Red Bull Motorsports
F1
Why Verstappen’s rear-wing fix could change his season
Max Verstappen suffered from a rear-wing issue once again during the British GP. What exactly was it and what does fixing it mean for the Dutchman’s chances for the rest of the season?
Part of this story
Before the British GP, Oracle Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen had seen results improve, finishing on the podium in two of the previous four races. Sitting in third place with just a handful of laps left at Silverstone, the Dutchman’s race was prematurely ended as a technical issue sent him into the gravel trap. Below is a breakdown of what the fault was and an analysis of how fixing it can change the momentum of the season.
01
What happened at Silverstone?
The rear wing has been nicknamed 'the Macarena'
© James Sutton/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
On lap 48 of the British Grand Prix, Verstappen spun off the track, an issue that had previously occurred in Austria, ending his race prematurely. Along the straight before Stowe corner, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver used ‘straight mode’ which causes the flaps on the car’s rear wing to flatten. That's designed to reduce drag on straight sections of tracks and increase the car’s potential top speed.
However, Verstappen’s rear wing didn’t close by the time he was turning into Stowe. As a result, he didn’t have as much rear grip as expected, which saw him spin out into the gravel. Oracle Red Bull Racing use a slightly different rear wing to some other teams - one which has been called the ‘Macarena’ by many (originally coined by Ferrari's Fred Vasseur). Instead of opening slightly, the rear wing flaps flip upside down to maximise top speed. This design does take longer to close than other designs, however.
Max Verstappen is keen to find a fix
© Simon Galloway/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
After the race at Silverstone, Verstappen said: “When the rear wing doesn’t close fully, you lose a lot of downforce and you spin off the track. So, yeah. One time, OK, but two times… This is becoming dangerous for myself. And obviously, I don’t want that.”
The problem was similar to the one the driver suffered in the final session of qualifying in Austria. Laurent Mekies, Oracle Red Bull’s Team Principal, said in an interview with F1 that it is a “different type of failure,” but one with the same result.
“So he's [Verstappen] right to be unhappy.” Mekies continued. “I have no doubt that, as a team, we will put in place what is necessary for that not to happen again, even if we failed to do that today. It is very unpleasant for drivers to be let down by the car in high-speed corners in two consecutive races.” Thankfully, the team are aware of what happened and are working on a solution. "We certainly understand what happened at the Red Bull Ring,” Mekies added.
02
Verstappen’s chances in the second half of the season
Max Verstappen was running in third at Silverstone
© Colin McMaster/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Fixing the issue and maintaining mechanical reliability will be vital to giving Verstappen a chance of moving up in the drivers' standings. He’s currently in seventh place with 76 points, and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli is first with 179. If Verstappen had finished third at Silverstone, it would have been his third podium finish in five races. That marks a significant upturn in form, and continuing it could be the difference between getting closer to the top of the table than slipping further off the pace. With the mid-season break coming up in a few weeks, now is the perfect time for Oracle Red Bull Racing to put together a sustained period of high-point finishes.
03
Where Verstappen sits in the drivers' standings
Could Max Verstappen make another late-season surge?
© Mark Thompson/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
The mid-season point was also when Verstappen returned to form last season. He finished the season just two points behind Lando Norris, taking the championship to the final race. Currently, after the British Grand Prix, Verstappen is 103 points behind Antonelli. Last season, at the same point, he was 61 points behind Norris. Of course, 103 points isn’t insignificant, and there are more drivers to overtake in the driver standings than there were last season, but it’s certainly a deficit that's possible to overturn.
- Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes - 179 points
- George Russell - Mercedes - 154 points
- Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari - 147 points
- Charles Leclerc - Ferrari - 108 points
- Lando Norris - McLaren - 97 points
- Oscar Piastri - McLaren - 82 points
- Max Verstappen - Oracle Red Bull - 76 points
- Isack Hadjar - Oracle Red Bull - 52 points
- Pierre Gasly - Alpine - 42 points
- Liam Lawson - Visa Cash App Racing Bulls - 39 points
- Arvid Lindblad - Visa Cash App Racing Bulls - 20 points
- Ollie Bearman - Haas - 18 points
Other teams have also suffered from mechanical issues and form fluctuations in recent weeks. While Ferrari is beginning to find pace, with Lewis Hamilton getting his first race win for the team in Barcelona, McLaren have been regularly inconsistent, and Antonelli finished out of the point-scoring places just this past weekend due to a mechanical issue. If Verstappen and the team can fix the recurring issue and continue their improving form, it will still be possible to fight for podiums for the remainder of the season.
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls are a team that can be used as a great example of what's possible if you maintain consistency and reliability. Their strong and much-improved form over the past couple of months has seen both of the team’s drivers finish in the points-scoring places in the last four races. Before that, that hadn’t happened once all season.
That shows how quickly a team’s form can be turned around, especially when both drivers finish a race. If Verstappen’s rear-wing problem can be fixed quickly, there’s every chance his improved form will continue to kick on into the second half of the season.
About the author
Part of this story
