Racing Bulls · 2026

Racing Bulls VCARB 03

The Racing Bulls VCARB 03 is Racing Bulls’s car for the 2026 season, powered by a Red Bull Ford DM01 (customer engine). Strong in: Laps per set, Pit stop, Top speed.

Updated 4 November 2026

Fact file

Car: Racing Bulls VCARB 03
Team: Racing Bulls
Engine: Red Bull Ford DM01 (customer engine)
Launch: 15 January 2026 – joint launch with Red Bull in Detroit

The car at a glance

The VCARB 03 is the car of Racing Bulls, Red Bull's sister team. It uses the same new engine as the Red Bull, developed by Red Bull Powertrains together with Ford.

After 19 races the team is 5th in the constructors’ standings with 108 points. Its best race result so far is 5th. Its speed stayed similar through the season: in qualifying the better of its two cars was 9.7 on average. In total the team declared 30 new parts for more speed to the FIA; the biggest package came at the Miami Grand Prix (5 parts).

Both Red Bull teams use the new engine for 2026 and beyond. The car was launched together with the Red Bull at a joint event in Detroit, USA.

Description as of 4 November 2026. The paragraph on the season is updated from the results after every race.

Technical data

Values the rules set for all teams, and details of the Racing Bulls VCARB 03. Anything not officially known is left out.

Specific to the Racing Bulls VCARB 03
Component	Value
Engine	Red Bull Ford DM01The engine comes from Red Bull Powertrains/Ford; the team does not build it itself.
Front suspension	Push-rodWith push-rod, an angled strut pushes the forces from the wheel up to the springs and dampers; with pull-rod it pulls them down.
Rear suspension	Push-rod
Fuel partner	ExxonMobilAll teams use sustainable fuel in 2026; the partner blends it to FIA specifications.
Lubricants partner	Mobil 1

The same for all cars (rules)
Component	Value
Combustion engine	1.6-litre turbo V61600 cc displacement, 6 cylinders in a V (90 degrees), one turbocharger.
Maximum engine speed	15,000 rpmThe most revolutions per minute the engine’s crankshaft may turn.
Combustion engine power	around 400 kW (about 540 hp)Clearly less than up to 2025 – the electric motor delivers much more instead.
Electric motor (MGU-K)	up to 350 kW (about 470 hp)Recovers energy under braking and adds power when accelerating. Its power is reduced on very fast straights.
Total power	just over 1000 hpOnly as long as the battery supplies enough energy.
MGU-H	no longer usedThe second generator on the turbocharger was dropped for 2026.
Fuel	100% sustainableMade for example from captured CO₂, waste or non-food biomass.
Gearbox	8 forward gears, 1 reverseSequential and semi-automatic: the driver selects each gear, the shift itself is hydraulic.
Chassis	Carbon-fibre monocoqueThe rigid safety cell the driver sits in.
Minimum weight	724 kg plus tyres (768 kg)With driver, without fuel; 726 kg plus tyres in qualifying. Around 30 kg less than in 2025.
Width	at most 1900 mm10 cm narrower than up to 2025.
Wheelbase	at most 3400 mmDistance between the front and rear axles, 20 cm shorter than up to 2025.
Aerodynamics	active wings, no more DRSFront and rear wings go flat on straights (Straight Mode, less drag) and steep for corners (Corner Mode, more downforce); early announcements called this X- and Z-mode.
Tyres	Pirelli, 18 inchControl tyres: every team uses the same Pirelli tyres.

Technical data as of 4 November 2026.

More: how a Formula 1 car works

2026 team comparison

Calculated from official timing data, average over 19 race weekends (as of Mexico City Grand Prix 2026).

Strengths

Longest runs on one set of tyres: 22.1 laps on one set of tyres on average.
Pit stop time: 2nd of 11 – on average 0.82 s longer in the pit lane per stop than the fastest team in each race.
Top speed: 3rd of 11 – 327.5 km/h at the speed trap on average.

Comparatively weakest area

Race pace: 6th of 11 – on average 1.93 % (about 1.71 s) per lap slower than the fastest team in each race.

1st = best value of the eleven teams. The explanation is shown below each name.

2026 team comparison: Racing Bulls VCARB 03
Value	Racing Bulls VCARB 03	Rank
Top speedHighest speed measured at the speed trap on the straight, averaged over all race weekends. Higher is better.	327.5 km/h	3 of 11
Speed over one lap (qualifying)Gap from the team’s best qualifying lap to the fastest lap of the day, on average. 0 means it set the fastest lap itself. Lower is better.	+1.38 % (approx. 1.18 s)	5 of 11
Sector 1 (qualifying)Every track is split into three sectors. Gap to the best time in the first sector. Lower is better.	+1.43 %	6 of 11
Sector 2 (qualifying)Gap to the best time in the middle sector. Lower is better.	+1.56 %	5 of 11
Sector 3 (qualifying)Gap to the best time in the final sector. Lower is better.	+1.27 %	5 of 11
Race paceTypical lap time in the race (without the start, pit stops and safety car periods), gap to the fastest team. Lower is better.	+1.93 % (approx. 1.71 s)	6 of 11
Laps per set of tyresHow many laps a car ran on one set of tyres in the race, on average. More usually means the tyres last longer.	22.1 laps	1 of 11
Pace loss on one set of tyresHow the lap time changes from lap to lap on the same set of tyres. Wearing tyres make the car slower, the emptying fuel tank makes it faster. Lower is better; a minus means the car even got faster over the run.	−0.009 s per lap	3 of 11
Pit stop timeHow much longer a car spent in the pit lane per stop than the fastest team (driving through plus the tyre change). Lower is better.	+0.82 s	2 of 11

Top speedHighest speed measured at the speed trap on the straight, averaged over all race weekends. Higher is better.

Race paceTypical lap time in the race (without the start, pit stops and safety car periods), gap to the fastest team. Lower is better.

Pace loss on one set of tyresHow the lap time changes from lap to lap on the same set of tyres. Wearing tyres make the car slower, the emptying fuel tank makes it faster. Lower is better; a minus means the car even got faster over the run.

Pit stop timeHow much longer a car spent in the pit lane per stop than the fastest team (driving through plus the tyre change). Lower is better.

Upgrades during the season

As declared by the teams to the FIA before each Grand Prix (37 new or changed parts).

Reason given by the team: “performance” means the part is meant to make the car faster. “Circuit-specific” means it is adapted to one particular track, for example more cooling in the heat or less drag for long straights. “Reliability” means it is meant to prevent failures.

Upgrades during the season: Racing Bulls VCARB 03
Race	New or changed parts
Australian Grand PrixSeason start (changes since testing)	Floor Body, Coke/Engine Cover, Rear Corner (performance) Cooling Louvres (circuit-specific)
Chinese Grand Prix	Rear Corner (performance)
Miami Grand Prix	Rear Corner, Rear Suspension, Floor Edge, Rear Wing, Rear Wing Endplate (performance) Front Wing (circuit-specific)
Canadian Grand Prix	Floor Body, Rear Corner, Beam Wing, Exhaust Tailpipe Bracket (performance)
Monaco Grand Prix	Rear Wing (performance) Front Suspension (circuit-specific)
Barcelona Grand Prix	Diffuser / Rear Crash Structure (performance) Front Wing (circuit-specific)
Austrian Grand Prix	Exhaust Tailpipe, Diffuser (performance)
British Grand Prix	Floor Edge & Diffuser, Rear Corner (performance)
Belgian Grand Prix	Coke/Engine Cover, Roll Hoop, Front Corner, Rear Wing (performance)
Hungarian Grand Prix	Roll Hoop, Rear Wing (performance) Cooling Louvres (circuit-specific)
Italian Grand Prix	Exhaust Tailpipe (performance) Rear Wing (circuit-specific)
Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Front Wing, Front Corner, Front Suspension (performance)
United States Grand Prix	Front Wing, Rear Wing, Floor Body, Coke/Engine Cover (performance)
Mexico City Grand Prix	Coke/Engine Cover, Cooling Louvres (circuit-specific)

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