Red Bull Reveal Bold Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar Shift

Red Bull will abandon its inverted rear wing for this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar switching to a conventional element after high-profile failures.

Team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed the change to the BBC, a clean break from the recent layout and a push to stabilise the RB22’s rear end.

Verstappen’s wing failed in Austrian qualifying at the penultimate corner, dropping him to fifth on the grid. At Silverstone, a repeat failure at Stowe pitched him into the gravel and retirement.

Subsequent Milton Keynes testing identified a design flaw. A small channel within the inverted profile could remain open, triggering rear instability under load and making the car unpredictable through high-speed corners.

Verstappen labelled the RB22 “super dangerous” after Silverstone, underlining shaken confidence in rear aero. That unease also colours discussions around Verstappen’s F1 future as Red Bull reassesses risk versus reward.

The team will run a traditional rear wing at Spa to prioritise stability and safety, accepting drag and downforce trade-offs while refining the inverted concept away from race conditions.

Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar will mirror Verstappen’s spec, adopting the conventional element this weekend. The shift follows work detailed in Hadjar’s Red Bull fix and complements his ongoing upgrades programme.

Spa’s long straights and high-speed corners reward efficient low-drag packages but punish instability. Red Bull may sacrifice peak top speed, yet the reduced failure risk could prove decisive in a tight championship fight. Ferrari stands to benefit if Red Bull’s compromise blunts race-day pace.

Further rig and CFD work continues in Milton Keynes to resolve the concept’s vulnerability. Verstappen’s search for marginal gains, outlined in his recent performance update, will hinge on restoring trust in rear aero.

For Spa, the target is predictable balance and clean execution. If the conventional wing steadies the platform, Red Bull can reset its campaign before revisiting the upside-down design later in the season.

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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.