FIA Announce Changes to Max Versttapen's Car A...read more

FIA Sanctions Red Bull Floor Updates for Max Verstappen at Miami Grand Prix

Max Verstappen’s Red Bull RB21 will feature revised floor components for the Miami Grand Prix, following an official announcement from the FIA. The governing body has permitted Red Bull to introduce changes to the floor fences and floor edge of Verstappen’s car ahead of this weekend’s activities.

The technical revisions involve repositioning the floor fences to achieve a minor increase in aerodynamic load and modifying the surfaces on the floor edge to add more camber to the edge wing. These adjustments are aimed at generating more local load, contributing to a small overall increase in downforce for the RB21.

Notably, these updates will exclusively be applied to Max Verstappen’s car and will not be present on the car of his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.

The introduction of upgrades ahead of a Grand Prix weekend is a standard practice in Formula 1. Teams are allowed to make modifications to their cars before they enter parc ferme conditions, which for a Sprint race weekend like Miami, are imposed prior to Sprint Qualifying and remain in effect through the Sprint race. Further changes are then permitted between the Sprint race and the main Grand Prix qualifying session.

In other news surrounding the Dutch driver, Max Verstappen was granted special dispensation to miss Thursday’s media day in Miami following the birth of his first child with partner Kelly Piquet. The couple announced the arrival of their daughter, named Lily, on Friday. Verstappen arrived in Miami on Thursday evening and is set to compete in the Grand Prix as planned.