Revealed: The function of Red Bull’s extensive Miami F1 upgrade

Red Bull was one of several teams who arrived at the Miami Grand Prix last weekend with a substantial upgrade after a five-week break.

While there was focus on the 'Macarena' wing on the RB22, most of the attention was given to the new design of the sidepods, as that is precisely where the most radical changes of the upgrade package were located.

The new upper profile of the sidepods, sloping and featuring an upper air duct that directs airflow toward the rear of the car represents quite a turnaround in the RB22's aerodynamic concept compared to the first version.

In fact, the shape of the sidepods had already been modified during the Japanese Grand Prix, but the final version was introduced in Miami. 

A characteristic of this version is the large area of increased pressure at the rear of the car. 

The concept is somewhat similar to that of Aston Martin's 2024 and 2025 car, but the new sidepods on the RB22 are clearly integrated differently into the car's already existing aerodynamics.

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The aerodynamics of the car show that the internal packaging has been modified to make this configuration work better. 

In doing so, the engine cover has been formed particularly tightly around the power unit. 

This was very visible in Miami. Due to the hot and humid climate, Red Bull made use of an additional vent for the area where the power source is located. 

But this has a dual function. On the one hand, this large, arched vent obviously has the task of dissipating heat. On the other hand, it makes it possible to better direct the airflow that runs along the bodywork and through the air duct over the sidepods toward the rear of the car.

The use of the warm airflow at the exhaust also helps to better control the thin layer of air flowing along the rear of the bodywork, creating additional downforce.

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The RB22's performance seems markedly improved from the first three races, as the performance gap with the top teams in terms of pure speed has roughly halved. 

Much of that progress is due to the major overhaul of the sidepods, which has helped solve a car that initially struggled with serious and difficult-to-correct balance problems.

Although not all of the problems have been solved yet, it is fair to say that Red Bull has chosen a clear development direction. 

If the upward trend is continued in the coming races, the team could once again compete for podiums and victories.