How Red Bull’s upgrades unlocked Verstappen’s winning form

Red Bull’s resurgence began before Max Verstappen’s victories at Sepang and Singapore. The decisive intervention arrived in Baku, where a coordinated aerodynamic package gave the RB22 something its driver had spent much of 2026 chasing: predictable performance.

“It's just been more driveable and more predictable,” he said after his first Singapore Grand Prix victory.

A clearer path for the airflow

The Baku upgrade package combined changes to the floor, diffuser and sidepods. Their relationship matters more than any individual component.

Red Bull reshaped the sidepods into a taller, slimmer profile, accommodating the internal hardware while opening additional space above the floor edges. That creates a wider passage for airflow travelling towards the rear wheels.

Further forward, a vertical extension ahead of the floor-board vanes follows a direction pioneered by Ferrari. Its likely purpose is to better manage the turbulent wake from the front tyres, reducing interference with the airflow along the floor.

Cleaner airflow gives the downstream surfaces more scope to generate useful load.

Why the diffuser matters

The additional space ahead of the rear wheels appears to have enabled revised tyre-squirt slots and a diffuser with a gentler ramp, using more of the volume permitted by the regulations.

An expanded diffuser can increase aerodynamic performance, but only if the airflow remains attached. At lower speeds, when airflow weakens and ride heights increase, an overly ambitious shape risks losing effectiveness.

The revised geometry suggests Red Bull has improved that compromise: maintaining low-speed airflow attachment while allowing stronger performance through faster corners.

That offers a plausible explanation for the RB22’s improved consistency across different corner types.

More freedom over wing settings

Efficient underfloor downforce also creates opportunities elsewhere. Because it generally carries a smaller drag penalty than load generated by upper-body surfaces, engineers can trade the gain for more straight-line speed or greater cornering performance.

The RB22’s strong showing at Sepang demonstrated the value of that flexibility.

Verstappen has also acknowledged progress with the Red Bull Powertrains power unit, another factor that can broaden the available aerodynamic choices. Singapore then brought a modest front-wing revision to complement the wider package.

The significance of Red Bull’s recovery lies in its breadth. Success at Sepang and Marina Bay suggests the team has made performance more accessible across contrasting demands. For Verstappen, the reward is a car whose limits he can approach with greater confidence.