Red Bull’s big Spa upgrade: What went right – and what didn’t

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies’ says the significant upgrade to its RB21 car introduced by the team at the Belgian Grand Prix delivered a measurable performance boost, but it also failed to fully address the car’s ongoing balance problems.

The comprehensive package implemented at Spa included modifications to the front wing, sidepod inlet, engine cover, front suspension, and rear corner.

While the changes contributed to Max Verstappen’s dominant sprint race victory on Saturday, the changes painted a different picture on Sunday, with Verstappen finishing fourth, over 21 seconds behind race winner Oscar Piastri, highlighting the RB21’s limitations.

Upgrade Delivered – But Not Enough

“Certainly the team is happy with the package in terms of does it bring performance to the car? Yes. Does it bring enough? No. Does it fix all the balance limitations we have? No. It’s as simple as that,” Mekies told the media after last Sunday’s race.

“So that's where we are. We still have some work to do. But there is no question on whether we brought performance to the car. We feel we did obviously.

“We cannot also ignore the fact that McLaren also had a package this weekend, so it's a usual development race between all the teams.”

While Verstappen and teammate Yuki Tsunoda showed glimpses of progress, Red Bull’s total points haul of 192 across 13 rounds remains a stark contrast to championship leaders McLaren, who sit on 516.

A First Grand Prix in Charge

The Belgian Grand Prix also marked Mekies’ first race weekend as Red Bull’s team principal after taking over from Christian Horner following the British GP. The Frenchman praised the team’s culture and professionalism as he continues settling into his new role.

• Read also: Red Bull’s Mekies apologizes to Tsunoda for costly pit call at Spa

“Well, after two weeks at the factory trying to meet as many people as possible, it was nice to also meet the race team, to also enter into the race dynamics and see how the flows and the process are. But it was super good in terms of getting into a team,” commented the Frenchman.

“And as you would imagine, it's a team where everything is done at the mega level. It's a very, very nice group, a very compact group.”

With balance still the RB21’s Achilles’ heel, Mekies and Red Bull now face the challenge of unlocking the car’s full potential before the final push of the 2025 season.

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