F1 | Max Verstappen sticks to older setup as Red Bull RB21 upgrades falter. Max Verstappen rejects Red Bull’s latest upgrades after Mexico GP.

F1 | Did Red Bull overdo development? Verstappen rejects latest upgrades

Max Verstappen has decided to discard the latest upgrades introduced by Red Bull during the Mexico Grand Prix weekend. The Milton Keynes team has managed to completely turn the season around. Since returning from the summer break, Verstappen has consistently finished on the podium and reopened the world championship battle with four consecutive victories. This success has largely been thanks to the upgrades developed and implemented by Red Bull. However, the latest specifications fitted to the RB21 in Mexico reportedly did not satisfy the Dutch driver.

Laurent Mekies, the Team Principal of Red Bull, confirmed that all the work done on the current car will also be useful for the 2026 season. McLaren had previously accused the Austrian team of focusing too many resources on the 2025 championship, but Red Bull’s response was swift and decisive.

Max’s decision on the upgrades

The Mexico City weekend did not confirm the upward performance trend that Red Bull had established with upgrades brought from Monza onward. Car #1 initially appeared to struggle even in Brazil. On that occasion, ahead of a race that would later finish in third place starting from the pit lane, Max decided to revert to the previous floor configuration.

The changes introduced in Mexico made the car less stable, to the point of becoming difficult to drive even in Max Verstappen’s hands. Paul Monaghan, Red Bull’s Chief Engineer, provided some insight on the upgrades introduced by the team: “It was a revised floor that we brought in, aiming to gain a few kilos of downforce. Now we have decided to split the two units between the two drivers,” he said during the Las Vegas weekend, as reported by Motorsport.com.

Currently, Max is running the Monza-spec configuration, while Yuki Tsunoda is relying on the updated floor: “We are following what we believe is best for the drivers, and we should continue this approach until the end of the season”.

The first garage photos and onboard shots from Lusail this weekend will confirm whether Red Bull stick with the split-spec approach for the final two rounds, or whether both cars revert to the floor that Max Verstappen trusts as he tries to hunt down the McLaren duo in the Drivers’ standings.