Verstappen gets first look at much-discussed Red Bull update

If the signs don’t deceive, the RB22 of Verstappen and teammate Isack Hadjar will look quite different at the upcoming race in Austria compared to the last one near Barcelona. Team boss Laurent Mekies confirmed to GPblog last weekend that the car will at least become significantly lighter. In Formula 1, the general rule is that the less weight a car carries, the faster it tends to be. Red Bull is hoping the update delivers a significant performance gain.

It will surely take Verstappen a while to get used to how the car behaves on track. He may get an initial feel for it during a simulator session. Verstappen is known to normally travel to Milton Keynes before every Grand Prix to use the simulator and work on the race setup. Although it’s not certain why Verstappen is in the British town this Thursday, it’s safe to assume that a run in the simulator is high on his to-do list.

Red Bull Racing is currently working hard on further upgrade packages for the RB22. The expectation is that new features will be on the car before the summer break, although it probably won’t be as large a package as for the Red Bull Ring.

Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing would very much like to hear from Verstappen what he plans to do after the current season. The Dutchman spoke last week with the leadership of Red Bull GmbH — the parent company of the race team — where he was reportedly urged to commit to the outfit. Verstappen, however, has not pledged to drive for Red Bull beyond 2026.

In the coming weeks, it will become clear whether Verstappen will still give his yes to Red Bull Racing. Much (if not everything) will depend on the development curve the Austrians manage to achieve in the weeks ahead. Should Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren pull further away from Red Bull, the decision to move on will likely be easier than if the Austrians manage to shrink — or even close — the current gap.