Toto Wolff shares opinion on 'big surprise' from Red Bull

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted his surprise at the scale of Red Bull's performance leap at the Miami Grand Prix, describing the Milton Keynes squad's progress as the standout development of the weekend.

Red Bull introduced seven updates to the RB22 in Florida, including their interpretation of Ferrari's "Macarena" rear wing, which propelled Max Verstappen from midfield obscurity to genuine front-running pace.

The four-time world champion qualified on the front row alongside Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli for the grand prix and collected a pair of fifth-place finishes across the sprint and main race, a marked improvement on a difficult opening to the season.

Whilst Red Bull's resurgence caught the paddock off guard, McLaren's progress was anticipated by Mercedes. Lando Norris claimed sprint pole before the Woking team secured a 1-2 finish in the shorter race.

The reigning drivers' champion continued his strong form in the grand prix, finishing second, with Oscar Piastri completing the podium in third as he pushed Antonelli throughout.

"We're only at the beginning of this new regulation cycle, and the development curve is very steep, so we expected McLaren, with a significant update package, to gain even half a second," Wolff told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I have to say that Red Bull was a big surprise because they made a huge step forward, going from more than a second behind the leader to being right there at the front, fighting with Verstappen."

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed the significance of the upgrade, revealing the team had arrived in Japan and China over a second adrift of pole position.

"We left Japan 1.2 seconds away from pole, China 1.0 seconds away from pole," Mekies told media, including RacingNews365.

"So to see us this weekend qualifying six tenths away from pole on Friday and less than two tenths away from pole on Saturday is a big indication of the size of our progress."

Wolff acknowledged the fluctuating competitive picture, adding: "We'll also bring developments in Canada, but I think it's normal, throughout this year, to see performances change from race to race."