McLaren’s Stella zeroes in on ‘very interesting’ Red Bull upgrade

While the Miami Grand Prix paddock buzzed with upgrades and rival glances, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella singled out Red Bull's sidepod design as the 'very interesting' element of the RB22's upgrade package — not the much-discussed rear wing. Stella revealed that the sidepod concept is radically different from the approaches adopted by Mercedes, Ferrari, and his own team, indicating that Formula 1's current regulations are still encouraging distinct aerodynamic philosophies far from convergence.

Why it matters:

The lack of convergence means the design battle remains wide open. Red Bull's innovative sidepod could force rivals to rethink their concepts, potentially shifting the competitive balance as teams scramble to understand and counter the new direction.

The details:

• Stella described the current technical phase as "very, very interesting," noting no single design blueprint has emerged yet.
• Red Bull's sidepod concept is "quite different" from those of Mercedes and Ferrari, and different again from McLaren's.
• He credited Red Bull with being "smart and innovative" in using "legality concessions" to introduce such geometry — hinting at clever regulatory interpretation.
• While attention focused on Red Bull's version of Ferrari's "Macarena" rear wing, Stella's comments suggest the sidepod update could be equally significant.
• Unlike the 2025 cars that gradually converged in appearance, the current generation still encourages wildly different aerodynamic interpretations.

What's next:

Stella expects a period of cross-team analysis, with engineers "looking at each other, testing things." If Red Bull's concept proves advantageous, rivals may begin to converge. But for now, the Italian believes the grid is far from that point, keeping the technical development race and the championship fight highly unpredictable.