Max Verstappen said the suite of upgrades Red Bull brought to the Miami Grand Prix has almost cut the deficit to the front‑runners in half. The package features a new “Macarena” rear wing that flips 180 degrees for straight‑line mode, wider sidepods with a water‑slide‑style ramp, and a reprofiled engine cover, floor and exhaust flap. Verstappen qualified fifth, just 0.6s off Lando Norris’ pole.

Team principal Laurent Mekies praised the changes, calling them “in the right direction” and noting that both drivers felt the RB22 was now more consistent. Verstappen admitted the car still lags in the high‑speed first sector but said the overall package lets him trust the car more and extract extra lap time. The upgrade shrank a previous one‑second gap to the leaders.

Ferrari had displayed a similar rear‑wing concept in testing, but Red Bull maintains its version was under development earlier. Meanwhile, teammate Sergio Hadjar, who made it through Q3, could not explain why he remained a full second off Verstappen’s sprint‑qualifying time. The Miami performance suggests Red Bull is finally narrowing the midfield gap, leaving them within striking distance of pole.