Red Bull to introduce major RB22 upgrades for Japanese Grand Prix

March 24, 2026 Oliver Obel

Red Bull will introduce its first major updates of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Japanese Grand Prix, as the team looks to halt a surprisingly slow start to the campaign.

After two races, the reigning champions find themselves playing catch-up. Reliability concerns and inconsistent performance have left the Milton Keynes outfit trailing early leaders Mercedes in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ standings.

Italian outlet Autoracer reports that Red Bull used the post-China break to analyse its early-season issues and fast-track development work on the RB22. The team has not disclosed what changes will be made.

Early pressure building

The opening rounds have exposed a number of weaknesses. Max Verstappen finished sixth in Australia, while team-mate Isack Hadjar retired, immediately putting the team on the back foot.

The problems persisted in Shanghai. Hadjar salvaged eighth place, but Verstappen’s race ended with a late retirement, further underlining concerns around both pace and durability.

Speaking after the Chinese Grand Prix, Verstappen admitted Red Bull still has “a lot to learn” and pointed to tyre degradation as one of the car’s main limitations. He also cited reliability troubles, explaining: “That always makes it very complicated, and then we had to retire the car with ERS [Energy Recovery System] cooling issues.”

Car limitations acknowledged

Team principal Laurent Mekies was equally direct in his assessment, saying the RB22 has yet to deliver the level of performance the team expected.

“We knew that just getting onto the grid in Melbourne with our own PU [Power Unit] was a major achievement in itself, and it would have been naive not to expect we would encounter reliability issues,” Mekies said.

He confirmed Verstappen’s retirement in China was caused by a coolant fault, but stressed the problems extend beyond isolated failures: “However, this was not our only issue as, performance-wise, our package showed some significant shortcomings.”

Break offers development window

A gap in the schedule following the cancellation of April’s races has provided teams with an unusual opportunity to regroup. For Red Bull, it may prove timely.

Mekies suggested the pause will allow the team to accelerate development back at its Milton Keynes base.

“The unfortunate but inevitable cancellation of the races in April will give all of us a chance to catch our breath and work as hard as always in Milton Keynes,” he said.

“We have a great group of talented people on campus, and I have full confidence that we will get through our current limitations… and improve our package rapidly.”

Championship fight taking shape

Red Bull’s early setbacks have opened the door for its rivals. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have capitalised, building an early lead in the Drivers’ standings, while Mercedes also heads Ferrari in the Constructors’ battle.

Whether Red Bull’s planned upgrades in Japan can shift that momentum is likely to be one of the defining storylines heading into the next phase of the season.

Sources: Autoracer, SPORTbible