Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Max Verstappen gave the clearest sign yet of Red Bull’s response to its difficult start to 2026 when he completed the team’s full 200 km filming-day allocation at Silverstone in an RB22 carrying multiple visible changes ahead of Miami.
The closed session on Wednesday, 22 April came 10 days before Formula 1 returns from its five-week break, and leaked images suggested Red Bull was not evaluating a single tweak but a broader package. The most obvious changes were at the front and along the side of the car, where the RB22 appeared with a new front wing and revised sidepods.
The front wing showed endplate elements that were not on the car in the opening rounds and are widely used across the grid to help control downward turbulence. Further back, the sidepods appeared to adopt a different profile, replacing the earlier smoother line with a sharper kink through the mid-body, while the upper bodywork also seemed to drop more aggressively toward the floor.
Changes also appeared at the rear. Red Bull looked to be experimenting with a new rear wing and a different pivot point or activation system for the moving element, an area seen as offering significant development potential. Other reported areas of revision included the underfloor, engine cover and shark-fin section.
That matters because Red Bull’s early deficit has been linked less to outright power-unit performance than to the RB22 itself. According to various sources in the paddock, Verstappen has been hindered by chassis and aerodynamic weaknesses, with about 10 kg of extra weight, low downforce, suspension problems and a poor launch system all cited as factors in his worst start to a Red Bull season since 2017.
A filming day is not a full test, with teams limited to 200 km and required to use non-official Pirelli tyres, but it remains a useful first check between wind-tunnel work and track behaviour. Red Bull used one of its two permitted seasonal filming days for the Silverstone run, and Verstappen completed the full distance as the team gathered its first track information on the new parts.
The timing also opens another possibility beyond aerodynamics. Red Bull may have used the day to explore power-unit energy-management changes discussed by the FIA, teams and engine manufacturers on 20 April, including battery-management and superclipping adjustments that are expected to come into force from the next race in Miami unless there is a late reversal in the official vote.
For Verstappen, the significance is straightforward. Red Bull needed a meaningful step before racing resumes, and Silverstone suggested the team is trying to address several RB22 weaknesses at once in the hope of turning Miami into the point where its season begins to change.