Red Bull’s Miami leap shocks Wolff and rivals

Toto Wolff said Red Bull was the standout surprise of the Miami Grand Prix weekend after the team’s latest upgrade package transformed the RB22 from a car that had been more than a second off the pace into one capable of fighting at the front with Max Verstappen.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Mercedes team principal said McLaren’s step forward had been expected in the early phase of Formula 1’s new rules cycle, but Red Bull’s jump had not. “We’re only at the beginning of this new regulation cycle, and the development curve is very steep, so we expected McLaren, with a significant update package, to gain even half a second,” Wolff said. “I have to say that Red Bull was a big surprise because they made a huge step forward, going from more than a second behind the leader to being right there at the front, fighting with Verstappen.”

That change was backed up by the scale of Red Bull’s work in Miami. The team brought seven updates to the RB22, including revised sidepods, a new floor and its version of Ferrari’s “Macarena” rear wing. Verstappen then qualified on the front row alongside Kimi Antonelli and finished fifth in both the sprint and the grand prix, a result Red Bull felt did not fully reflect the car’s pace.

The contrast with the team’s recent form was stark. Laurent Mekies, Red Bull team principal, said the team had left Japan 1.2 seconds away from pole and China 1.0 seconds adrift. One summary of Suzuka described Verstappen finishing only eighth there after being stuck behind Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, underlining how far Red Bull had moved in a short space of time.

Red Bull’s technical director Pierre Waché told Motorsport.com the package had worked as intended. “Yes, it delivered what we expected,” he said. Waché added that solving a steering system problem also released extra performance because it allowed Verstappen to “explore more the car.” Miami also marked a reduction in the RB22’s excess weight from 12 kg to 6 kg.

For Wolff, the size of Red Bull’s gain was another sign that the competitive order remains unstable under the 2026 regulations. Mercedes is also preparing updates for Canada, while Red Bull is not expecting another major step immediately. “We’ll also bring developments in Canada, but I think it’s normal, throughout this year, to see performances change from race to race,” Wolff said. Waché, looking ahead for Red Bull, said the team expected only “a small step for Montreal.”