Red Bull to launch important but not extreme Austrian GP upgrade

Red Bull is preparing a very important, but not extreme upgrade
package for its home race, the Austrian Grand Prix. Anticipation is
high for Red Bull ahead of the team’s home event, as the Milton
Keynes-based outfit has completed its second major upgrade package
of the year, which will debut at the Red Bull Ring. The upgrade
will undoubtedly be both important and significant. The components
of the package are shrouded in secrecy, with the only leak
suggesting that no single area of the car has been left untouched. 
Nevertheless, according to RacingNews365 ’s sources, too
spectacular or extreme solutions should not be expected, and the
reason is simple: the second major wave of innovations focused
primarily on the most problematic area, weight reduction. Estimates
suggest that Red Bull started the 2026 season with the largest
weight penalty among the top teams, carrying an extra 12
kilograms.  The upgrade package introduced in Miami eliminated
roughly half of this, while the Austrian developments will solve
the problem entirely, allowing the team to focus fully on
performance from now on.  There is no doubt that Red Bull will try
to get the most out of the upgraded car immediately, but as with
any upgrade package, this will likely take time. Red Bull urges
upgrade caution Although the upgrades introduced in Miami yielded
immediate and meaningful improvements, team principal Laurent
Mekies urged caution following the Barcelona race regarding
excessive expectations for the upcoming development package.
“Everyone has been working very hard for that package,» Mekies told
select media, including RacingNews365 .  «And, you know, there is
no doubt that the Austrian package alone will not be enough. We
know we’ll have some further steps needed.  «But what is important
is that on that continuous closing the gap trajectory that we have
been on to since post-Japan, is that we continue to get closer,
that we don’t talk anymore about four tenths, but hopefully about
less.» Red Bull currently occupies 4th place in the constructors’
standings with 89 points, lagging significantly behind 3rd-placed
McLaren, who hold a 52-point advantage over them.