After a difficult start to the season, Red Bull appears to have taken a significant step forward in Miami, with Max Verstappen describing it as “light at the end of the tunnel” for the team.
His fifth place in the Miami Grand Prix did not fully reflect that progress, but in terms of pure pace Red Bull looked considerably more competitive than during the first three race weekends of 2026.
Addressing an issue in the steering system has played an important role in that, although the upgrades – including heavily revised sidepods and a new floor – have also had the desired effect.
Where Verstappen indicated that the first updates of the year, introduced during the Japanese Grand Prix, made very little difference, this package delivered what was expected of it.
That applies not only to Verstappen’s expectations, but also to those of Red Bull’s technical director Pierre Wache.
“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,” the Frenchman told Autosport.
With those last words, Wache is referring to the steering changes, which allow Verstappen to push more again.
Pierre Wache, Technical Director Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
It is the first real step forward for Red Bull in 2026, even relative to McLaren and Ferrari, two teams that also brought major upgrade packages to Florida.
Mercedes has indicated that it will respond with a significant package in Montreal, and logically Red Bull will not immediately follow suit. Wache explains that his team will bring some minor changes to the Canadian Grand Prix, but is mainly focusing its development on the European season.
“We have to wait a little bit longer, just a little step for Montreal,” he confirmed.
For the next major package, weight is once again a key focus. In Miami, Red Bull has already managed to reduce the RB22’s excess weight from 12 to six kilograms, after which plans have been made to bring the cars of Verstappen and Hadjar down to the FIA minimum weight within two months – set at 768kg this year.
“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.
This should gradually make Red Bull more competitive, although Wache is mainly pleased that the difficult opening phase of the season now seems to be behind it. The technical director felt the pressure to turn around a challenging situation, and it appears that the first step has been taken.
“It’s not easy, but I’m for sure disappointed with the result,” he said. “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.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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