Max Verstappen ‘excited’ with Red Bull set to unleash major upgrade at F1 Austrian GP

Max Verstappen says he is “excited” to see how much performance Red Bull can gain from a major Formula 1 upgrade at the Austrian Grand Prix. 

Red Bull is ready to unleash what is expected to be its biggest upgrade package since the Miami Grand Prix at its home race in Austria this weekend. 

After a tough start to the season, Red Bull has been making small gains since introducing its first major raft of updates in Miami, with Verstappen going on to secure third place in Canada and fourth in Barcelona - either side of a retirement in Monaco. 

Red Bull is scheduled to debut several new parts in a bid to further improve its RB22 in Austria, which marks the start of a busy run of races through to the summer break in August. 

"Austria is of course a home Grand Prix for the team. It’s been a great track for me in the past and we have had really good memories there,” Verstappen said ahead of the weekend. 

“It’s a very interesting track and all of the corners are quite different, so it’s really important to get a good balance out of the car. You need both the high speed and low speed performance, good traction and now, with how energy sensitive some tracks are, it is important to work to get on top of this. 

“We have a new package we are bringing, so it is exciting to see how much this could look to give us in lap time.”

Team-mate Isack Hadjar added: “We're bringing a new package to Austria and, as with any upgrade, the key objective will be to understand it and maximise its potential throughout the weekend. 

“Hopefully it'll take us closer to where we want to be, and we get to experience some good racing in front of our home support.”

What to expect from Red Bull’s upgrade? 

Red Bull has not specified exactly what upgrades are scheduled for its home race around the track it owns.

Team principal Laurent Mekies was keen to lower expectations surrounding the upgrade package in Spain. 

"There is no doubt that the Austrian package alone will not be enough. We know we'll have some further steps needed,” Mekies stressed. 

“But what is important is that on that continuous closing-the-gap trajectory that we have been onto since post-Japan, is that we continue to get closer, that we don't talk anymore about four tenths, but hopefully about less.”

When asked about Red Bull’s plan to reduce the weight of its RB22, Mekies joked: "Eat less. That’s my plan. That's my plan for Austria! And hopefully we get lighter there. Austrian food is good, I know. But the plan is to get the car to eat a little bit less there and to get on a bit of a diet.”

Mekies described Barcelona as being a “reality check” for Red Bull and insisted there is not a silver bullet for the gains it needs to make in order to join the fight at the front of the F1 grid. 

“There is still a gap, no doubt, [on the] PU side, chassis side. And that's what we need to fight for next,” Mekies admitted. "Now it's not about one single thing anymore. It's about finding a little bit of performance in mid-speed corner, in high-speed corner, on the straight line."