grand Prix. The Anglo-Swedish rookie, the final major talent identified by Helmut Marko before the Austrian adviser left the Red Bull organisation, helped the Faenza squad complete an important recovery and move level with Alpine on 61 points.
Arvid Lindblad was the only Racing Bulls driver to use the complete new aerodynamic package in Belgium. Liam Lawson will now receive the same specification at the Hungarian Grand Prix, allowing the team to operate both VCARB 03 cars with the latest configuration.
The decision to give Arvid Lindblad priority was based on a challenge established by team principal Alan Permane at Silverstone. Whichever Racing Bulls driver finished ahead in British Grand Prix qualifying would be given first access to the new components. Arvid Lindblad won that internal contest and therefore received the updated car for Spa-Francorchamps.
The rookie subsequently converted that opportunity into an impressive ninth-place finish in the Ardennes. His result contributed to the final Belgian Grand Prix classification and provided an encouraging first competitive test for the revised VCARB 03 bodywork.
Racing Bulls did not have enough time to prepare two complete sets of the new parts for Spa. However, the second package has now been completed, meaning New Zealander Liam Lawson will have the narrower airbox, updated engine cover and associated aerodynamic changes available at the Hungaroring.
Racing Bulls redesigns the VCARB 03 airbox to reduce drag
Before the Belgian Grand Prix update, Racing Bulls had one of the largest airboxes in the pit lane. Its unusual trapezoidal shape made it one of the most visually distinctive solutions on the grid, but the team identified an opportunity to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the car’s upper bodywork.
The technical group led by Tim Goss redesigned the air intakes and modified the lateral ears surrounding the main opening. The revised airbox now has a squarer and more compact profile, producing a clear reduction in aerodynamic resistance.
Straight-line efficiency was particularly important at Spa-Francorchamps, where teams needed to limit drag without sacrificing too much stability through the high-speed middle sector. Mercedes pursued the same general objective through its own W17 front-wing revisions for improved straight-line efficiency, although the specific technical solutions used by the two teams were different.
Contrary to some reports, Racing Bulls did not modify the triangular roll structure beneath the airbox. As a result, the VCARB 03 did not need to undergo a new mandatory crash test before the updated bodywork could be introduced.
The dynamic intake supplying the Red Bull Ford DM01 power unit also remained unchanged. Instead, Racing Bulls concentrated on optimising the cooling system used for the car’s auxiliary components.
The power unit remains an important part of the wider technical discussion surrounding the Red Bull teams, particularly amid the continuing questions over the FIA’s assessment of the different 2026 engine concepts and the Red Bull challenge to Mercedes’ ADUO ranking.
Cooling layout retained despite narrower bodywork
Racing Bulls retained the numerous cooling elements positioned above the turbocharged six-cylinder engine. The revised design therefore continues to deliver the required flow of fresh air without creating an unnecessary reliability risk.
The team’s engineers had to reduce the external dimensions of the airbox while still ensuring that the power unit and supporting systems received sufficient cooling. Achieving both objectives was essential, because a smaller aerodynamic profile would provide little benefit if it forced the team to compromise cooling performance or open additional outlets elsewhere on the car.
A small increase in the side surface immediately behind the very narrow radiator inlet initially prompted suggestions that Racing Bulls may have relocated internal components inside the sidepods. According to the original analysis, however, that was not the case.
Racing Bulls retained one of the most deeply undercut sidepod designs on the grid. The slightly enlarged outer wall is instead used to push the turbulence generated by the front wheels away from the main body of the car, helping reduce drag and improve the quality of the airflow travelling towards the rear.
The VCARB 03 could consequently use a more tightly profiled upper engine cover. The smoother shape helped the car combat aerodynamic resistance and improved the overall efficiency of the rear bodywork.
New low-downforce rear wing supports VCARB 03 efficiency gains
The narrower airbox and revised engine cover were not the only new components introduced at Spa. Racing Bulls also used a new low-downforce rear wing that worked effectively alongside the reshaped bodywork.
The wing featured a less loaded central section, helping reduce drag on Spa’s long full-throttle sections. The combined effect of the airbox, engine cover and rear-wing changes gave Arvid Lindblad a more aerodynamically efficient package without forcing Racing Bulls to abandon the level of stability required through the faster corners.
Finding that balance was one of the main technical challenges of the Belgian weekend. Even Max Verstappen reported difficulties with the balance of his Red Bull after the race, underlining how demanding Spa was for engineers attempting to combine low drag with predictable high-speed behaviour. Max Verstappen later detailed the Red Bull balance problems he encountered at Spa.
Racing Bulls also completed useful development work around the front corners of the VCARB 03. The objective was to control the temperature inside the wheel assemblies and use heat transfer through the wheel rims to help bring the front tyres into their operating window.
However, the system must avoid transferring too much heat, which could push the tyres towards overheating. The solution therefore requires precise control, especially as track and ambient temperatures change during a weekend.
Hungarian GP heat will test Racing Bulls cooling choices
Front tyre temperature management is expected to become particularly important at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where very high temperatures are forecast. Racing Bulls will need to adapt the brake ducts and enlarge the hot-air exits to cope with the conditions at the Hungaroring.
The bodywork cooling gills were heavily restricted at Spa, where the team did not require their full cooling capacity. In Budapest, those openings are expected to be reopened to allow a greater volume of hot air to escape from inside the car.
This creates another compromise for Racing Bulls. Opening the cooling outlets can help protect reliability and control internal temperatures, but it can also disturb the aerodynamic flow over the bodywork. The team must therefore provide sufficient cooling for the Hungarian conditions without giving away too much of the efficiency gained through the narrower airbox and revised engine cover.
Racing Bulls upgrades show encouraging correlation
Racing Bulls’ first major performance step arrived at the Canadian Grand Prix, when the team introduced its initial upgrade package. That development included a revised floor that delivered a significant recovery in performance.
The most encouraging aspect for the Faenza operation is that the components introduced at the circuit have consistently performed as expected. That indicates a strong level of correlation between the real car, the wind tunnel and the team’s simulation tools.
Reliable correlation is crucial to an effective Formula 1 development programme. When track data matches the predictions generated at the factory, engineers can introduce future updates with greater confidence and avoid spending valuable races attempting to understand why a component has failed to deliver its expected benefit.
The Hungarian Grand Prix therefore represents an important crossroads for Racing Bulls. With Liam Lawson now receiving the complete VCARB 03 package and the team level with Alpine on 61 points, Budapest offers an opportunity to consolidate fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship and establish Racing Bulls as the strongest team behind Formula 1’s leading competitors.
Arvid Lindblad’s ninth place at Spa provided the first evidence that the latest aerodynamic package can produce a competitive result. The next test will be whether Liam Lawson can take advantage of the same reduced-drag configuration at a circuit with very different characteristics, where cooling, front tyre preparation and low-speed aerodynamic performance will carry greater importance.
Racing Bulls may no longer require the same low-downforce specification used in Belgium, but the narrower airbox, refined engine cover and improved cooling management should remain valuable parts of the VCARB 03’s development. If both drivers can extract the expected performance in Hungary, the team will have a realistic opportunity to move clear of Alpine and lead Formula 1’s tightly contested midfield.
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