Red Bull's unexpected fall to the third place of the 2024 Manufacturers' Championship brought an unexpected advantage: more resources for aerodynamic testing for the first half of 2025 under the Aerodynamic Test Regulations (ATR) of Formula 1.
What is ATR and why is it important?
The ATR system, introduced in 2021, aims to balance the field of competition by allocating more wind tunnel time and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) testing to teams that finish lower in the championship standings. It is designed to help less competitive teams catch up while slightly penalizing dominant teams.
During each six-month ATR period, teams receive a base allocation of:
- 320 passages in the wind tunnel
- 2000 CFD elements
Team allocations are adjusted in 5% increments based on their position in the manufacturer rankings, the seventh place receiving the full base amount.
For the first half of 2025Red Bull will benefit from 80% of basic allowanceagainst 70 % in 2024, due to its third place instead of first.
Red Bull Allocation Increase
Red Bull's testing allocation changes from:
- 224 to 256 wind tunnel tests
- 1400 to 1600 CFD elements
This gives Red Bull a additional 96 wind tunnel tests and 600 CFD elements in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner highlighted the unexpected setback:
“We hate finishing third in the championship, but the extra time in the wind tunnel that comes with it is the only advantage in a year where there is such a dramatic regulatory change [en 2026]. It’s a constant balance and if you are in the battle for the title, inevitably your development is extended into the season.”
ATR Winners and Losers for 2025
- McLarenthe 2024 constructors' champions, falls to 70% of allocation for 2025 (down from 95%), reflecting its new dominance.
- Ferrarias second, maintains its allocation of 75%.
- Alpinemoving from eighth to sixth position, reduces its allocation by 105% to 95%.
Strategic Implications
Although the ATR adjustments are not significant enough for teams to deliberately choose to finish lower in the standings, they do provide key benefits in terms of development efficiency. Red Bull's additional resources come at a critical time as it looks to regroup for 2025 while also preparing for the big regulatory changes of 2026.
2026: A New Horizon
The 2026 regulations, which involve radically redesigned cars, will open to aerodynamic testing in January 2025. Teams like Ferrari and Red Bull are carefully balancing their resources between development of the car of 2025 and the long-term project from 2026.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur explained:
“By early 2025, we will completely focus our efforts on 2026. Although the 2025 car will continue to be developed, it will be clear that our resources will shift significantly towards the new regulations.”
No Strategic Tanking
Despite the benefits of additional testing time, no team would deliberately compromise their championship position due to the massive amounts of money at stake. Each position in the standings represents a difference of 10 million dollarsfar exceeding modest gains in aerodynamic testing resources.
The Fallout
Red Bull's extra testing time for 2025 gives the team a slight advantage as it looks to bounce back from its unusual third-place position. While this doesn't fully make up for the performance gap with McLaren and Ferrari in 2024, it ensures that Red Bull has more tools to close that gap in what promises to be a hotly contested season—and prepares them to a smoother transition to the 2026 regulations.
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