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Red Bull boosts Max Verstappen's F1 title bid with Mexico upgrades

Max Verstappen's late 2025 Formula 1 title push has received another shot in the arm as Red Bull unveiled a raft of upgrades at this weekend's Mexico Grand Prix.

Third-placed Verstappen has closed to within 40 points of McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri after taking three wins out of four. Heading to this weekend's Mexico GP as the pre-event favourite, the Dutchman will now receive another batch of upgrades to his RB21 to improve aerodynamic performance.

Red Bull has brought the latest iteration of its floor design first introduced in Monza, with a reprofiled upper surface rearwards of the outer floor, which should yield extra aerodynamic load. It also reworked its edge wing to interact with the reworked floor.

The floor has also received a revision to its interaction with the sidepod, as the latter has been changed to provide more cooling.

Red Bull Racing RB21 (Photo by: Filip Cleeren)

At an altitude of 2200 metres above sea level, Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez comes with additional cooling demands due to the lower air density, prompting Red Bull to revise the exit area of its engine cover, as an additional option that can be used if needed.

The squad also brought larger front brake ducts due to the high demands on the brakes. At the time of writing, it is not yet clear if Verstappen's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda will also receive the full upgrade package, with the Japanese driver usually a step behind whenever new upgrades are introduced.

Ferrari SF-25 technical detail (Photo by: Filip Cleeren)

Elsewhere, Ferrari has deployed larger rear brake ducts and bodywork cooling slots for the same reasons. The likes of Alpine, Racing Bulls, Williams and Sauber have also all brought bigger cooling slots to cope with Mexico's demands.

Photos from Mexican GP - Thursday

F1 Grand Prix of Mexico board

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

George Russell, Mercedes

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

A general view of Mexico City

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Frederik Vesti, Mercedes

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team, Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

A general view inside the stadium section

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Mario Achi looks on in the Paddock

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Mario Achi looks on in the Paddock

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Franco Colapinto, Alpine

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Ayumu Iwasa, Racing Bulls

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Antonio Fuoco, Ferrari

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team, Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Frederik Vesti, Mercedes

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

F1 Grand Prix of Mexico board

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Mario Achi looks on in the Paddock

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Ferrari pit area

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Alexander Albon, Williams

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Franco Colapinto, Alpine

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Franco Colapinto, Alpine

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Lando Norris, McLaren

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Mario Achi

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Ryo Hirakawa, Haas F1 Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Ryo Hirakawa, Haas F1 Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Fans

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Fan

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Lando Norris, McLaren

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Mexican GP - Thursday, in photos

Formula 1
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