Red Bull Acknowledges Verstappen’s Frustration After Perilous British GP Exit

Max Verstappen voiced severe concerns following the British Grand Prix, where a sudden spin into the gravel at Stowe corner ended his race with just six laps remaining.

Despite struggling with gearbox issues, electrical deployment, and poor handling throughout the event, Verstappen had been fighting for a third-place finish before the incident.

The driver’s frustration stemmed not only from the wing failure that caused the crash but also from the team’s refusal to replace the engine, despite his warnings about significant performance issues following Saturday’s qualifying session.

“Look, he’s right not to be happy,” admitted Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies. “It is very unpleasant for drivers to be let down by the car in high-speed corners in two consecutive races, even if the reasons were different.”

“On a different scale, it is also extremely unpleasant for us as a group to see our drivers end up in the gravel trap. He is justified in his unhappiness.”

“I have no doubt that as a team, we will implement whatever is necessary to ensure this does not happen again. We failed to prevent it today, and we are treating this with the utmost seriousness.”

Verstappen had been battling with Mercedes’ George Russell, who ultimately finished second

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Red Bull’s rear wing design has come under scrutiny following Verstappen’s crash during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, where a delayed transition out of Straight Line Mode (SLM) was cited as the cause of the spin.

Introduced this season to preserve limited electrical energy, active aerodynamics allow front and rear wing flaps to adjust to reduce drag within specific SLM zones. However, because airflow does not instantly reattach to the wing surfaces once the active aero is disengaged, a transient period of instability can occur, altering downforce balance and tyre loading.

At the Miami Grand Prix, Red Bull debuted a ‘Macarena wing’—a concept developed independently but similar to one utilized by Ferrari. In this design, the entire top plane of the rear wing rotates approximately 180 degrees rather than simply shifting to a flatter angle of attack.

While the design is believed to provide a performance edge, the actuation mechanism is more complex, and the airflow during the rotational phase is significantly more volatile.

“We certainly understand what happened at the Red Bull Ring,” Mekies stated. “I won’t go into the specific details, but we understand the nature of that failure.”

Laurent Mekies, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Max Slovencik / Getty Images

“Our early analysis suggests today was a different type of failure. That doesn’t make it any better. In a sequence of events, whether the failure is different or the same doesn’t matter. We are reviewing the entire system to eliminate any chance of a recurrence.”

“We have used this concept for several races now. It is too early to determine if this is a fundamental conceptual flaw or a separate issue, but we will leave no stone unturned and keep all options open.”

However, Verstappen remained unconvinced by the distinction.

“A different fault, perhaps, but the same outcome,” Verstappen remarked. “As I turned into the corner, the rear wing failed to attach properly, causing a massive loss of downforce and sending me off the track.”

“At that speed, it’s super dangerous; you could really hurt yourself. That’s happened twice now. I was lucky in Austria and lucky here, but that is why it becomes incredibly frustrating.”

He further questioned the strategic decision to maintain the original engine and set-up, even though doing so would have forced him to start the race from the pit lane.

“I wanted to start from the pit lane,” he explained. “The team was confident they could fix the deployment issues, but I was not.”

Verstappen has been critical of his car all season

Photo by: Getty Images

Mekies argued that a pit lane start would have removed Verstappen from contention for a podium finish. “After qualifying, it was clear we were unhappy with the car’s balance,” he noted.

“Changing the set-up would have meant starting from the pit lane. While we knew racing with an imperfect balance would be unpleasant, we felt it offered a better chance of a result than starting from the back with a better car.”

“We have discussed this with Max. I accept that he has a different perspective as the one driving the car.”

“Ultimately, today provided important lessons. The car felt similar to yesterday, meaning we hit the limitations we were already aware of. I am not entirely convinced we would have achieved P3 if we had started from the pit lane.”

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