Verstappen ‘Excited’ as Red Bull Unleash Major Upgrade Package at Austrian GP

Verstappen Eyes Lap Time Gains as Red Bull’s Biggest 2026 Upgrade, the Red Bull Austrian GP upgrade, Arrives in Spielberg

Max Verstappen has expressed genuine excitement ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, as Red Bull bring what is shaping up to be their most significant upgrade package of the 2026 Formula 1 season to the Red Bull Ring. After a difficult start to the new regulatory era, the four-time world champion is keen to see just how much performance the Milton Keynes squad can extract from the new parts.

“Austria is of course a home Grand Prix for the team,” Verstappen said. “It’s been a great track for me in the past, and we have had really good memories there.

We have a new package we are bringing, so it is exciting to see how much this could look to give us in lap time. We are looking forward to see what we can do at the Red Bull Ring.”

The Scale of Red Bull’s Austria Package

Red Bull Racing is ready to unleash what is expected to be its biggest upgrade package since the Miami Grand Prix at its home race in Austria this weekend. The components of the package are shrouded in secrecy, with the only leak suggesting that no single area of the car has been left untouched. Sources indicate that the second major wave of innovations focused primarily on weight reduction, with estimates suggesting Red Bull started the 2026 season carrying an extra 12 kilograms over their rivals.

One of the potential gains the Austrian package can deliver is further weight reduction, as Red Bull is still understood to be above the minimum weight allowed by the regulations. The Miami package also featured weight-saving measures, and the team’s technical director Pierre Wache had stated that the plan was to reach the minimum weight of 768kg with the Austrian package.

Red Bull is planning to bring a major upgrade package not only to improve the car’s aerodynamic performance, but also to make it lighter, which will have a big impact on the car’s handling. This dual focus on aero and ballast could prove transformative for the RB22, a car that has shown track-dependent performance swings throughout 2026. For more context on how rivals are also pushing hard this weekend, see our piece on Ferrari Plans Second ADUO Turbo Upgrade After Summer Break as Austrian GP Power Push Begins.

Mekies Urges Caution — But Charts a Clear Trajectory

Despite the optimism in the Verstappen camp, team principal Laurent Mekies has been careful to manage expectations. “Our next big one is in Austria, but it’s only as good as the real lap time on the track it brings. Everyone in Milton Keynes has been working very hard for that package, and there is no doubt that the Austrian package alone will not be enough. We know we’ll have some further steps needed, but what is important is that it’s on that continuous closing-the-gap trajectory that we have been on since post-Japan, that we continue to get closer, that we don’t talk anymore about four-tenths, but hopefully about a lot less.”

Context: A Season of Struggle and Incremental Gains

After a tough start to the season, Red Bull has been making small gains since introducing its first major raft of updates in Miami, with Verstappen going on to secure third place in Canada and fourth in Barcelona, either side of a retirement in Monaco. After seven races of the sport’s new rules era, the former world champions sit fourth in the Constructors’ Championship on 89 points, their lowest total at this point of a season since 2015.

The RB22 performs at its best on the straights and in very slow-speed corners where mechanical grip is needed. However, the car is still suffering in the medium and high-speed corners, a limit that emerged in both Suzuka and Barcelona. The RB22 generates notably less downforce from the floor and bodywork compared to Ferrari and Mercedes. Our piece Are Ferrari Back? Six Key Talking Points for the Austrian GP explores just how much ground Red Bull need to claw back against the Scuderia this weekend.

Hadjar Also Relishing the Home Race Atmosphere

Rookie teammate Isack Hadjar is equally energised by the prospect of his debut at the team’s home venue. “Austria is a weekend I’ve been looking forward to for a while,” the Frenchman said. “It’s our home race, and it’ll be the first time that I get to experience an atmosphere like it driving for this team. Barcelona was a good indication of the progress we have made. We’re bringing a new package to Austria, and, as with any upgrade, the key objective will be to understand it and maximise its potential throughout the weekend. Hopefully it’ll take us closer to where we want to be.”

The wider Red Bull picture beyond the upgrade also remains in sharp focus. Verstappen’s Red Bull contract runs all the way to the end of 2028, although it has long been an open secret that the deal contains exit clauses along the way. With contract uncertainty lingering in the background, a topic we covered in depth in Red Bull vs Racing Bulls: Do Team Orders Claims Stack Up? the Austrian GP carries enormous symbolic weight for the entire organisation. For further reading on the broader paddock dynamics heading into Spielberg, don’t miss our analysis of Bottas Points to Key Factor Behind Hamilton’s Ferrari Revival Ahead of Austrian GP.

The Austrian Grand Prix weekend gets underway with practice on Friday, June 26, before qualifying on Saturday and the 71-lap race on Sunday, June 28. If the RB22’s new package delivers the step Red Bull are hoping for, it could mark a genuine turning point in the 2026 championship fight and the stopwatch at Spielberg will provide the most honest verdict yet.