Red Bull expects to run its ‘Macarena’ wing again at next F1 race

Red Bull intends to re-introduce its rotating rear wing on the RB22 at next week’s Hungarian Grand Prix, technical director Pierre Wache has announced.

Pioneered by Ferrari amid Formula 1’s new ruleset, the rotating wing – which improves straightline performance in straight mode – was adopted by Red Bull at the Miami Grand Prix.

However, after Max Verstappen suffered two crashes in the past two rounds, in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring and in the race at Silverstone, Red Bull went into this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix with its original, conventional rear wing.

Still, that’s not the end of the road for the upgrade Verstappen branded “super dangerous”, as Red Bull ponders how to make it safe to use – potentially as early as the Hungaroring round.

“It's a mechanical problem that we spotted after the accident in Silverstone,” Wache said. “We fix it, we are trying to prove that we are bulletproof before putting it on the car, and it should be ready for Budapest.”

Pierre Wache, Technical Director of Oracle Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Pressed on whether or not the problem had been clear after Austria, Wache insisted: “After Silverstone it's clear now. We looked at the wing and we know what happened, we know how to fix it. That is just to make sure that it's ready and bulletproof.”

The Frenchman conceded that the wing’s actuator was part of the issue and explained that the matter had been discussed with the FIA, given it is a safety matter.

“We prove it to them, what we've done,” he subsequently added.

Meanwhile, Verstappen topped Free Practice 1 at Spa-Francorchamps before taking third place in the second session, nearly half a second off pacesetter Kimi Antonelli, with McLaren’s Lando Norris in between.

“It's a good starting point, but still, I'm not sure he's happy with what I heard,” Wache said of Verstappen. “But we still have a lot to improve on the balance side, especially on short runs and maybe on the degradation side, for sure.”