Max Verstappen has voiced significant frustration with Red Bull Racing after a recurring technical issue caused him to crash out of the British Grand Prix. The incident occurred just four laps from the finish while he was running in a potential podium position.
Verstappen lost control of his RB22 at Stowe corner, spinning into the gravel trap and forcing his retirement. The crash triggered a Safety Car, under which the race concluded, with Charles Leclerc taking victory.
The cause was identified as a failure of the rear wing to fully re-attach after being in its low-drag ‘straight mode’. This resulted in a sudden and critical loss of downforce, making the car undrivable through the high-speed corner.
It is the second time Verstappen has experienced this specific failure. A similar problem caused a crash during qualifying at the preceding Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen described the recurring fault as “super dangerous,” noting he was lucky to avoid injury on both occasions.
‘One time, okay, but two times… this is becoming dangerous for myself. And obviously, I don’t want that,’ Verstappen stated after the race.
The retirement was the culmination of a difficult weekend marked by open disagreement between Verstappen and his team. He struggled with the car’s balance and a lack of top speed throughout practice and qualifying, ultimately starting from seventh on the grid.
Unhappy with the car, Verstappen had requested that the team make significant setup changes, which would have meant breaking parc fermé rules and starting from the pit lane. Red Bull management denied this request, a decision Verstappen openly questioned.
Post-race, Verstappen expressed deep disappointment, calling the situation “painful” and stating he needed time to reset. He also commented that a podium finish would have felt “not deserved at all” given the car’s poor performance throughout the race.
The repeated high-speed failures have reportedly prompted the FIA to review the ‘macarena’ style rear wing designs used by Red Bull and other teams due to safety concerns.
