Red Bull brings rotating rear wing to Miami in bid to revive season

Key facts

• Red Bull has brought seven upgrades to the Miami Grand Prix, including a rotating rear wing dubbed the 'Macarena wing'.
• The RB22's rear wing rotates 160 degrees in the opposite direction to Ferrari's 270-degree design.
• Red Bull states the wing was not copied from Ferrari; it submitted first ideas to the FIA last year, just after Ferrari.
• The upgrade package also includes revised sidepods, front wing, and inlets, plus weight reduction.
• Sébastien Buemi tested the upgrades in the simulator and believes they are a step forward.
• Max Verstappen has not yet claimed a podium in 2026; Red Bull is fourth in the pecking order.
• Ten of the 11 F1 teams have brought new parts to Miami; only Aston Martin has no upgrades listed.
• Red Bull's power unit, its first ever F1 engine, is another area the team is pushing to improve.

A season on the brink

Red Bull arrives at the Miami International Autodrome with its most significant upgrade package of the season, a desperate attempt to claw back performance after a disastrous start to 2026. Max Verstappen, the reigning champion, has yet to stand on a podium. The team languishes fourth in the pecking order, trailing Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren. The Austrian outfit has brought seven upgrades to the RB22, including a rotating rear wing that has already drawn comparisons to Ferrari's 'Macarena' design. The package was tested successfully at Silverstone during a filming day and is now being deployed for the first time in a race weekend. Simulator driver Sébastien Buemi, who tested the parts last week, described the car as having become 'undrivable' in earlier races. 'Everyone's worked very hard,' he told RacingNews365. 'It's been one of the longest breaks in the championship.'

The Macarena wing: Red Bull's own design

The rotating rear wing is the centrepiece of the upgrades. Red Bull insists it has not copied Ferrari, despite the visual similarity. The team says it had been working on the concept for much longer and submitted its first ideas to the FIA last year, just after Ferrari. 'To allow more travel, the mechanism and attachments to the elements has been revised necessitating a subtle altering of the third profile near centreline,' Red Bull stated. The Red Bull version rotates 160 degrees in the opposite direction to Ferrari's 270-degree design. The aerodynamic goal — reducing lift and drag — is the same, but the execution differs. The wing has been nicknamed 'Macarena' in the paddock, a reference to its rotating motion.

A comprehensive overhaul

The rear wing is just one element of a broader overhaul. The sidepods have been heavily revised: they drop off more aggressively after a kink, with a significant waterslide in the design. The front wing and the inlets at the front corner of the car have also been modified 'to draw inlet air from the highest pressure source available and exit with minimal blockage,' according to the team. Weight reduction has been a priority, and the package includes revised bodywork aimed at improving overall aerodynamic efficiency. The technical FIA document confirms that ten of the eleven Formula 1 teams have brought new parts to Miami, but Red Bull's list is the longest. Only Aston Martin has no upgrades listed, having focused on reliability and weight. Audi, Haas, and Mercedes have made only modest changes, according to the document.

Buemi's cautious optimism

Sébastien Buemi, who balances simulator duties with racing in Formula E and the World Endurance Championship, spent last week evaluating the upgrades in Red Bull's simulator. He is cautiously optimistic. Asked if the car feels much better, Buemi replied: 'I think it does, yeah. I mean, "much" is a big word, but I think it does.' He warned that the true measure will come on track. 'You know what you bring and how much performance it adds, but until you put it on track and see how much the others have improved — if you bring five tenths but everyone else brings seven — you're going to look worse.' Buemi emphasised the difficulty of the team's situation. 'I think they've had those races where the car became undrivable, and first of all, that was a big, big thing to try to understand.'

The engine challenge

Red Bull's struggles are not limited to chassis performance. The team is also pushing to extract more from its power unit, its first ever Formula 1 engine. The power unit has shown impressive raw performance, but reliability and integration have been issues. 'Introducing upgrades has not been a simple task for Red Bull, which first had to understand the cause of its problems before coming up with solutions to fix them,' Buemi noted. The engine programme is a long-term project, but the team needs immediate gains to close the gap to Mercedes, which remains the outright team to beat. Ferrari and McLaren are also ahead, making the Miami upgrades a critical test.

What Miami will reveal

The Miami Grand Prix will provide the first real-world data on the upgrade package. If the simulator translates to the track, Red Bull could take a significant step forward. But Buemi is measured: 'Hopefully we, as a team, bring more than some of the others.' The rotating rear wing is the most visible change, but the cumulative effect of the seven upgrades — from sidepods to front wing to weight reduction — will determine whether Red Bull can re-enter the fight at the front. For Verstappen, a podium finish would be a morale boost. For the team, the weekend is about validation: proving that the car can be drivable again, and that the development direction is correct.

A defining moment for Red Bull's season

Red Bull's Miami upgrade package represents a pivotal moment in its 2026 campaign. After three difficult race weekends, the team has responded with a comprehensive technical push. The rotating rear wing, whether or not it is a copy of Ferrari's concept, signals a willingness to innovate under pressure. The stakes are high. If the upgrades deliver the expected performance, Red Bull could close the gap to the front-runners and re-establish itself as a contender. If they fall short, the team faces a long season of catch-up. Buemi's cautious optimism reflects the reality: the simulator is one thing, the race track another. Miami will provide the answer.

The bottom line

• Red Bull's seven-upgrade package includes a rotating rear wing that works differently from Ferrari's, despite visual similarities.
• The team has struggled with an 'undrivable' car and Verstappen has no podiums in 2026; the upgrades aim to fix fundamental issues.
• Simulator driver Buemi is positive but warns that relative gains matter more than absolute ones.
• Ten of 11 teams brought upgrades to Miami, making it a key development benchmark for the season.
• Red Bull's first-ever F1 power unit remains a work in progress, adding to the team's challenges.
• Miami will determine whether Red Bull can rejoin the fight at the front or slip further behind.