Red Bull, Verstappen satisfied: away with the wing “Macarena“
Red Bull has decided to return to a traditional rear wing configuration ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, after the problems encountered by Max Verstappen in the last two races. As we anticipated with our correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps Carlo Platella, the Milton Keynes team arrived in Belgium with the old wing, putting away the “Macarena” that caused problems for the Dutch star both in qualifying in Austria and at the Silverstone GP.
Read more Volkswagen ID. Cross, new electric SUV with 427 km range
Confirming the change was team principal Laurent Mekies: the Frenchman told the BBC that checks carried out after the Silverstone weekend and feedback received during a filming day also on the British track highlighted an anomaly in the previous wing configuration that could potentially have created safety risks (Verstappen is certainly not a driver used to going off into the gravel for two consecutive weekends). The rear flap of the RB22 will return to a traditional operation and, according to Telegraaf colleague Erik van Haren, Red Bull has decided to no longer use the “Macarena“ until further notice.
During the season Red Bull and Ferrari had introduced an innovative rear wing, characterized by an upper flap capable of rotating over 180 degrees. This solution was developed to further reduce aerodynamic drag and increase top speed on straights, offering a performance advantage over more classic systems. However, evidently, Red Bull’s mechanism was less refined than that of the Scuderia, and during the closing phase it caused an irregularity in the aerodynamic flow and consequent instability of the car.
Read more Red Bull, Macarena in doubt: the old wing is at Spa
The mechanism was described by Verstappen as “extremely dangerous” after Silverstone. The Dutchman was furious about the recurrence of an error that had already cost him heavy points in Austria: it is reasonable to assume that without the problem in qualifying, with the pace shown on Sunday, the Dutchman would have won the Red Bull Ring GP.
Read more Steiner: “Hamilton will not win the title, Mercedes is too strong”
