F1 uncovered: The old floor that helped Verstappen fight his way to a podium after a pitlane start
At this late stage of the season it should come as no surprise that there’s no updates for any of the teams in Brazil, with their focus having shifted to 2026 some time ago.
And, given it’s also a Sprint weekend, at a venue that’s thrown in its fair share of climatic chaos in recent years, it’s even less of a surprise that the teams didn’t want to risk experimenting with new solutions, even if they have kept something in their back pocket this late into the season.
Red Bull’s bold moves
That’s not to say there’s absolutely nothing for us to take a look at though, with Red Bull having to make a number of changes throughout the course of the weekend to get the best from the RB21.
For Free Practice 1 it was more of the same for Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda, as the Dutchman continued to utilise the newer specification floor that the team introduced in Mexico, whilst the Japanese driver ran the older configuration.
Meanwhile, at the front of the car both drivers had the newer specification front wing, first seen in the Netherlands and modified again since.
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However, Tsunoda’s brush with the barrier during FP1 put pay to his use of that solution, whilst Verstappen would continue to use it throughout the weekend.
The most interesting change for Red Bull came after the Sprint though, as Max Verstappen made the switch back to the older specification floor, whereas Tsunoda retained the newer solution.
And, whilst it clearly didn’t offer the performance boost required during qualifying, it did stay on the car for Sunday, when the car did come alive for them.
Red Bull be looking for answers for Las Vegas about how this occurred, especially as it was done in combination with some other changes that the team made as part of their decision to start from the pitlane and take a new powerunit.
In terms of the two floor specifications there’s a number of features that differentiate them, with a revised architecture from the fences rearwards.
The shape of the outer floor fence’s upper edge has been altered and features an additional step down towards the sloped section. This can be seen in the comparison image, above, with the additional stepped profile also set back slightly from the edge of the sloped section (arrows).
The forward section of the edge wing has also been altered quite dramatically, with the horizontal flap section used on the previous specification traded-in for a solid upwardly angled profile, with an additional control vane added.
Both it and the one that was previously situated in that region are pitched more vertically than before in order to get the required aerodynamic response.
Meanwhile, the sidepod and floor interface have also been altered, with the undercut and g-line profile quite different from one another, which can be seen in the comparison image above. The dotted line shows how different the overall shape of the two are but the stark contrast in shape between the two options comes around the centre of the sidepod (arrowed).
Team boss Laurent Mekies was quizzed on the changes made between qualifying and the grand prix and whether Red Bull had rolled back on parts.
He replied: “I’m not sure I would have a big interest to elaborate, but let me put it this way, I don’t think it’s a secret that our window is narrow, and it’s difficult to find that window for track layout and set of circumstances and conditions on the track layout.
“And we have been fighting to find these weekends, and eventually we did.
“It does not mean that, it does not mean that you start Las Vegas with the magic step in the car, it’s a question we have to fight every weekend.”
He added: “You learn a lot more in the dark moment of the qualifying last night than in any other moment.
“In moments like that where you clearly miss it, we don’t go there by luck or by mistakes. We go there because we feel there is a chance that it’s better, and when it’s obviously not better, it is in this moment that the guys are fantastic, both here, and at the factory in Milton Keynes.
“They are asking the difficult questions. They are questioning what they read. They’re questioning why.
“And that’s the sort of moment that you make steps, perhaps not immediately, but you develop new way of looking. You develop new way of analysing and as a group, you make steps forward.”
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