Red Bull targeting F1 weight limit at Austrian GP

Red Bull has shed excess weight from the RB22 with its Miami upgrade package and hopes to reach the minimum weight limit after the first European races of the F1 season

Red Bull took a big step forward in Miami after a tough start to the season. Max Verstappen even called it “light at the end of the tunnel” for Laurent Mekies’ team.

While his fifth place at the Miami Grand Prix didn’t tell the whole story of that progress, Red Bull was much more competitive in terms of pure speed than it had been in the first three race weekends of 2026.

An issue in the steering system has been addressed which has played an important role in that, though the upgrades – including heavily revised sidepods and a new floor – have also had the desired effect.

Where Verstappen said that the first updates of the year, delivered during the Japanese Grand Prix, made very little difference, this package did what was expected of it.

And that goes not just for Verstappen’s expectations, but for Red Bull’s technical director Pierre Wache too.

Yes, it did what we thought it would. Only the package has arrived. And after we’ve resolved some other issues, that has also brought some [extra] Max performance that maybe we didn’t expect,” the Frenchman told Motorsport.com.

Wache, in his last words, refers to the steering changes that enable Verstappen to push again.

It’s the first real step forward for Red Bull in 2026, even compared to McLaren and Ferrari, two teams who also brought major upgrade packages to Florida.

Mercedes have signalled that they will respond with a big package in Montreal and Red Bull logically won’t respond straight away. Wache said his team will make minor changes for the Canadian Grand Prix but most of the development will be for the European season.

“We still have to wait a little bit longer, just one little step for Montreal,” he confirmed.

Weight again is a big focus for the next big package. Red Bull has already been able to shave off 12 to six kilograms from the excess weight of the RB22 in Miami and aims 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 for maybe Austria.

That should make Red Bull gradually more competitive, although Wache is mainly happy that the tough opening phase of the season now seems to be over. The technical director had to turn around a difficult situation and it seems that the first step has been taken.

"It is not easy but I am definitely disappointed with the result. I don’t think the result in Miami reflects our pace. But it's good for the team to show the car's got some pace on it and we're back in the mix.