Formula 1 News: Red Bull Bolsters Verstappen’s Title Charge with Mexico GP Upgrades
Max Verstappen’s surging bid for the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ championship has gained fresh momentum, as Red Bull has brought a comprehensive package of aerodynamic and cooling enhancements for this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Sitting third in the standings, the Dutch driver has clawed back to just 40 points behind leader Oscar Piastri with three victories in his last four races. Having won here five times in the past, Verstappen is the clear pre-race favorite at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Verstappen will now pilot an upgraded RB21 designed to sharpen its aerodynamic edge with the hope for a 6th victory.
The headline changes build on the latest floor iteration debuted in Monza. This includes a reprofiled upper surface aft of the outer floor fence, generating additional aerodynamic load, paired with a reworked edge wing optimized to complement the floor’s airflow. Further refinements to the floor’s interface with the sidepods—coupled with sidepod tweaks for enhanced cooling—round out the aero-focused updates.
Racing at 2,200 meters above sea level brings unique challenges, including thinner air that demands superior cooling. To address this, Red Bull has revised the engine cover’s exit area as a deployable option and introduced larger front brake ducts to handle the circuit’s punishing braking zones.
It’s unclear whether teammate Yuki Tsunoda will receive the full suite of upgrades; the Japanese driver has typically lagged behind Verstappen in accessing new developments.
Red Bull isn’t alone in prioritizing cooling: Ferrari has fitted larger rear brake ducts and additional bodywork vents for the same reasons. Similarly, Alpine, Racing Bulls, Williams, and Sauber have all expanded their cooling slots to tame Mexico’s high-altitude demands.
As per regulations, teams must declare any upgrades or modifications each weekend. While Red Bull’s four listed changes appear evolutionary rather than revolutionary, two center on boosting “local load” to deliver more downforce and shave precious seconds off lap times.
The team detailed the floor body’s evolution: “Made from the previous specification, a new upper surface rearwards of the outer floor fence—plus sidepod split line—are offered, the latter to accommodate the sidepod revision. These provide the cooling benefit noted above and a small increase in load.”
A comparable rationale applies to the edge wing: “To draw benefit from the lowered upper floor surface and made from the previous edge wing specification, a revised leading edge region extracts a little more load whilst maintaining flow stability.”