Red Bull’s RB22 has emerged as Formula 1’s new technical benchmark, potentially overtaking the Mercedes W17 after a remarkable turnaround driven by weight reduction and aerodynamic upgrades. Max Verstappen has returned to winning form with consecutive Grand Prix victories, while the developments introduced in Baku have transformed the competitive balance heading into the final stages of the 2026 season.
Red Bull’s resurgence is particularly significant because Mercedes dominated much of the championship with a superior power unit, an excellent chassis and competitive aerodynamics. Yet the Milton Keynes team has reversed a difficult development trend, overcoming the loss of several prominent engineers and turning a car that initially appeared compromised into a genuine reference point for its rivals.
Red Bull RB22 challenges Mercedes as the 2026 development battle intensifies
Those who predicted that in-season development would play a decisive role in the outcome of the 2026 Formula 1 championship were not far wrong. Kimi Antonelli could mathematically secure the Drivers’ World Championship at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, with five races still remaining.
That would not be a record. Michael Schumacher secured the 2002 title with the Ferrari F2002 at the French Grand Prix in Magny-Cours, when six races were still to be contested. The Bologna-born driver has won eight of the 17 Grands Prix held so far, capitalising on the technical superiority of the Mercedes W17. Particularly during the opening part of the championship, Mercedes dominated thanks to a clear power-unit advantage combined with an excellent chassis and effective aerodynamics. Unlike Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren, which have attempted to spread their developments across frequent upgrade packages, Mercedes concentrated its most substantial changes into a few specific moments. The first major update arrived in Canada, followed by a smaller package in Belgium and another development step in Azerbaijan.
The low-downforce package introduced at Spa-Francorchamps failed to impress Toto Wolff’s drivers and was not used again at Monza. Meanwhile, the upgrade that appeared in Baku had not initially been part of Mercedes’ development plans. The technical group led by James Allison and Simone Resta decided to bring forward certain concepts originally intended for 2027. The objective was to contain what had appeared during the summer to be the beginning of a McLaren comeback, following Lando Norris’s victories in Hungary and the Netherlands.
McLaren struggles with MCL40 upgrades as Red Bull makes decisive progress
McLaren, however, appears to have lost its development direction with the latest update to the MCL40. The package changed the car’s aerodynamic philosophy through newly designed, more deeply sculpted sidepods, combined with revisions to the floor, bargeboards and engine cover.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have complained that the McLaren has become more difficult to drive, increasing the risk of mistakes when attempting to extract its maximum performance.
Red Bull has moved in precisely the opposite direction. Since the Italian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has scored more points than any other driver, collecting 109. Kimi Antonelli follows with 98 points, ahead of Charles Leclerc on 60, George Russell on 55 and Lewis Hamilton on 46. McLaren’s struggling pairing has managed only 42 points with Lando Norris and 32 with Oscar Piastri.
The four-time world champion has produced an impressive sequence of podium finishes. Max Verstappen finished third at Monza before taking second place at both Madring and Baku, then returned to victory at Sepang and Singapore. The upward trajectory accelerated with the introduction of Red Bull’s latest upgrade package in Azerbaijan. While McLaren’s MCL40 development appears to have taken the team in the wrong direction, Red Bull has found an effective technical solution.
A substantial reduction in weight has been central to the transformation. The RB22 began the season more than 15kg overweight, a disadvantage estimated to cost at least half a second per lap. Combined with aerodynamic development, the weight reduction has allowed Red Bull to achieve a much better balance, enabling Max Verstappen to win two consecutive Grands Prix and a Sprint race.
Why the Red Bull RB22 is now considered Formula 1’s technical benchmark
Red Bull currently represents the new technical benchmark in Formula 1, and George Russell has acknowledged the change in the competitive order.
The performance advantage over Mercedes can now be measured on track. Mercedes attempted to respond with an upgrade that did not immediately deliver the expected results, although the package is believed to contain approximately three tenths of a second of untapped performance. It is plausible that Mercedes brought forward solutions originally intended for an early version of the 2027 W18.
Kimi Antonelli tested an entirely new front wing during a couple of runs in the opening free practice session at Singapore. However, the component was subsequently put aside, with its introduction instead planned for Austin.
Ferrari will also bring the final evolution of its SF-26 for the 2026 season to the United States Grand Prix. The Maranello team hopes the package will deliver the performance improvement required to challenge for a third victory this year, making Ferrari’s upcoming Austin upgrades another important development in the fight at the front.
Red Bull, meanwhile, can rely on the valuable balance it has discovered. That improvement is helping Max Verstappen maximise the RB22’s potential while also giving Isack Hadjar opportunities to achieve strong results.
Laurent Mekies believes Red Bull can win on different circuits
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has made no attempt to conceal his confidence in the team’s current competitiveness.
“We can win anywhere,” the Frenchman admitted. “But the others will continue developing. We had the speed needed to fight for victory, and the circuits [Sepang and Singapore] are sufficiently different from each other to suggest that the car can also be competitive on other types of track. That is what we believe too, considering what we have demonstrated.”
The results at Sepang and Singapore are particularly encouraging because the two circuits place different demands on a Formula 1 car. Red Bull’s ability to perform strongly at both venues suggests that its recent gains are not restricted to a single circuit configuration.
Red Bull’s power-unit achievement adds to the RB22 turnaround
Red Bull has also succeeded in taking its debut power unit to the top of Formula 1, reaching that level by the 16th Grand Prix of the season.
When Red Bull first entered Formula 1, the energy drinks company was regarded as an outsider. Yet the team went on to build championship-winning cars through the engineering brilliance of Adrian Newey, outperforming some of the automotive industry’s most established manufacturers.
Under the 2026 regulations, Red Bull has taken another major step by becoming a power-unit manufacturer in its own right.
Its DM01 engine, developed in collaboration with Ford, was immediately recognised by the FIA as the benchmark for the internal combustion component of the new six-cylinder power units. That reference level was used to determine which rival manufacturers would qualify for Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities, known as ADUO. Red Bull’s recruitment of Ben Hodgkinson and other engineers from Mercedes’ Brixworth operation brought valuable experience into its new power-unit programme. The achievement represents a remarkable technical accomplishment for a manufacturer making its debut under the new regulations.
Although the RB22 began the season with significant weaknesses, it has now become the car to beat, revealing performance characteristics that remained hidden for too long.
Max Verstappen targets George Russell as Red Bull closes on McLaren
Max Verstappen’s resurgence has also reopened the possibility of a late challenge for second place in the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship standings. George Russell is now only 17 points ahead of the Dutchman.
Red Bull also has an opportunity to move ahead of McLaren into third place in the Constructors’ Championship, with just seven points separating the two teams.
Earlier in the season, it appeared that Red Bull had misjudged the requirements of Formula 1’s new technical regulations. One possible explanation was that too much development time had been devoted to the team’s final ground-effect car during the closing stages of 2025, when it was still pursuing Lando Norris. That effort may have diverted valuable resources away from the RB22 project. Nevertheless, the technical group led by Pierre Waché has now rediscovered a successful development direction.
Red Bull is also approaching another important milestone in its technical infrastructure. The team is completing a new wind tunnel at Milton Keynes, which will replace the ageing Bedford facility originally built in the 1940s.
With its latest car now setting the pace, an increasingly competitive power unit and modernised facilities on the horizon, Red Bull appears well positioned to remain an aggressive force in Formula 1’s development battle.
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