Formula 1’s development race has accelerated again at the Miami Grand Prix, with teams returning from the four-week April break with substantial upgrade packages. While several cars featured notable changes, one particular concept from Red Bull Racing quickly became a major talking point inside the paddock.
Red Bull introduced revised sidepod bodywork for both Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar during the Miami weekend, as the team attempted to narrow the gap following an inconsistent start to the 2026 season.
The upgrade immediately drew attention from rival teams, including championship contender McLaren Racing.
McLaren is watching Red Bull closely after the Miami upgrade debut
As reported by the Dutch motorsport website, formule1nieuws.nl, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella openly admitted that Red Bull’s latest aerodynamic direction was being closely monitored by engineers throughout the pit lane.
“For those who are technically interested, we are currently in a very interesting phase,” Stella explained in Miami.
“If you look at the sidepod concept that Red Bull showed, for example, it’s quite different from the sidepod concepts that Mercedes and Ferrari have adopted. The McLaren style is different again.”
“I think there will be a process where we all observe each other and experiment,” he added.
“Everyone will certainly look at the Red Bull concept to see where the advantages lie.”
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Red Bull is pursuing its own aerodynamic path
The Milton Keynes-based team appears to have refined its established philosophy by focusing on tighter packaging and more aggressive airflow management around the floor edge and rear bodywork.
Since the 2022 regulation overhaul, Formula 1 teams have heavily experimented with sidepod geometry in an attempt to maximise airflow towards the underfloor tunnels that now generate most of the downforce. Even though the 2026 aero regulations are different to that of the previous era ground effect cars, many of the basic principles of air management remain identical, sidepods included. The most recent extreme example being the Mercedes ‘zero-pod’ design of 2022.
While Ferrari initially favoured a pronounced bathtub-style design and Mercedes briefly pursued ultra-minimal bodywork concepts, Red Bull’s approach under Adrian Newey has generally proven to be the most stable and consistently effective across multiple seasons.
The latest Miami specification appears to be another evolution of that philosophy rather than a dramatic conceptual reset, despite Newey no longer being with Red Bull.
Early signs from the weekend were encouraging for Red Bull, with Verstappen looking considerably more competitive than in several earlier races this season.
Audi’s design direction revives memories of Formula 1’s ‘zero-pod’ gamble
One of the more intriguing technical stories developing in the background of the 2026 season concerns Audi’s aerodynamic direction ahead of its long-term Formula 1 project.
Recent observations in the paddock and preliminary analysis of Audi’s bodywork concepts have drawn comparisons with the renowned “zero-pod” philosophy that briefly captivated Formula 1 during the early years of the current ground-effect regulations.
This concept was most strongly associated with Mercedes in 2022 when the team arrived at the Bahrain Grand Prix with dramatically reduced sidepods unlike anything else on the grid.
At the time, the design generated enormous fascination across Formula 1 because of its aggressive packaging advantages and theoretical aerodynamic potential. It attempted to expose more airflow towards the floor and rear suspension while minimising drag-inducing bodywork.
However, it ultimately became one of the defining technical failures of the early ground-effect era.
A failed concept in 2022, but might work for 2026?
Mercedes struggled with aerodynamic bouncing, instability, and an unpredictable operating window throughout 2022 and 2023. Despite occasional signs of competitiveness, the team eventually abandoned the concept entirely, moving towards more conventional sidepod solutions.
This explains why Audi’s apparent willingness to revisit elements of similarly tight packaging has attracted attention inside the paddock.
While not a direct copy of Mercedes’ original solution, Audi’s design features some of the same aerodynamic shaping and compact sidepod architecture, reviving discussion about whether the abandoned concept may still contain untapped potential.
Formula 1 history is filled with ideas that were initially dismissed as failures, but which were later reimagined successfully by another team. Blown diffusers a good example but would need an entire article of its own to do it justice.
Why the next few races could shape the development battle
Stella’s comments in Miami highlighted how fluid Formula 1’s aerodynamic battle remains, despite several years of stable regulations.
Unlike in previous eras, when concepts quickly converged, teams are still exploring different interpretations of airflow structures, cooling layouts, and floor interaction.
This means that strong upgrade packages can still significantly alter the competitive order.
If Red Bull’s latest developments continue to deliver performance gains over the coming races, rival teams will inevitably study the concept more closely. At the same time, Audi’s approach could become one of the most intriguing long-term technical experiments on the grid.
The next phase of Formula 1’s sidepod war may only just be beginning.
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Craig.J. Alderson is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Craig oversees newsroom operations and coordinates editorial output across the site. With a background in online sports reporting and motorsport magazine editing, he plays a key role in maintaining consistency, speed, and accuracy in TJ13’s coverage.
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Treze has a particular interest in how Computational Fluid Dynamics and aerodynamic modelling contribute to car performance, offering accessible explanations of complex technical concepts within Formula 1.
