Max Verstappen rejects Red Bull’s Mexico floor upgrade – Reverts to Monza spec for title run-in. Red Bull’s new floor update in Mexico faced issues with excessive bottoming.

Verstappen takes a step back

Red Bull has continued to introduce technical upgrades to reignite its championship challenge, but the new floor brought to Mexico failed to fully convince, partly due to excessive contact with the asphalt. This pushed Max Verstappen to step back and return to the Monza specification, while Yuki Tsunoda continues with the latest updates.

Red Bull has never stopped believing in its championship fight, even when the gap to the top exceeded 100 points. This is why it continued rolling out upgrades, aiming to boost the car’s performance and relaunch it into the battle for the front, with the goal of beating McLaren and keeping title hopes alive.

Development path

This journey has seen a turning point thanks to two decisive factors: behind-the-scenes work to better understand the car and upgrades introduced in recent months, from wings to the floor spec debuted at Monza. Red Bull discovered a way to make the car work at a reduced ride height, which complemented numerous adjustments to the front wings.

The Monza floor contributed significantly, forming the basis for subsequent developments. In Mexico, Red Bull brought a revised version with additional changes that, however, did not deliver the expected results, leading Verstappen to revert to the Monza floor.

Bottoming issues

In Mexico, the Dutchman reported a troublesome issue: at high-speed sections, the floor was touching the asphalt excessively, causing bottoming and destabilizing the car. The problem was most evident in qualifying, when drivers push to the limit and high cornering speeds generate more downforce and accentuate floor contact.

During the race, the car is heavier, and lower speeds in those same sections helped limit floor contact. This allowed Verstappen to regain balance and climb back to the podium. But excessive bottoming can be counterproductive, not only for floor wear—given Red Bull’s aim to run as low as possible—but also for stability.

The problem resurfaced in Brazil, particularly on Friday, when the car continued to hit the asphalt decisively in high-speed sections, affecting both driver confidence and cornering speed. For this reason, after the sprint race, Red Bull and Verstappen decided to step back, abandoning the Mexico updates and returning to the Monza floor.

Team strategy and driver preferences

Since then, the four-time world champion has not returned to the latest specification, and according to Paul Monaghan, this situation could remain unchanged until the end of the season. Max Verstappen has recently complained about drivability and ride height, particularly at the start of the weekend when Red Bull is still refining the setup, seeking a more stable platform.

“The differences are small, and if you have a used floor versus a new one, it’s almost equivalent to slightly revised geometry. Don’t forget that the floor we brought to Mexico was a reworked one, aimed at gaining a few extra kilos of downforce,” explained Red Bull’s chief engineer during the Las Vegas weekend.

“Now we’ve decided to split the two units between the drivers. We’re following what we consider the best setup for each driver, and it could very well continue this way until the end of the season,” Monaghan added, implying the arrangement will likely continue in upcoming races.

Track-specific factors

It’s worth noting that Brazil and Las Vegas are particularly sensitive to ride height, featuring numerous bumps. Conversely, Qatar has a much smoother surface, and bottoming may not occur with the same intensity. Additionally, at Lusail there will be the opportunity to adjust the setup after the sprint race based on collected data.

What’s clear is that the choice is linked to driver preference, especially Max Verstappen’s decision to abandon the Mexico floor in favor of the Monza spec. “It’s about driver preference; it’s a compromise: there’s a bit of circumstantial evidence, and that’s fine, we are where we are,” Monaghan explained.

Interestingly, while Max Verstappen reverted to the old floor, Yuki Tsunoda continued using the Mexico update. Red Bull cites driving preferences, but having one driver gather data on a different spec during the weekend is also a significant advantage.

For now, though, Max remains firmly on the Monza floor – proof that even when chasing every thousandth, driver feel and confidence still outweigh pure downforce numbers on paper.