Red Bull take lead in last-gasp F1 upgrades push

Red Bull is one of only three F1 teams to roll out an upgrade ahead of the sport's final race before its summer shutdown.

The team has fallen behind rivals Ferrari and Mercedes in the battle for best-of-the-rest this season, behind runaway constructors' championship leaders McLaren, bearing in mind that every position means a considerable amount in prize money.

Given the push for 2026 and the new regulations, the upgrades will now start to become fewer and fewer as the season wears on.

For the Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull has modified the front wing and front corner of its RB21. The wing element is to aid local load performance specific to the Hungaroring.

Red Bull states that "given the expected rear wing level for the Hungaroring circuit, a longer chord second element for the front wing flap has been produced, adding load to the wing".

The change to the front corner, which incorporates an enlarged and re-profiled scoop intake and exit duct, has been designed for reliability, to "offer more intake and exit areas to the wheel bodywork for increased brake cooling, the scoop can be larger than previous versions and the exit reprofiled to match the inlet".

Aston Martin also has a circuit-specific front wing. It states there is a "more aggressive design" that "increases the total amount of load the wing can generate to be used with the higher downforce rear wing that will be used at this event".

The Racing Bulls cars, meanwhile, have a new front corner. Specifically, the shape of the front brake drum components has been modified to improve the flow conditioning of the air passing towards the rear of the car.

In addition, there are also circuit-specific cooling louvres, given the fact that the high temperatures at the Hungaroring mean there is a need for the louvre panels to be enlarged to increase engine cooling.

The remaining seven teams - McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams, Haas, Alpine, and Sauber - have presented no updates.