Red Bull makes call on Verstappen's upgrade package for Australia

12:11, 27 Feb

byLudo van Denderen

Red Bull Racing’s RB22 will not undergo a massive makeover for the Australian Grand Prix. The car with which Max Verstappen and his new teammate Isack Hadjar tested in Bahrain is, broadly speaking, the machine for the race in Melbourne.

It is expected that some teams (possibly Aston Martin, ed.) will arrive in Australia with a car that bears little resemblance to the one that ran during the final test in Bahrain. There are also a few outfits, such as McLaren, that have already indicated they will not introduce major changes.

Red Bull Racing belongs to that second category, GPblog understands. Undoubtedly there will be new parts here and there on Verstappen’s car, but it won’t be a dramatic change. The car the four-time world champion lines up with is essentially the one that was extensively tested.

The RB22 of Max Verstappen - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Development race in full swing

That’s not to say the RB22 will remain virtually the same throughout the season. Over the coming period, teams will learn more and more about the new generation of Formula 1 cars, which means a significant development race will take place. The cars in Melbourne will be far from identical to the machines running on international circuits even a month or two from now.

Budgets are not unlimited, so (especially early on) sharp choices must be made, as spending your entire budget right away is not smart either.