Red Bull admits 2026 weight struggles: Pierre Waché warns RB22 is over the limit. Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché confirms the team faces weight challenges with the 2026 car.

The new technical era of Formula 1 is almost here, and one of the main challenges teams are facing is managing car weight. Red Bull’s technical director, Pierre Waché, confirmed the issue, openly admitting in an F1TV interview that even the Milton Keynes team is grappling with this delicate matter.

Red Bull isn’t alone

According to Waché, weight is not just a Red Bull problem—it is a challenge affecting much of the F1 grid. “We have some issues with the car’s weight, just like the other teams. There is a chance that others may manage it better than us. On our side, we need to make sure we can trim the car a bit so that in future updates we won’t have to focus on making it lighter and can fully concentrate on making it faster,” he explained.

The new technical regulations make every detail critical

Fixing the weight issue now could give Red Bull a stronger position throughout the season, allowing future updates to focus solely on performance rather than shaving kilos. With this year’s major technical regulation changes, even something like car weight can become decisive. All teams are struggling, as this represents one of the biggest regulation shifts in F1 history. Whoever finds a solution first could gain a significant advantage.

The second week of Bahrain testing will be crucial in assessing the real potential of the 2026 cars, though the full picture won’t become clear until the season opener in Australia.

Red Bull’s struggle to hit the minimum weight limit with the RB22 suggests that the 2026 technical regulations are pushing even the most elite engineering departments to their absolute breaking point. By admitting that the team needs to “slim down” the car to avoid compromising future performance updates, Pierre Waché has signaled that the early part of the season may be a race for efficiency rather than raw speed. As the paddock prepares for the final Bahrain tests, the sight of unpainted carbon fiber on the Red Bull—a common trick to save weight—may become a telltale sign of just how hard they are fighting to reach the limit before Melbourne.