Red Bull’s latest RB22 upgrades are working as expected in Baku, giving Max Verstappen a stronger balance while bumps remain the team’s main weakness.

Red Bull gets a positive first read in Baku

Red Bull arrived in Baku with a major update package for the RB22. After the first two practice sessions, the team has received encouraging signs that the new parts are delivering the performance expected from the simulations.

Max Verstappen finished second in FP1 and third in FP2. More importantly, he said the car felt good enough to fight for a podium, even though Mercedes remained ahead on pure short-run pace.

Max Verstappen drives the updated RB22 during Thursday practice at the Baku City Circuit.

The update focuses on several areas of the car.

Formula 1’s technical analysis confirms changes to the floor geometry, diffuser and sidepods. Red Bull also revised the mirror assembly, halo and cooling-louvre layout to improve airflow and increase local aerodynamic load.

That first comparison with the simulation is important.

Technical director Pierre Wache said the team received good feedback from both drivers and that the upgrade delivered roughly what Red Bull expected.

For a team that has already spent heavily developing the RB22 this season, that is a valuable result.

Verstappen is happier with the balance

The strongest positive from Thursday was not the headline lap time.

It was the balance of the car.

Verstappen said he was “pretty happy” with the RB22 after the opening day. He added that the team is now looking for more performance rather than dealing with a fundamental balance problem.

That is an important difference compared with some previous weekends.

Red Bull has often struggled when the car develops too much understeer or oversteer. In Baku, the main complaints have instead centered on how the car reacts to the uneven asphalt.

The RB22 therefore appears to have a clearer performance window.

Bumps remain the biggest problem

Baku creates a very specific technical challenge.

The circuit combines long flat-out sections with slow corners and extremely narrow streets. The Old Town section is only 7.6 meters wide at its narrowest point.

The surface is another issue.

Verstappen complained during FP2 about the ride of the RB22. Formula 1 reported that he was forced to counter-steer because the rear axle was unloading over the bumps.

That is important because Red Bull wants to keep the car low enough to maximize aerodynamic performance along Baku’s long straight.

The compromise is difficult.

A lower ride height can improve aerodynamic efficiency. But an overly stiff setup can make the car unstable when it encounters bumps or aggressive braking zones.

Baku combines long straights with narrow sections that place unusual demands on car stability and setup.

Red Bull therefore needs to find a better compromise overnight.

The objective is not simply to make the car softer. Engineers need to protect the aerodynamic platform while giving the rear axle a more predictable response.

That could be particularly important in qualifying.

Mercedes is still ahead on one-lap pace

The first-day picture was encouraging for Red Bull, but Mercedes remains the benchmark.

George Russell topped both FP1 and FP2, with Kimi Antonelli second in FP2. Verstappen finished third in the afternoon session, 0.827 seconds behind Russell.

Wache therefore admitted that Mercedes looked strongest over the short runs.

At the same time, the Red Bull technical director said the gaps to McLaren and Ferrari were harder to judge because of different run plans and energy deployment.

That leaves Red Bull with room to improve before qualifying.

The team does not need a completely different car. It needs to extract more speed from the package that already appears to be working.

Isack Hadjar also used Red Bull’s new package and described the car as stronger than the version he drove before his injury.

Hadjar’s feedback provides another positive signal.

After missing Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid, the Frenchman returned in Baku and said the upgraded RB22 felt stronger than the car he drove in Hungary. He finished ninth in FP2.

Both Red Bull drivers therefore gave the same broad message.

The new package is working.

Red Bull is already thinking about 2027

The Baku upgrade also arrives at an important point in Red Bull’s development cycle.

The team has already started moving a significant part of its resources toward the 2027 project. That means the remaining 2026 upgrades need to deliver a clear return without consuming excessive manufacturing and development capacity.

The Baku package could be the final major step in that process.

Its early performance is encouraging because the team is getting confirmation from both the simulation tools and the drivers.

That combination matters.

A new component is only useful if its predicted aerodynamic behavior translates to real track performance. In Baku, Red Bull appears to have achieved that first connection.

The remaining issue is the surface.

Red Bull needs the RB22 to remain stable over the bumps without sacrificing the aerodynamic efficiency that gives it potential on Baku’s long straights.

For now, the Red Bull Baku upgrade has delivered the response the team wanted, and Verstappen believes the RB22 has enough balance to fight for a podium. The next step is to find the extra speed needed to close the gap to Mercedes before qualifying.

Mercedes dominated Thursday practice in Baku, but the team believes its pace advantage is larger than the real performance gap heading into qualifying and the race.

Mercedes sends a warning in Baku

George Russell delivered a strong opening day for Mercedes at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Briton topped both practice sessions on Thursday. He finished FP2 with a 1:43.347, putting Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli 0.552 seconds behind and Max Verstappen another 0.275 seconds back.

The headline gap looked even more impressive because the first non-Mercedes car was 0.827 seconds slower than Russell.

However, Mercedes does not believe that difference represents the true competitive order.

Bradley Lord, the team’s deputy team principal, pointed to the different tyre runs and track evolution during FP2. Mercedes completed more qualifying-style runs on the soft tyre, while several rivals had fewer opportunities to extract the same performance.

George Russell topped both Thursday sessions as Mercedes opened the Azerbaijan weekend with strong one-lap pace.

The difference was particularly visible in FP2.

Russell reached his best time after several runs on the soft compound. Verstappen, meanwhile, had already shown competitive pace on the medium tyre before switching to the softer rubber.

That makes a direct comparison more complicated.

Mercedes also benefited from a circuit that was improving with every lap. Baku started dusty and slippery, and lap times continued to fall as more rubber went down.

Red Bull was surprised by the gap

Red Bull arrived in Baku with its latest major upgrade package.

Despite that, technical director Pierre Waché admitted that he did not expect such a large difference to Mercedes, particularly on the long straights.

The main question now is whether Mercedes has found a genuine performance advantage or simply optimized its soft-tyre runs more effectively.

That distinction could become clear in qualifying.

Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes prepares for running in Baku during a disrupted Thursday for the championship leader.

Isack Hadjar also noticed the difference.

After returning to F1 following his wrist injury, the Red Bull driver said Mercedes looked outside his team’s reach based on Thursday’s pace.

That view was understandable after seeing Russell lead FP1 and FP2. Still, the competitive picture can change quickly on a street circuit.

Antonelli’s difficult Thursday makes the result harder to read

Mercedes also had an unusual problem on the other side of the garage.

Kimi Antonelli lost much of FP1 because of a hydraulic issue. He completed only nine laps in the session and stopped after reporting a loss of hydraulic pressure.

The problem also affected FP2.

Mercedes fitted a replacement power unit during the break, which delayed Antonelli’s return to the track. He therefore missed the opening part of the second session as well.

Despite that, Antonelli recovered to finish second in FP2.

That result is important because it came with significantly less running than Russell. It also suggests Mercedes had enough performance to recover quickly once the car was back on track.

Antonelli still finished second in FP2 despite losing significant track time because of Mercedes’ hydraulic issue.

Mercedes said the power unit change was precautionary and that the replacement unit was already within the team’s available pool. As a result, Antonelli did not face a grid penalty from the change.

That allowed him to salvage an important part of the weekend.

More importantly, his lap time gives Mercedes a second reference point.

Mercedes says its race pace is much closer

The strongest warning against reading too much into Thursday comes from Mercedes itself.

Russell said the car felt competitive over a single lap, but he also believed race pace was closely matched with McLaren and Red Bull.

That is a very different picture from the 0.827-second gap seen at the top of the FP2 order.

Bradley Lord made the same point.

He expects the gaps to tighten once all teams complete comparable tyre runs and qualifying begins. Mercedes therefore does not want Thursday’s times to create unrealistic expectations.

The track layout also contributes to the uncertainty.

Baku combines extremely slow corners with one of the longest full-throttle sections of the F1 calendar. Straight-line efficiency matters, but so do traction, braking and confidence through the narrow castle section. Mercedes itself describes the circuit as one of the most demanding combinations of speed and precision on the calendar.

Mercedes has no new upgrade in Baku

There is another important detail.

Mercedes has not introduced any upgrades for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. McLaren, Red Bull and several midfield teams have brought new components to Baku, while Mercedes is running its existing package.

That makes the Thursday performance particularly interesting.

Mercedes is producing this level of one-lap pace without a new package specifically designed for Baku.

The team has already confirmed that it plans to bring a larger upgrade package to Malaysia later in the triple-header.

For now, however, Mercedes is relying on its current car.

Qualifying will provide a better answer

The next session should reveal much more.

Qualifying will give every team the same basic objective: extract the maximum performance from the soft tyre over one lap.

That should reduce some of the uncertainty created by Thursday’s different run plans.

If Mercedes remains several tenths ahead, the team’s rivals will have stronger evidence that the W17 genuinely has an advantage in Baku.

If the gaps shrink sharply, Lord’s explanation will have been validated.

For now, the safest conclusion is that Mercedes has looked extremely strong, but Thursday practice did not provide a complete picture of the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix competitive order.

Russell’s double practice lead is significant. The 0.827-second gap to Verstappen in FP2 is impressive, but tyre preparation, track evolution and different run plans mean qualifying remains the more reliable test of Mercedes’ true advantage.

NHTSA has closed its investigation into rear-view camera failures affecting 129,092 Honda Ridgeline pickups after testing found no evidence that the repaired wiring was likely to fail.

NHTSA closes Honda Ridgeline camera investigation

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has closed an engineering analysis involving rear-view camera failures in 129,092 Honda Ridgeline pickups.

The investigation covered 2017-2019 model-year Ridgelines. It followed a 2022 recall and later reports that some vehicles could experience problems after receiving the recall repair.

NHTSA opened the engineering analysis, EA25003, on February 11, 2025. The agency closed it on September 18, 2026, without further action.

The Honda Ridgeline was the vehicle covered by NHTSA’s rear-view camera investigation.

The original problem involved the tailgate wiring harness.

Honda’s 2022 recall, identified as NHTSA Campaign 22V-867, covered 117,445 Ridgeline vehicles from the 2017-2019 model years. The recall addressed a harness that could become damaged after repeated tailgate operation.

If the wiring failed, the rear-view camera could stop displaying an image.

That could reduce rear visibility and increase the risk of a backup collision. Honda’s original remedy was replacement of the affected wiring harness.

Why did NHTSA reopen the issue?

The investigation did not start from the original recall alone.

In 2024, NHTSA opened a Recall Query, designated RQ24011, to examine whether the replacement harness used in the recall remained durable over time. The agency later upgraded that review to the engineering analysis.

The concern was linked to reports involving vehicles that had already received the recall remedy.

NHTSA’s investigation ultimately covered 129,092 vehicles, a larger population than the 117,445 vehicles included in the original 2022 recall.

The tailgate area was central to the original rear-view camera wiring concern.

During the investigation, NHTSA received 14 reports related to alleged failures of the replacement harness, according to the agency’s investigation record.

However, the reports did not all involve the same failure mode.

NHTSA found that most of the reported rear-view camera and harness problems were associated with other types of failures that could not be attributed to the durability problem being investigated.

NHTSA tested the repaired harness

NHTSA’s Vehicle Research and Test Center played an important role in the investigation.

The agency surveyed owners of affected Ridgelines. It also inspected selected vehicles and performed durability testing on the replacement wiring harness.

The inspection results did not identify rear-view camera failures caused by the harness damage that was the focus of the investigation.

NHTSA’s durability testing also indicated that the replacement component was not expected to fail during a reasonable vehicle lifespan.

That evidence led the agency to close the engineering analysis.

Honda’s official Ridgeline imagery shows the pickup covered by the 2017-2019 recall population.

NHTSA’s decision does not erase the original recall.

Owners of affected vehicles should still make sure that any open safety recall has been completed. NHTSA’s recall system allows owners to check their specific vehicle using its 17-character VIN.

There is also an important distinction between the investigation and the recall.

The investigation was focused on the long-term durability of the recall remedy. The original 2022 recall addressed the rear-view camera wiring problem itself.

What the investigation means for Ridgeline owners

NHTSA’s conclusion provides a specific answer to the question it was investigating.

Based on the agency’s testing, inspections and field information, it did not find evidence that the repaired wiring harness was likely to fail because of the durability concern under review. The engineering analysis was therefore closed without additional action.

The decision also does not mean that every rear-view camera problem on an older Ridgeline has disappeared.

NHTSA noted that other camera and harness failure modes appeared in the field reports. Those problems were outside the specific durability concern examined in EA25003.

For the Honda Ridgeline camera probe, the latest development is therefore a closure rather than a new recall.

NHTSA closed the investigation on September 18, 2026, after finding that the repaired harness was not expected to fail within a reasonable vehicle lifespan based on the evidence gathered.