Max Verstappen has praised Red Bull's major upgrade package for the Miami Grand Prix, revealing it has "almost halved" the gap to Formula 1's frontrunners—a massive leap forward for the team after a tough start to the season.

The Milton Keynes squad arrived in Florida with a bold new rear wing, redesigned sidepods, and a reworked floor, all aimed at closing the performance deficit to rivals like McLaren and Ferrari. The standout innovation is Red Bull's take on the "Macarena" rear wing, which rotates nearly 180 degrees when the active aero system engages for straight-line speed. While Ferrari debuted a similar concept earlier, Red Bull insists their version was in development long before it appeared trackside.

Alongside the eye-catching rear wing, the team has introduced wider sidepods featuring a waterslide-like ramp along the top surface to better direct airflow. This required a revised engine cover and floor to match the new sidepod shape. Even the exhaust outlet has been tweaked, with a flap that functions similarly to Ferrari's exhaust winglet seen earlier this season.

Verstappen's first impressions were encouraging. After qualifying fifth for the Miami sprint race—just 0.6 seconds off Lando Norris's pole time—the Dutchman noted a significant improvement compared to recent rounds. For context, Verstappen missed Q3 in Suzuka, trailing Kimi Antonelli by 1.2 seconds in Q2.

"It feels more together," Verstappen said. "Of course, there are still things we are working on, but it's been a really positive step. The last few races we were over a second behind. I would say we have almost halved that gap now."

However, the three-time world champion was quick to highlight areas for improvement, particularly in high-speed corners. "We're still very weak in the first sector, which is mainly high speed. So we know we need to work on that," he explained. "But the rest seemed all a bit more together. At least it seems like we have cleared a little bit the midfield."

Verstappen also noted that the updated RB22 feels more predictable and trustworthy, allowing him to extract more lap time. "It feels a bit more normal. It's still not where I want it to be, obviously, but it's at least allowing me to trust it a bit more. And I can basically take a bit more lap time out of it," he added.

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies echoed Verstappen's cautious optimism, telling Sky Germany that the upgrades represent a solid step forward but that work remains to challenge for race wins consistently. For fans and gear enthusiasts alike, this resurgence signals that Red Bull is far from giving up on the 2025 title fight—and their Miami upgrades might just be the turning point they needed.