Red Bull aims to hit F1 weight limit at Austrian Grand Prix

Motorsport photo

After a difficult start to the season, Red Bull appears to have taken a significant step forward in Miami. Max Verstappen even described it as “light at the end of the tunnel” for the team led by Laurent Mekies.

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 Motorsport.com.

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

Pierre Wache, Technical Director Red Bull Racing

It is the first real step forward for Red Bull in 2026, even relative to McLaren and , two teams that also brought major upgrade packages to Florida.