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How Red Bull Is Fighting the Overweight Car Challenge Head-On
Highlights
- Red Bull struggles with RB22 car balance and handling issues.
- Car is 6-7 kg above 768 kg minimum, affecting lap times.
- Weight reductions expected by Austrian Grand Prix in late June.
- Kerb handling remains problematic, challenging performance at circuits.
- Team aims to reduce risks by improving car balance and pace.
- Red Bull optimistic fixes can come during 2026 season.
Red Bull enters the 2026 season managing a complicated RB22, with balance and handling inconsistencies hindering Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. The priority is closing the gap to Mercedes quickly and safely.
Team principal Laurent Mekies says the group has been wrestling to decode the car’s behaviour, particularly while introducing updates around Miami. Simpler fixes are now the first route to gains.
There are flashes of pace. Verstappen started on the front row in Miami and reached the podium in Canada. The sustained deficit remains, however, and weight stands out as the dominant constraint.
RB22 is 6–7 kg over the 768 kg minimum, costing roughly two tenths per lap.
Red Bull trimmed mass before Miami and targets further reduction by the Austrian Grand Prix. The programme is part of its broader 2026 car development push.
Approaching minimum weight allows smarter ballast placement, improving balance, ride quality, and tyre management. That should bring more predictable performance, especially on tracks that punish poor kerb usage.
Weight reductions targeted by Austria are critical to unlocking set-up freedom and consistency.
Until baseline pace improves, the team accepts higher-risk set-up choices to chase laptime. That strategy can backfire, as seen with Verstappen’s qualifying struggles in Canada when balance windows narrowed.
Mekies: We take risks when we do not have the balance or the pace.
Those experiments help separate qualifying bite from race durability, but the goal is to reduce reliance on extremes. Context from the ongoing Red Bull F1 debate underlines how narrow margins shape such choices.
Kerb and bump compliance remains a recurring weak point. Canada exposed it again, and Monaco-type venues will punish it. Fixes are possible, but they must avoid sacrificing outright performance.
Mekies remains optimistic meaningful improvements can arrive this year. Internal reviews linked to the potential concession conflict reflect how Red Bull frames these trade-offs within the rules.
Several fundamentals are already addressed, with more expected through mid-season. Cutting mass and improving kerb handling are central to closing Mercedes. The team’s title history underpins confidence in incremental, data-led progress.
Visual Summary
Start of season
Target
+0.2s
per lap lost
to excess weight
to excess weight
6–7 kg overweight
vs FIA 2026 minimum
(768 kg)
(768 kg)
Balance: ❌
Aggressive setups
= Unpredictable handling
= Unpredictable handling
Red Bull’s Climb: Can they shed weight
and catch Mercedes?
and catch Mercedes?
What’s the fix?
Lighter, smarter…
Simpler upgrades, smarter ballast and gentler setups promise better handling and speed.
But every kg matters. With each step forward, the RB22 inches closer to the summit — and Mercedes at the top.
Lighter, smarter…
Simpler upgrades, smarter ballast and gentler setups promise better handling and speed.
But every kg matters. With each step forward, the RB22 inches closer to the summit — and Mercedes at the top.
⚖️
Kerbs & bumps remain the joker: fixable, but only if pace isn’t sacrificed.
Kerbs & bumps remain the joker: fixable, but only if pace isn’t sacrificed.
“We’re wrestling with the car.”
— Laurent Mekies
— Laurent Mekies
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.
