Max Verstappen to be handed further boost with new Red Bull upgrade

Max Verstappen and Red Bull are looking to seal both championships in the final part of the season.

Red Bull are planning to introduce a lighter chassis during the final stages of the season in a move that will help them get closer to the 798kg minimum mass.

The weight of the cars was one of the big talking points when the new technical regulations materialised, particularly when it transpired that Alfa Romeo were the ones who managed to design a car that fell within the initial 795kg limit.

The increase of three has made little difference for a lot of the teams, with Red Bull and Ferrari reported to be around 10kg over during the early part of the year.

Upgrades have helped the teams come down in weight as the season has progressed, although it is not known how far over Ferrari are.

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The Milton Keynes-based team are believed, by Auto motor und Sport journalist Michael Schmidt, to be running at 805kg, so they are still over.

Mercedes, McLaren, Williams and Alpine are also overweight, but they are much closer to meeting the 798kg minimum.

It is important to note that being overweight is not illegal; the cars must be no less than 798kg, but it easier for Alfa Romeo to put weight on their car than it is for Red Bull, for instance, to take it off, and every extra kilogram makes a difference.

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The Red Bull rebuild is going to necessitate the manufacture of three new chassis, which is expected to take an extra $2 million out of the Milton Keynes-based team’s budget.

The cap was raised from $140 million back up to $145 million after multiple teams complained about the rate of inflation.

The first upgrade Red Bull brought to Imola was thought to have improved their lap time by around three tenths of a second, and a combination of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez has won eight races since then.

Verstappen leads Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 80 points in the Drivers’ Standings, while the Monegasque and team-mate Carlos Sainz trail Red Bull by 97 in the Constructors’ Championship.