Red Bull plotting major upgrade to solve key RB22 problem

The weight issue affecting the F1 cars on the 2026 grid have been known since the pre-season tests, caused primarily by the need to keep the battery’s dimensions and volume unchanged, or even slightly larger than in 2025, due to the increase in the percentage of electric power compared to last year. 

At the same time, teams have been tasked with being required to reduce the overall weight of the car to the new 2026 limit of 768kg. 

In fact, the challenge has been particularly complex for everyone, as teams have been forced to miniaturise components while simultaneously maintaining the same mechanical and safety characteristics. 

Among the cars that faced the greatest weight-related difficulties was the Red Bull RB22, which at the start of the season was reported to be more than 10kg over the minimum weight, and believed to even be around 13kg overweight during the Barcelona shakedown and Bahrain tests.

The successive updates to the car, starting with the complete redesign of the sidepod profile, which slopes toward the rear and features a very pronounced upper channel, were intended not only to improve the car’s aerodynamic performance but also to achieve substantial weight reduction through both a reduction in internal ducting and a redesign of the underbody components.

It is now understood that the RB22 of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar is around 6-8kg overweight. 

The engineers at the Milton Keynes team believe they can reduce this excess weight with the next evolution of the underbody, as well as through the redesign of certain components, which would allow for the use of thinner materials than those initially adopted. 

It is worth noting that weight reduction would have a direct impact on the vehicle’s dynamics; therefore, it is logical to expect that, with these new modifications, certain issues closely tied to the car’s dynamic response will also be alleviated. 

In essence, it is entirely plausible that, alongside weight reduction, setups that were previously unworkable could now be adopted, precisely because of the car’s altered weight distribution.

Therefore, some critical issues related to the car’s dynamics could be resolved simply by reducing weight, without the need to implement other changes—such as changes to the suspension. 

With a well-balanced car, without excessive weight transfer, it stands to reason that performance, especially in terms of tyre utilisation, could benefit Verstappen and Hadjar substantially. 

Likewise, energy management is another consequence. In other words, a lighter car, as obvious as it may seem, requires less energy on straights and allows for better maintenance of energy balance over the course of a lap.