Red Bull showed signs of progress at the Miami GP of Formula 1, suggesting a possible turnaround after a difficult start to the 2026 season. Despite Max Verstappen’s fifth place, the car’s pace was considered much more competitive than in the early stages of the year, being praised by the four-time world champion, who stated that the team saw “the light at the end of the tunnel” in the work led by Laurent Mekies.
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Red Bull’s progress is linked to fixing a problem in the steering system and a new update package. Among the changes are sidepods revised and a new floor, which helped improve overall performance. Technical director Pierre Waché confirmed that the updates worked as expected:
“Yes, it delivered what we expected. It is the package itself that worked. And after we fixed some other issues, that also brought extra performance from Max that we perhaps did not expect,” he told Motorsport.com. According to him, the steering adjustment also allowed Verstappen to explore the car more.
Even with the progress in Miami, Red Bull is not expected to continue with major immediate updates. For the Canadian GP in Montreal, Waché stated that there will only be minor adjustments. “We have to wait a little longer, just a small step for Montreal,” he confirmed.
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One of the main focuses remains the weight reduction of the RB22. In Miami, the team reduced the excess from 12 to six kilos and plans to reach the FIA minimum limit of 768 kg in the coming months. “Yes, I think there will be another step. I don’t know when, but we will have a weight reduction perhaps for Austria,” said Waché.
Although the final result does not fully reflect the performance, Red Bull considers that it left Miami with positive signs after a difficult start to the season: “It’s not easy, but I’m certainly disappointed with the result. I think the result [in Miami] does not show our pace. But it’s good for the team to show that the car has pace and that we are back in the fight,” concluded Waché.
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