TECH WEEKLY: Why Red Bull's new upgrades failed to perform in Mexico
Mark Hughes and illustrator Giorgio Piola explain the upgrades Red Bull brought to Mexico City and why they fell short of beating McLaren and Lando Norris.


Fighting to keep Max Verstappen in Drivers' Championship contention, Red Bull has continued with its aggressive development of the RB21 long after their rivals devoted themselves fully to their 2026 cars. But how did the new upgrades perform in Mexico City?
The team turned up with a further developed version of the floor introduced at Monza just four races earlier. The floor is not totally new but just adopted from the one introduced at Monza, as explained by trackside engineering chief Paul Monaghan.
“It's a ‘make-from’," he said. "So it's a previous floor that we've managed to recycle because it was sufficiently modular, to get it here.”
Next Up
Related Articles
Listen to F1 Nation’s Japanese GP preview
How to stream the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix on F1 TV Premium
ExclusiveTsunoda on his F1 past, present and future
What is the weather forecast for the Japanese Grand Prix?
FIA reveal power unit tweaks ahead of Suzuka Qualifying
Who are the 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship drivers?
