Andrea Stella says Red Bull’s Miami upgrade pivots to a distinct sidepod concept, diverging from the directions pursued by Mercedes and Ferrari.

The observations come after Miami, where McLaren’s package delivered. Lando Norris won the Sprint and finished second in the Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri added second in the Sprint and third on Sunday, underlining McLaren’s progress amid a tightly packed field.

Stella frames this as a “very interesting phase” in design, with concepts diverging before an inevitable convergence later in the development cycle.

Red Bull’s RB22 arrived with reworked sidepods plus changes to the front wing, floor, and brake ducts, all targeting stability and response.

The package aims to enhance rear stability and sharpen front-end bite, improving balance through transients and corner-entry phases.

Early in the season, Red Bull’s pace under new regulations lags. The team totals 16 points across the first three rounds before Miami’s step resets expectations.

Geometrically, the sidepods reshape how the undercut and upper surface manage front-wheel wake and cooling massflow, influencing diffuser feed and beam-wing efficiency.

Such divergence forces rivals to reassess baselines under cost-cap and aerodynamic testing limits, slowing rapid copycat responses.

Stella expects further cross-pollination, with teams sampling features before committing to a stable architecture as correlation confidence improves.

McLaren’s trajectory reflects a broader turnaround, supported by a disciplined upgrade cadence and several clever tricks that preserve the car’s strengths while adding load efficiently.

Commercial and staffing momentum also matter, from an Intel sponsorship to a crucial technical signing that tightens the loop between windtunnel, CFD, and track.

The competitive spread remains narrow, so execution and correlation will decide whether Red Bull’s sidepod path becomes a template or stays concept-specific.

For now, Red Bull sets a fresh direction while McLaren benchmarks gains and decides which elements translate without compromising its package.

Visual Summary

James William

James William covers the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, from the Rolex 24 at Daytona to sprint-race formats. His reports include prototype performance reviews, GT class battles, and pit-stop strategy insights for endurance-racing fans.