Red Bull overhauls floor and bodywork for Austrian GP to close 52-point gap on McLaren

Red Bull has unveiled a significant package of aerodynamic and mechanical updates to its RB22 for the Austrian Grand Prix, targeting the driveability issues that have left the team fourth in the constructors’ championship, 52 points behind McLaren.

The headline change is a revised floor addressing the “forward floor” area — the bib section beneath the chassis bulkhead and the outer floorboards behind the front wheels. Red Bull’s pre-event technical notes state the update should increase local downforce load while “improving the downstream conditions for the sidepod and beyond.”

To complement the new floor, the sidepod inlet has been reprofiled to align with earlier changes made at the front of the car, with a slight repositioning designed to maintain the optimum mass flow rate of air into the radiators. New engine cover and sidepod bodywork has been produced to match, along with minor adjustments to the cooling louvres in anticipation of the high temperatures expected at the Red Bull Ring this weekend.

At the rear, reprofiled fairings on the suspension legs are intended to exploit the improved airflow conditions generated further forward. New rear wing pylons reduce sensitivity at the junction between the pylon and the underside of the wing, and the exhaust outlet has been reworked to make greater use of the support bracket winglet for additional downforce.

“I think it’s just crucial,” Max Verstappen said on Thursday. “I think for us as a team, we want to just improve. From where we started this season to where we want to end it. We know that we are lacking performance, so it’s more about just trying to improve the car. I think that’s what everyone wants.”

Red Bull are not alone in bringing developments to Austria. McLaren is testing its own version of the straight-mode ‘Macarena’ wing, though the team does not expect to race with the new specification. Mercedes has introduced new front suspension leg fairings to improve airflow conditioning, while Ferrari has added to the front wing endplate first seen in Barcelona and will run several test items — including a new floorboard and revised mirror stay — during free practice only. Racing Bulls has also made modifications to its package ahead of the weekend.