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Verstappen Has Every Right to Be Upset After Crash – Mekies
Highlights
- Max Verstappen crashed at British GP, spinning at Stowe corner.
- Rear wing failures caused crashes in Austria and Silverstone races.
- Red Bull identified different faults causing consecutive rear wing issues.
- Team principal Mekies promised a thorough review for safety improvements.
- Red Bull uses unique upside-down rear wing design since Miami.
- Verstappen wanted fresh power unit, but team retained original setup.
Max Verstappen crashes at the British Grand Prix, spinning into the Stowe gravel four laps from the flag after a weekend hampered by handling and power unit concerns.
He holds third for much of the race before losing the rear. The team suspects the rear wing fails to close correctly after exiting Straight Mode, triggering downforce loss.
Visibly angry on the radio, Verstappen warns repeated rear wing malfunctions risk safety, calling the situation dangerous. He expands on this in the Verstappen Red Bull danger report.
“One time is unfortunate, but two times is becoming dangerous.”
Team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledges Verstappen’s frustration, labelling two different failures across consecutive weekends unacceptable. The sight of a leading car losing control in high-speed phases concerns the whole operation.
Red Bull promises a root-and-branch review. The Austria crash mechanism is understood, but Silverstone exposed a new fault, discussed in the Silverstone challenges analysis.
Red Bull confirms two separate rear wing faults across Austria and Silverstone.
Mekies says the latest failure concerns a different component within the rear wing system. The team will audit every interface and actuator to eliminate single-point vulnerabilities.
Since Miami, Red Bull runs an “upside-down” rear wing concept first evaluated by Ferrari and adopted by McLaren. Engineers will test whether the architecture or specific parts drive these failures.
Safety and reliability set the priority. Verstappen wanted a fresh power unit and setup reset after qualifying, but Red Bull retained the original specification to preserve his P7 grid start.
Team kept P7 grid slot rather than switch to a fresh power unit.
Mekies argues starting on the grid offered better upside than a pit-lane reset, despite poor balance. He accepts Verstappen’s dissent while stressing the data gained will guide corrective work.
Attention now turns to stabilising the RB22’s handling and rear end. Verstappen’s fight with George Russell underlines the car’s pace despite volatility, as detailed in the British GP crash report.
Visual Summary
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REAR WING FAILURE DASHES VERSTAPPEN’S PODIUM HOPES
Lap 48: Verstappen spins into the gravel after rear wing fails to close at high speed.
Frustration and danger warnings dominate radio & post-race.
Consecutive crashes at Austria & Silverstone, both caused by rear wing issues.
Frustration and danger warnings dominate radio & post-race.
Consecutive crashes at Austria & Silverstone, both caused by rear wing issues.
“One time is unfortunate, but two times is becoming dangerous.”
– Max Verstappen
– Max Verstappen
Austria
Q
Silverstone
Race
Rear wing failures derail Verstappen’s run—twice in two weekends.
James William covers the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, from the Rolex 24 at Daytona to sprint-race formats. His reports include prototype performance reviews, GT class battles, and pit-stop strategy insights for endurance-racing fans.
