Jul.17 (GMM) Red Bull has abandoned its troublesome ‘Macarena’ rear wing for this weekend’s Belgian GP after the recent failures that left Max Verstappen furious at Silverstone.
The aggressive concept, which attracted attention for opening even wider than Ferrari’s version, was abandoned after Verstappen twice ended up off the track with failures in Austria and Silverstone, adding to speculation about his future amid Red Bull’s recent struggles.
For Spa, Red Bull has reverted to its previous specification while it works on a permanent fix.
Verstappen insisted his anger after Silverstone was only in the heat of the moment.
“Only when you just got out of the car and because you’ve gone through a problem for the second time,” he said when asked about his obvious frustration.
“Of course, I also know that the team is doing everything it can to solve the problems. They do not like to see this happen either.”
The Dutchman also rejected suggestions Red Bull has stopped listening to his feedback.
“We did talk about it, but when I come back to the factory, I don’t have to say: you’re not listening! Those conversations are not like that.”
As for reverting to the old rear wing, Verstappen said the decision was obvious.
“They have researched a lot of things and certain of their conclusions have come out, but certain things are even more difficult to understand.
“Have I asked for the old wing? No, I think it was clear to everyone that it might be a bit wise for this weekend,” he said.
Verstappen remains confident the new design will return.
“Ultimately, yes. They just have to figure out how to fix it.
“Hopefully that wing will be back on as soon as possible.”
Retired team advisor Dr Helmut Marko admits Red Bull’s recent setbacks have increased tensions.
“The crashes in Spielberg and Silverstone have put the situation on edge,” he told Kronen Zeitung.
“At the moment, there is clearly something wrong somewhere. For both parties, it is now important that they get back on the same page and that they try to find a solution in good consultation.”
Marko said the priority is simply giving Verstappen a competitive car again “as was the case in Monaco and Austria”.
“In Silverstone, they were again far behind the other top teams. There just needs to be more consistent performance.”
Isack Hadjar admits reverting to the previous rear wing is a setback.
“Even we ourselves find it difficult to accurately assess how much we’ve lost by going back to this version,” he said.
“We still believe we’ll be roughly as competitive as last weekend, although the rear wing does look less impressive. We’re doing everything we can to return to the previous specification as soon as possible, but with a more reliable solution.”
In other ‘Macarena’ news, according to Sky Italia, Ferrari has also postponed the debut of its own evolved design, while McLaren again tested a similar concept during its Silverstone filming day.
“But the component isn’t yet ready to be officially installed on a race weekend,” the Italian broadcaster reported.
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