Red Bull: Austrian upgrade alone won't close gap to Ferrari and Mercedes

Red Bull is preparing its second major upgrade of the 2026 season for the Austrian Grand Prix, but team principal Laurent Mekies has tempered expectations by admitting the package alone will not be enough to challenge Ferrari and Mercedes for victories. While the Milton Keynes squad hopes to further reduce a deficit that still sits around four-tenths per lap, Mekies acknowledges that multiple performance steps are still required across the chassis and power unit to truly fight at the front.

Why it matters:

• Ferrari's Barcelona upgrade propelled Lewis Hamilton to victory, underscoring how the 2026 development race is dramatically reshaping the pecking order with each new package.
• Red Bull has halved its gap to the frontrunners since the post-Japan phase, but it remains locked behind Mercedes and Ferrari on circuits featuring high and mid-speed corners.
• Under the current regulations, single upgrade packages are causing bigger performance swings than ever, leaving no room for teams to pause their development schedules.

The details:

• The Austrian package follows Miami's major sidepod redesign and rotary rear wing concept, with the team targeting the 768kg minimum weight limit.
• Mekies estimates Red Bull still needs roughly 0.4s per lap to challenge for wins, even after the gains delivered by its first upgrade.
• Barcelona exposed the RB22's weaknesses on long straights and through high-speed corners, leaving Max Verstappen fourth and 20 seconds behind race winner Lando Norris.
• Mekies praised Ferrari for a "very good step" and noted that Mercedes' early-season advantage is gradually fading as the competitive order tightens.

What's next:

• Red Bull aims to continue its steady upward trajectory in Austria, though Mekies insists the team must extract performance from every area—mid-speed corners, high-speed corners, and straight-line speed.
• Further upgrades beyond Austria will likely be necessary before Red Bull can realistically target victories against the resurgent Ferrari and Mercedes squads.