Red Bull’s Miami Grand Prix upgrade package has triggered fresh intrigue in the Formula 1 paddock — and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has revealed which element caught his attention most.
While much of the spotlight fell on Red Bull’s interpretation of Ferrari’s “Macarena” rear wing concept, Stella singled out a different feature of the RB22: the car’s radically redesigned sidepod geometry.
The revelation underscores the technical divergence gripping Formula 1 in 2026, as teams pursue contrasting aerodynamic philosophies under regulations that continue to permit wildly different solutions.
Red Bull Sidepods Spark Paddock Scrutiny
Red Bull arrived in Miami with one of the most comprehensive upgrade packages on the grid, intensifying an aerodynamic arms race that has split the field into sharply contrasting camps.
Speaking to media, Stella described the current technical phase as uniquely compelling.
“For those who are technically interested, we are in a very, very interesting phase,” Stella said. “It is very interesting because if you see the sidepod concept that Red Bull introduced, it is quite different to the sidepod concept that, for instance, Mercedes and Ferrari have adopted, and the McLaren style is further different. There will be a stabilisation at some stage, a convergence, but we look like we are quite far from this convergence.”
The lack of convergence marks a striking contrast to the final years of the previous regulations, when the grid gradually evolved toward near-identical designs. Instead, Formula 1’s current generation of cars continues to encourage vastly different interpretations.
Stella made clear that Red Bull’s latest concept will not go unnoticed by rival engineers.
“So I think there will be a process of looking at each other, testing things and certainly each team will be testing, taking a look at the Red Bull concept to see the advantages,” the Italian added.
“Smart and Innovative” Use of Regulations
What particularly impressed Stella was the manner in which Red Bull engineered the update within the regulatory framework.
While teams constantly search for performance gains through creative interpretations of the rules, Stella hinted that Red Bull may have found an especially clever route with its revised geometry.
“They have been quite smart and innovative in the way they have used some legality concessions to introduce such geometry,” he said.
The comments are likely to fuel even more curiosity among rival technical departments as teams dissect Red Bull’s approach and evaluate whether similar concepts could unlock performance on their own cars.
Aerodynamic Arms Race Still Wide Open
Stella believes Formula 1 remains far from reaching a settled aerodynamic template — a situation that heightens the unpredictability of development races throughout the season.
“I think the overall designs of the cars are far from converging,” the McLaren chief explained. “This doesn’t mean that some things have already started to look like: ‘Oh, that is the direction everyone has taken’, but with the 2025 cars, after a few years of the regulations, they started to look very similar to each other. I think we are still far from these conditions.”
The technical uncertainty makes this chapter of Formula 1’s development war particularly compelling. With no clear blueprint emerging, every upgrade package carries the potential to shift the competitive order.
As teams digest the lessons from Miami and prepare for the next round in Montreal on 22-24 May, Red Bull’s sidepod concept will be studied closely — a sign that the battle for aerodynamic supremacy is far from settled.