Red Bull backed to be the new twist in Austria amid upgrade push

The former Formula 1 driver, previewing the race weekend, pointed to the Austrian outfit’s planned upgrades as a potentially decisive factor at their home event. Montoya believes the latest developments could significantly improve the car’s performance around Spielberg.

Speaking via a gambling platform, Montoya praised Red Bull’s overall progress, noting their strength in power unit performance while also hinting that further upgrades are likely on the way.

"What will be the next twist? A competitive Red Bull. Red Bull has done a really good job; they have the best engine. Apparently, they'll significantly lighten the car for Austria. It will be a crucial move, and I assume some updates will follow,” he said.

The Red Bull Racing outfit heads into its home race weekend with a major upgrade package for the RB22, with team principal Laurent Mekies confirming in a previous conversation with GPBlog that the car will feature a lighter and more aerodynamically efficient specification in Spielberg.

While Montoya expects Red Bull to emerge as a wildcard in Austria, former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has offered a more cautious assessment of the weekend’s competitive picture. Marko, who concluded his long-standing Formula 1 involvement after the 2025 season, outlined several possible scenarios for how the weekend could unfold at the Red Bull Ring.

Speaking to Austrian outlet Kleine Zeitung, Marko suggested Mercedes could start as favourites, while also warning that reliability concerns with their power unit could again become a factor. He added that Austria often proves to be a key opportunity for performance gains through upgrades, potentially allowing Red Bull and Max Verstappen to close the gap if their own developments deliver.

“The new regulations clearly put Mercedes in the favourite's role. However, they've already had their second engine failure, which is unusual for them. Generally speaking, though, updates are certainly more effective at this stage of the regulations; you can gain five-tenths of a second in one go,” Marko explained.

“Red Bull is fielding a car at the weight limit for the first time, so they'll definitely be there. I hope Max can then be up front. Mercedes is the favourite, but the rest of the field is more than interesting,” he added.