Red Bull targets FIA minimum weight with second major RB22 upgrade at the Austrian Grand Prix
Red Bull is introducing its second major upgrade package of the 2026 season at the Austrian Grand Prix (June 26-28), with weight reduction a central goal. Technical director Pierre Wache flagged Austria as the target for reaching the FIA-mandated 768 kg minimum, having already cut the RB22's excess from 12 kg down to 6 kg with the Miami package.
The weight problem in numbers
In Miami, Red Bull already managed to reduce the RB22's excess weight from 12 to six kilograms, with plans in place to bring both cars down to the FIA minimum weight within two months, set at 768 kg this season. [1] The Miami package also featured weight-saving measures, and technical director Pierre Wache told Motorsport.com in May that the plan was to reach the minimum weight allowed by the regulations with the Austrian package. [2]
Wache confirmed the direction at the time: "I think there will be another step. I don't know when, but we will have a weight reduction happening for maybe Austria." [3] The long-term target is to get both Max Verstappen's and Isack Hadjar's cars down to Formula 1's 768 kg minimum weight limit. [4]
Austria: the second major upgrade of 2026
In Austria, Red Bull is known to be preparing to unleash new parts; this will be the team's second major upgrade of the year. [2] It is unknown which parts will be revised this time, but team principal Laurent Mekies does not believe this step alone will be sufficient to bring Red Bull into genuine contention for victories against Mercedes and Ferrari. [2]
Mekies stated: "There is no doubt that the Austrian package alone will not be enough. We know we'll have some further steps needed. But what is important is that on that continuous closing-the-gap trajectory that we have been onto since post-Japan, we continue to get closer." [2]
Context: where the season stands
Barcelona exposed weaknesses in the RB22. Max Verstappen finished fourth, nearly 20 seconds behind Lando Norris, while Isack Hadjar recovered to sixth. Red Bull remained clear of the chasing pack but lacked the pace of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. [2] The four-tenths per lap is what Mekies estimates Red Bull still needs to find relative to its rivals; after Miami, he said the team had halved the gap to the frontrunners with its first upgrade. [2]
The Formula 1 paddock heads to Red Bull's home race on June 26-28 for round eight of the 2026 campaign.
:::analysis Reaching the 768 kg floor is one of the clearest mechanical gains available to the team without relying solely on aerodynamic development. A car operating at minimum weight responds more predictably to setup changes, generates less tyre wear under the same load conditions, and carries a straightforward lap-time benefit through every corner and braking zone. The significance of Austria is therefore as much structural as it is symbolic: if the weight target is met, Red Bull enters the second half of the European calendar with a baseline the engineering group can actually build on, rather than continuing to compensate for ballast that should not be there. :::
Related reading
- [1]Red Bull aims to hit F1 weight limit at Austrian Grand Prix (autosport). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [2]Red Bull to bring second major upgrade of 2026 in Austria - what to expect (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [3]Exclusive: The story behind Red Bull and Verstappen's F1 turnaround in Miami (autosport). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [4]Red Bull car set to reach minimum weight for Austria (f1i). Accessed 2026-06-20.