Why Red Bull's rear wing suddenly became a 'dangerous' Max Verstappen concern

Innovation is part of Formula 1's DNA, and few developments this season have drawn as much attention as the so-called Macarena rear wing. 

Ferrari introduced the concept during pre-season testing in Bahrain, with a flap that rotates around its own axis in straight-line mode to boost top speed. 

The Scuderia ran the component extensively in testing before officially deploying it from the Miami Grand Prix onwards.

Red Bull followed suit at that same weekend with their own interpretation. According to team principal Laurent Mekies, Red Bull had been working on the design since late 2025. 

The key difference: where Ferrari's flap rotates forward, Red Bull's rotates backward, opening a substantial gap on the straights. 

The effect has been visible in the data, with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar consistently featuring among the fastest cars in terms of top speed. The RB22's power unit certainly plays its part as well.

For much of the season, the wing functioned without incident. That changed at the Austrian Grand Prix, where Verstappen spun the circuit during Q3. 

The actuator failed to operate correctly, meaning the wing did not close as it should have through a corner, stripping the car of a significant amount of downforce. A crash was unavoidable, and Red Bull issued an apology to its star driver.

A big Belgian GP decision

Silverstone brought a near-identical scenario. Despite dealing with engine and balance issues across the weekend, Verstappen appeared to be on course for a solid podium, only for the rear wing to fail once more. 

The four-time world champion went off at high speed at Stowe and made no secret of his frustration afterwards, calling the situation particularly dangerous given how differently such an incident could have ended.

With two failures now on record, the wing has shifted from being a performance advantage to something of a liability. In the window between the British and Belgian Grands Prix, the Milton Keynes-based outfit has been working to determine what corrective measures are needed. 

Mekies has not ruled out removing this version of the wing from the car entirely. The FIA is also understood to have opened discussions with both Red Bull and Ferrari over whether the Macarena concept meets the required safety standards.

Spa-Francorchamps adds urgency to the matter. The Belgian circuit is one of the fastest on the calendar, and a sudden loss of downforce there carries serious consequences.

Whether Red Bull arrives in Belgium with the wing or without it remains to be seen, but the failures at Austria and Silverstone have made one thing abundantly clear: this cannot happen again.