Have RBPT/Ford got overheating issues with new F1 PU?

[John S]

Really big airbox spotted on Racing Bulls 26 spec car at shakedown test at Imola. 

Now either RBPT has big issues with their ICE/PU and this is a precautionary measure in the interim, or perhaps all teams will require more cooling for their 26 cars. 

Is there a problem cooling the much enlarged battery pack and not just an ICE problem? 

Concerns over possible overheating have surfaced after photos of Lawson at Imola were shared by The Race. The unusually large air intake caught the eye of many fans.

“That air intake from the top is huge. Judging by the size of it, teams will have a hard time cooling those engines on a hot day,” said one F1 fan. Another added: “Seems like the Red Bull engine needs some cooling.”

“That top air intake?!” another fan noted. Others compared it to everyday items: “The airbox doubles as a coffee table,” while another simply said, “Absolutely massive air box.” One fan summed up the general reaction: “Wooow! That airbox is huge!”

According to Motorsport.com, Lawson drove an ‘identical’ version of the Racing Bulls car he and Lindblad will share in Barcelona, where teams can use any three of the five days. Racing Bulls’ run at Imola also revealed that they intend to use push-rod front and rear suspension.

The VCARB 03’s air intake has a trapezoidal shape and stands out because of its sheer size. It appears wider than Lawson’s helmet and sits under an engine cover that looks much bigger than what early renders showed.

Even Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok was surprised by the size of Racing Bulls’ air intake after seeing images from Lawson’s shakedown at Imola. The former HRT F1 driver noted on X: “That airbox is massive!”

Paras above taken from longer piece courtesy Rachel Braybrook on HITC.com, yesterday.

Photo of Racing Bulls car on track at Imola.

[Jericoke]

While it does look like an extra large cooling intake, given the new rules for moveable aerodynamics there's the possibility of extra air coming in to be used elsewhere on the car, like the McLaren F-Duct of yore.

On the other hand, without 'waste' heat being captured like the previous formula, the cars are going to generate more heat, which certainly means more cooling, even with everything else being equal.