Red Bull has not stopped investing in the RB22, with a new Formula 1 upgrade package arriving for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. The latest developments focus primarily on the floor and bodywork, with the aim of widening the car’s operating window and giving Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar a more manageable and consistent package.
There is also a longer-term objective behind the work. Red Bull wants to deepen its understanding of Formula 1’s new technical regulations and transfer the lessons learned with the RB22 into its 2027 project, even as an increasing proportion of the team’s resources in Milton Keynes is redirected towards next season.
Red Bull RB22 Baku upgrades focus again on the floor
Once again, Red Bull has concentrated much of its development work on the floor, which remains the most important aerodynamic component of the current generation of Formula 1 cars. Some of the changes are hidden underneath the RB22, including revisions to the diffuser, while the modifications to the lateral edge of the floor are more visible from the outside.
The team has revised the forward section immediately beneath the cascade of horizontal aerodynamic profiles, with the intention of increasing airflow extraction in that area.
Changes have also been made ahead of the rear wheels, where Red Bull has introduced a new arrangement of airflow-generating elements. Their purpose is to suppress the vortices created by the rotating tyres and energise the airflow travelling beneath the floor.
The objective is to make the underfloor aerodynamics more stable and effective, helping Red Bull address a car that has proved particularly sensitive to changes in balance and operating conditions during the season.
Red Bull narrows the RB22 sidepods again
Red Bull has also returned to the sidepod area, making the bodywork slightly narrower. Since the beginning of the year, the team has repeatedly altered the width of the sidepods while searching for the best compromise between directing airflow towards the diffuser and protecting the floor from external turbulence.
The cooling-panel configuration has consequently been revised to work with the new sidepod geometry. Around the cockpit, meanwhile, the rear-view mirror supports have been changed, while two small vortex generators have appeared on the halo.
The continuous aerodynamic refinement reflects Red Bull’s determination to improve a package that remains highly sensitive despite the progress made during the season. Max Verstappen continues to be central to the team’s development direction, with further coverage available in the Max Verstappen section.
Monza floor change also forms part of Red Bull development path
The Baku package also provides an opportunity to examine another update introduced at the Italian Grand Prix. At Monza, Red Bull changed the leading edge of the flat floor around the keel beneath the cockpit, introducing a serrated section.
That detail fits into the wider development programme pursued throughout the year, with Red Bull repeatedly making small changes to individual areas of the RB22 rather than relying solely on a small number of major upgrade packages.
Red Bull targets a wider operating window for Verstappen and Hadjar
Overall, Red Bull is continuing an approach that has often characterised its development programmes in previous seasons: introducing relatively small but frequent updates at many Grands Prix.
The latest changes in Baku are intended to reduce some of the RB22’s most troublesome characteristics. The car has proved difficult to balance and can easily fall outside its ideal operating window, making it harder for Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar to extract consistent performance.
By improving airflow stability around the floor, diffuser and sidepods, Red Bull is attempting to make the car more predictable across a wider variety of conditions rather than simply chasing a peak aerodynamic figure.
Red Bull increasingly turns attention towards its 2027 F1 car
Further major development packages before the end of the season now appear unlikely, however, because Red Bull has already redirected a significant proportion of its resources towards the 2027 project.
The work being completed on the RB22 still has value beyond the immediate performance gains. Understanding how the car responds to different floor geometries, bodywork configurations and airflow-management solutions can provide useful knowledge for the next Red Bull project under the same generation of Formula 1 regulations.
The team’s longer-term planning is also becoming increasingly defined. Max Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until at least 2030, giving Milton Keynes a clear reference point around which to develop its future cars.
For now, however, the RB22 remains an active development project. Baku represents another attempt to make the car easier to balance and more forgiving for Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, while simultaneously gathering information that could prove valuable when Red Bull turns its full attention towards 2027.
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