Red Bull took an important step in its recovery in Formula 1 after the updates introduced at the Miami GP. The RB22 became lighter, gained significant aerodynamic changes, and showed clear signs of progress against McLaren and Ferrari.
The main advancement came in reducing the car’s weight. After starting the season twelve kilos above the minimum limit, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar’s RB22 is now only six kilos above the 768kg allowed by the regulations. According to Pierre Waché, the team is still working to reduce this number further in the upcoming stages.
“Yes, I think there will be another step,” said Red Bull’s head of engineering. “I don’t know when, but we will have another weight reduction, maybe for Austria,” he added. Besides the weight loss, the package used in Miami included new sidepods, a redesigned floor, and the solution to a problem in the car’s steering system.
Waché expressed satisfaction with the performance of the updates in Florida. “Yes, it delivered what we expected. It was simply the package itself that worked. After solving some other problems, this also brought a bit more performance from Max, something we perhaps did not expect,” he explained to Motorsport.com. The executive sees this set as Red Bull’s first concrete advancement in 2026.
Despite the progress, the team does not intend to immediately accelerate the arrival of new parts. While Mercedes is preparing a significant package for the Canadian GP, Red Bull should bring only minor changes to Montreal, prioritizing development for the European leg of the season. “We still need to wait a bit, it will be just a small step for Montreal,” said Waché, without confirming whether the next major updates will arrive in Monaco, Barcelona, or Austria.
Even frustrated with the final result in Miami, the Frenchman highlighted the positive sign left by the RB22. “I think the result does not reflect our pace, but it is good for the team to show that the car has pace and that we are back in the midfield,” he concluded.
