Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane has confirmed the team is planning to introduce a \u201csignificant update\u201d to its F1 2026 car before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
It comes after Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, revealed that the Scuderia is to take a B-spec version of the new SF-26 to Bahrain testing next month.<\/p>\n
Racing Bulls planning \u2018significant update\u2019 ahead of F1 2026 opener<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Racing Bulls and Red Bull Racing became the first teams to reveal their F1 2026 liveries in a Ford season-launch event in Detroit on Thursday.<\/p>\n The 2026 season marks a new era for Red Bull, which is producing its own engines for the first time via its Powertrains division after its partnership with Honda concluded at the end of last year.<\/p>\n This season sees the biggest F1 rule changes for some time with 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics arriving as the chassis and engine regulations are overhauled simultaneously.<\/p>\n Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad to compete for Racing Bulls in F1 2026<\/p>\n F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the F1 2026 grid?<\/a><\/p>\n How to become an F1 driver: Money, dedication, talent and more<\/a><\/p>\n As reported by PlanetF1.com<\/a>, Vasseur confirmed last month that Ferrari will effectively produce two different cars for testing in 2026.<\/p>\n A basic version of the new SF-26 will appear at the behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona across January 26-30 as Ferrari focuses on reliability, gaining mileage and validating its 2026 design choices.<\/p>\n Ferrari will then introduce a more definitive B-spec car for the remaining two tests in Bahrain on February 11-13 and 18-20 as attention turns to performance.<\/p>\n In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com<\/a>, Permane \u2013 who was promoted to the role of team principal in July 2025 after his predecessor Laurent Mekies took over at Red Bull following Christian Horner\u2019s exit \u2013 will take a similar approach with the new VCARB03 chassis.<\/p>\n He said:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m pretty sure most people, us included, will [bring] an update.<\/p>\n \u201cThe car we test with in Barcelona won\u2019t be the car we take to Melbourne. I\u2019m sure there\u2019ll be a significant update.\u201d<\/p>\n Permane went on to explain that the team are facing \u201cexactly the same problem\u201d of trying to push development of their 2026 cars as much as possible ahead of the new season while ensuring that parts are produced in time.<\/p>\n He said:\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve known the regs for a while. We\u2019ve been able to work on the car in the wind tunnel since January 1 [2025].<\/p>\n \u201cNow we\u2019re all faced with exactly the same problem.<\/p>\n \u201cThe later you develop your car, the faster it will be, in simple terms.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to keep it in the wind tunnel as long as you can. You want to finalise the mechanical designs as late as you can.<\/p>\n \u201cThe installation of the engine, with the radiator installation, all that has an effect on the sidepod installation, which has an effect on the floor, which has an effect on the downforce.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything, everything you do is geared up for performance, so you kind of define that [timeline] yourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n