With the abolition of variable-geometry intake trumpets under the FIA 2026 regulations, the new internal combustion engines have freed up significant space at the top of the cylinder head. This regulatory change has given F1 chief designers the opportunity to rethink the overall packaging of the power unit.
Red Bull — although not the only team to take this route, as Aston Martin has followed a similar philosophy — has relocated the air-to-air intercooler. In recent years, this component had been positioned inside the sidepod, almost at the floor level, beneath the water and oil radiators. On the RB22, however, it now sits directly above the six-cylinder engine developed in Milton Keynes, underneath the auxiliary radiator.
This is an unusual solution and helps explain the presence of the two “ears” in the almost round airbox of the RB22. The layout allows for very short ducts connecting to the compressor, potentially delivering weight savings in auxiliary components while also offering new aerodynamic development opportunities.
For now, Pierre Waché has opted for sidepods that feature a pronounced upper ramp descending toward the floor, creating a significant Coca-Cola area at the rear. However, in the lower section there is no extreme undercut beneath the radiator inlet. It is easy to predict that Red Bull may introduce a noticeable reduction in bodywork volumes for the second Bahrain test session, especially since the area traditionally occupied by the intercooler has now been freed up.
The feeling in Milton Keynes is that the team has chosen not to take risks with the cooling system — historically a weak point in recent seasons — in order to verify the RBPT-Ford DM01 power unit’s resistance to the intense heat of Sakhir, following positive indications gathered during the Barcelona shakedown.
Ben Hodgkinson’s engine is undoubtedly the major surprise of this early phase of the season. It has proven reliable and appears competitive. Up until yesterday, the Milton Keynes unit had covered 2,609 km in the kilometres-per-team ranking, second only to Ferrari’s 067/6 engine at 2,858 km, and ahead of Mercedes in third place with 2,476 km.
Toto Wolff has described the Red Bull power unit as the benchmark in terms of its ability to harvest more energy over the course of a lap. The system appears capable of recharging the battery through unconventional strategies: Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar are learning to downshift one gear lower than normally required, deliberately increasing engine revs and “burning” fuel in order to generate additional electrical energy to store in the battery.
This is not a natural driving style and has already led Max Verstappen to voice sharp criticism that is currently a hot topic in the paddock. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the solution developed so far by Red Bull is delivering promising results. Downshifting an extra gear demands extremely precise engine braking control, achieved through sophisticated brake-by-wire management.
The risk, in fact, is overloading the transmission that connects the MGU-K to the internal combustion engine, potentially leading to mechanical failures with obvious consequences. Even the gearbox internals are subjected to unusual stress, with ratios such as first gear — previously used almost exclusively at the start — now playing a more active role.
The RB22 therefore remains in what could be described as a laboratory phase. It has not yet revealed its true potential. Whether we will see its real performance on the final day of testing in Sakhir or only later in Melbourne remains to be seen.
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