Racing Bulls leans on upgrades and Fallows in Canada

Racing Bulls heads to the Canadian Grand Prix with what it called “cautious optimism,” using Montreal to roll out the second phase of its 2026 upgrade plan and put new technical director Dan Fallows on track for the first time as it tries to recover from a costly weekend in Miami.

The immediate priority is to get back into the points after Miami ended the team’s run of three straight scoring weekends in Australia, China and Japan. Liam Lawson retired early there after a gearbox defect led to a collision with Pierre Gasly, leaving Racing Bulls empty-handed for the first time in that stretch.

Montreal is central to the response. The team introduced the first part of its development package at the previous race after delaying it from Bahrain, with that initial update focused on the underfloor and rear of the car. Canada brings the next tranche of planned changes, with Racing Bulls saying the engineering group stayed on schedule despite the longer gap between races.

That matters because the midfield picture has become tighter. Alpine made a significant step in Miami, moving ahead of Haas and Racing Bulls with the help of a major update package and strong Mercedes engine performance. Haas is also bringing new parts to Montreal after holding back on further development in Miami for budget reasons, increasing the pressure on Racing Bulls to make its own package count.

In pre-weekend team comments, Racing Bulls technical director Tim Goss said preparation since Miami “has gone well.” He added: “We are bringing the next phase of the early-season aerodynamic updates and we are confident that this will allow us to consolidate our performance to fight for points.”

Montreal also carries broader weight inside the team. Fallows, who was appointed technical director in April, will work trackside for Racing Bulls for the first time this weekend. His debut at the circuit comes as part of a wider restructuring that the team says extends beyond personnel changes into infrastructure and its longer-term direction, making this weekend an early measure of whether Racing Bulls can turn development progress into renewed midfield momentum.