Red Bull has successfully reduced the RB22’s excess weight by half thanks to its Miami upgrade package, and the team is now aiming to hit the minimum weight limit during the early European races of the Formula 1 season.
After a challenging start to the 2026 season, Red Bull showed promising progress in Miami. Max Verstappen described the improvement as a “light at the end of the tunnel” for Laurent Mekies’ squad. Although his fifth-place finish in the Miami Grand Prix didn’t fully reflect the leap in performance, the team appeared far more competitive compared to the first three race weekends.
Fixing a steering system issue played a key role in the revival, alongside upgrades that included heavily revised sidepods and a new floor—both delivering the expected results. Verstappen noted that earlier upgrades introduced in Japan made little difference, but the Miami package met expectations.
Technical director Pierre Wache confirmed to Motorsport.com that the package performed as hoped, adding that the steering adjustments unlocked extra performance from Verstappen. “Yes, it delivered what we expected. It’s just the package itself that has delivered. And after we fixed some other issues, that has also brought some [extra] Max performance that maybe we didn’t expect,” Wache said.
This marks Red Bull’s first significant step forward in 2026, even relative to rivals McLaren and Ferrari, who also brought major upgrades to Florida. Mercedes has announced a significant update for Montreal, but Wache said Red Bull will only bring minor changes to Canada, focusing instead on the European season for bigger developments.
“We have to wait a little bit longer, just a little step for Montreal,” he confirmed.
Weight remains a critical focus for the next major upgrade. In Miami, Red Bull cut the RB22’s excess weight from 12 kilograms to six. The team plans to bring Verstappen and Hadjar’s cars down to the FIA minimum of 768 kilograms within two months. “Yes, I think there will be another step. I don’t know when, but we will have a weight reduction happening for maybe Austria,” Wache added.
Wache is relieved that the difficult start to the season appears to be behind them. “It’s not easy, but I’m for sure disappointed with the result. I think the result [in Miami] doesn’t show our pace. But it’s good for the team to show that the car has some pace on it and that we are in the mix again,” he said.
