Red Bull arrives at the Red Bull Ring with its second major upgrade of the 2026 season

Red Bull's second upgrade wave arrives in Spielberg

Red Bull are set to run an upgrade package at their home event in Austria, with Max Verstappen hopeful that it will bring "more performance to the car." The package represents the second major development push of the Milton Keynes team's 2026 campaign, and it arrives at a circuit the team owns in the Styrian mountains.^[1]

After seven races of the sport's new rules era, the former world champions sit fourth in the Constructors' Championship on 89 points, their lowest total at this point of a season since 2015. ^[2] The outfit faced a tough weekend last time out in Barcelona as Verstappen and team mate Isack Hadjar were unable to match the pace of their rivals at the front, leaving team principal Laurent Mekies to label the event a "reality check." ^[1]

Weight reduction is the headline technical target

A persistent overweight problem has hampered the RB22 throughout 2026. The car, piloted by Verstappen and his 2026 team-mate Isack Hadjar, began the year carrying an extra 12 kilograms; after modifications at the Red Bull Ring, Dutch publication De Telegraaf have reported the car now meets the strict 768-kilogram minimum (including driver weight). ^[2] The engineers have completely redesigned the sidepod profile and introduced a new floor, and with thinner materials and reduced internal plumbing Red Bull hope to eliminate every extra kilogram while complying with the new technical regulations. ^[2]

The four-tenths per lap is what Mekies estimates Red Bull still needs to find relative to its rivals; after the race in Miami, he said the team had halved the gap to the frontrunners with its first upgrade. ^[3]

Mekies urges caution; Verstappen eyes improvement

Team principal Laurent Mekies has been measured about what the package can realistically deliver. He told media, including PlanetF1.com: "Everyone in Milton Keynes has been working very hard for that package, and 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 it's on that continuous closing-the-gap trajectory that we have been on since post-Japan, that we continue to get closer, that we don't talk anymore about four-tenths, but hopefully about a lot less." ^[4]

Verstappen echoed a similarly measured tone when addressing the media on Thursday at the Red Bull Ring. He said: "Those are, of course, also the easier steps to make when you're far behind. The hardest step is always the last one, to really fight for the win. So let's see how we can do that, to be in that fight again. I'm not sure [if that can happen this weekend]." ^[5] He added that "we have a new package we are bringing, so it is exciting to see how much this could look to give us in lap time," and said the team looks forward to seeing what it can do at the Red Bull Ring. ^[1]

:::analysis The Austrian upgrade is structurally significant because weight is a multiplier. Every kilogram shed improves braking performance, tyre stress, and aerodynamic efficiency simultaneously. If the RB22 is now genuinely at the 768-kilogram minimum, the gains should be more consistent across circuit types than a downforce-only update, which tends to be track-specific. The risk is that the aerodynamic changes to the sidepod profile and floor alter the car's balance window, potentially introducing new set-up sensitivity that costs time across a short race weekend. With only three practice sessions before the 71-lap race, Verstappen and Hadjar have limited runway to find the optimal window on a new aero platform.

The broader competitive picture also matters. Red Bull is not the only team bringing hardware to Spielberg; the upgrade's headline numbers will only be meaningful relative to what Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren produce this weekend. :::

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