Explained: How Red Bull’s revised floor will improve key RB21 flaw

Red Bull have explained how their updated floor should improve one of the main weaknesses of their 2025 F1 car.

In a bid to address the RB21’s balance issues and claw back performance to F1 frontrunners McLaren, Red Bull have arrived at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix with a revised floor design.

Speaking to media including Crash.net before Friday’s track action got underway in Miami, Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan revealed what the team is hoping to gain from what he described as being an “incremental” step in the right direction.

“It’s reasonable stable. We can bring it at relatively low-risk because it’s a sprint race,” Monaghan explained.

“It’s an opportunity to do it, we were able to do it. People worked really hard in the factory to put it on the car so we can enjoy the benefits.

“In our judgement of flow stability, it says the flow stability remains unchanged, so we are not fearing it to be aerodynamically unstable or anything of that nature.

“It can go on and it will give us a few kilos of load and we will enjoy the benefit.”

Monaghan said the updated floor - which will only be available to Max Verstappen in Miami - represents “one” of the keys to solving Red Bull’s current weakness.

“If you think of all the complaints we had out of Bahrain, we’ve addressed some. Have we done it wholly? Probably not? We will continue? Yes,” he continued.

“It won’t be a sort of turn key solution to unlock. It will be more incremental improvements on the car. We understand what’s happened but actually affecting a cure, it’s not that straightforward.

“It may never disappear from the car. Can we reduce the magnitude and improve the lap time? Yes. There’s a lot of incredible people at Milton Keynes working hard to improve and it will come.”

Asked if it is mainly medium-speed corners hampering the RB21, Monaghan said: “Mainly corners!

“Any time you have a change of speed when you hit the brakes and turn into the apex, everyone is going to get it. Then it’s just the magnitude that we argue over. It will come as incremental improvements and we’ll chip away and get quicker.”

More updates for Red Bull at Imola?

Monaghan was tight-lipped about rumours suggesting Red Bull will bring a further package of upgrades at the first European round of the season at Imola.

“I’m not going to confirm or deny any such rumours, you’ll have to wait and see what we turn up with.

“But it’s not a fixed car, we can bring whatever we like whenever we can. If that makes us quicker and we can do it, that will come to Imola.”