Red Bull ‘feels like the usual’ after upgrades – Hadjar

Red Bull faced a challenging Friday at their home race in Austria as they introduced a significant package of upgrades, including floor and rear suspension changes. Drivers Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar encountered several technical hurdles, with both facing limited running in Free Practice 1 and handling issues at Turn 3. Hadjar noted that the car did not feel drastically different following the updates, emphasizing that the team still has significant work to do to improve their pace. Despite the struggles, the 21-year-old stressed the importance of refining the car's performance across all sessions rather than relying on late improvements in qualifying. Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache admitted that the team had a difficult start due to the complexity of the new upgrades, but remained optimistic about their potential. Wache highlighted that the long-run pace showed promise compared to previous events and confirmed that the team is focused on resolving balance issues to close the gap to rivals like Mercedes and Ferrari.