Red Bull reveals true extent of Imola F1 upgrades

The first European race of the season is traditionally a popular place to introduce a first suite of car updates as it takes place two months into the season and is logistically easier to ship parts to.

Red Bull has headlined the update submissions sheet issued by the FIA, bringing a raft of new parts to the RB20 that Max Verstappen has driven to four wins so far this year.

The most crucial aerodynamic component of this generation of cars, the floor, is one area that has been revised. Red Bull has lowered the upper surface of the main floor body to improve the airflow downstream and increase downforce levels. It has also reprofiled the forward portion of the floor edge to extract more load.

On the front of the car the RB20 features an all-new front wing. The leading edge of the endplate has been repositioned to improve yaw stability while cornering. Its third and fourth front wing flaps now have a bigger chord length to generate more downforce.

In order to accommodate those flap adjustments Red Bull has had to modify its nose box and it has also revised the camera fairings to optimise the airflow.

Towards the rear of the car, the bodywork around the rear wheels has been revised to improve cooling. Red Bull redesigned the winglets at the exit of the brake ducts to make the latter more efficient.

Red Bull's update arrives one race after McLaren's major Miami package, which the Woking-based team had also planned for Imola but managed to pull forward.

McLaren's upgrades helped Lando Norris take his maiden win in Miami, and while he was handed track position by a well-timed safety car the Briton still displayed blistering speed on the medium and hard tyres to defeat Verstappen.

Red Bull Racing RB20 technical detail

Photo by: Erwin Jaeggi

A lot of attention will go to whether or not Red Bull can now restore the sizeable gap it enjoyed before Miami with its updated car and confirm the European season will be business as usual for F1's dominant force.

Elsewhere, Ferrari, Mercedes and Aston Martin are among the other teams to introduce a significant number of upgrades.

Ferrari's upgrades first broke cover at a filming day in Fiorano and include multiple different elements, including a floor, both wings, diffuser and engine cover.

Mercedes has focused on an improved floor and rear wing assembly, while Aston Martin also shipped a comprehensive package that features a smaller floor redesign, a front wing and diffuser.

McLaren has followed up its Miami upgrade, which will now also be available to Oscar Piastri, with a more efficient rear wing as it continues its quest to improve aerodynamic efficiency.

As explained by Williams team boss James Vowles on Thursday, the Grove squad has shipped a geometrically identical but lighter floor to slim down its overweight FW46.