Red Bull tipped for podium contention in Austria as updates arrive

Isack Hadjar believes Red Bull can turn its season around at the Austrian Grand Prix, tipping the team for a podium finish at its home race after a challenging weekend in Barcelona. The Frenchman admitted the RB22 still suffers from high-speed weaknesses and poor starts, but he is optimistic that incoming updates will make a significant difference at the Red Bull Ring.

Why it matters:

Red Bull has endured a difficult 2026 campaign and remains adrift of the leading pack on certain track configurations. A strong result in Austria would not only validate the team's recent progress but also prove it can compete at the front on circuits that better suit its current package.

The details:

• Hadjar finished sixth in Spain only after Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc retired, and he was hampered by another sluggish getaway that he attributed to an overly complicated launch procedure.
• The Frenchman identified high-speed corner entries and general performance in faster corners as key areas where the RB22 is losing time to its rivals.
• Team principal Laurent Mekies admitted Barcelona was always going to be a tough test, but he noted the gap to pole has shrunk to around three or four tenths, a clear improvement from the start of the season.
• Mekies confirmed that Red Bull will bring a significant update package to Austria focused on shedding weight, explaining the team wants the car to "eat a little bit less" and get on a "diet."

What's next:

Austria represents a critical checkpoint for Red Bull's development trajectory. If the updates deliver the expected weight savings and the Red Bull Ring's layout masks some of the car's high-speed deficiencies, Hadjar's podium prediction could become reality. However, both driver and team principal acknowledge that chassis and power unit gaps remain, meaning consistent victories are still likely beyond reach for now.