Red Bull's Austrian GP Upgrade Hit by Engine Issues and Balance Struggles in Practice

Red Bull's crucial RB22 upgrade delivered a frustrating Friday in Austria, as Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar battled a mysterious engine glitch and poor balance at the Red Bull Ring. Verstappen finished fourth in both sessions but trailed pace-setter Kimi Antonelli by over half a second, leaving the team with a busy night before qualifying.

Why it matters:

The Austrian GP update is key to Red Bull's bid to slash a four-to-five-tenths deficit to the leaders. Team principal Laurent Mekies hopes to narrow that to two or three tenths, but Friday's struggles show the team must first fix fundamental drivability issues before unlocking the package's potential.

The details:

• Turn 3 engine glitch: Verstappen reported the power unit was losing revs at the apex of Turn 3, creating a "hit-and-miss" delay on throttle that caused wheelspin on exit. Technical director Pierre Wache confirmed an engine management issue is the root cause.
• Setup reset: Red Bull introduced the major upgrade—including a revised floor, sidepods and weight reduction—all at once, shifting the car's characteristics and rendering previous setup data less relevant.
• Balance woes: Hadjar described the handling as non-linear, with the rears "grabbing and locking up" and forcing drivers to guess grip levels. He noted the car felt easier to drive in FP2 but remained well outside the ideal window.
• Junior team link: Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad revealed the sister team has faced similar engine issues for some time, marking the first time it has affected the senior squad.

What's next:

Despite the gloomy Friday, Red Bull is convinced the package is a step forward in weight and downforce once balanced correctly. Engineers face a critical overnight effort to fix the engine behavior and find a workable setup before qualifying reveals the upgrade's true value.