(Motorsport-Total.com) – Max Verstappen had already revealed on Thursday before the Belgian Grand Prix (all sessions in the live ticker!) that Red Bull would forgo the “Macarena” rear wing this weekend. The rotating system had caused the Dutchman to crash both in Spielberg and Silverstone.
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Now technical director Pierre Wache explains why the rotating rear wing caused these difficulties. “It is a mechanical problem that we identified after the accident in Silverstone,” says the Frenchman. “After Silverstone, it is now clear.”
With this, the engineer contradicts the assumptions that it could have been an aerodynamic problem. It was also possible that the airflow did not reattach immediately after the wing was turned back, and the necessary downforce could not be built up quickly enough.
“We looked at the wing and know what happened and how we can repair it,” adds Wache. When asked if the problem is related to the mechanism of operation, the technical director remains reserved: “Yes, that plays a role.”
Red Bull holds back details about the rear wing
“I don’t want to go into too much detail about what we are doing because it is part of the advantage of this wing; it brings a performance advantage.” However, Red Bull takes the problem, which Verstappen described as “super dangerous” in Silverstone, seriously.
“We are discussing this internally with the FIA because it is our duty to make the car safe,” emphasizes the technical director, who explains why the rear wing will not be used in Belgium. “We just want to make sure that it is ready for use and absolutely reliable.”
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“It is in our interest to be cautious now. We don’t want to take any risks and want to be absolutely sure.” Shortly after the incident in the UK, team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed that his team would “consider all options” and that the rear wing might not be used in Spa.
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Nevertheless, Verstappen secured the best time in the first practice. “It is a good starting point, but I am not sure if he is satisfied – from what I have heard,” says Wache. “But we still have to improve a lot on the car balance, especially in short runs and certainly also regarding tire wear.”
And what is the further plan with Red Bull’s “Macarena” wing now? “We fix [the problem] and try to ensure that everything works perfectly before we mount the wing back on the car,” adds the Frenchman. “We reinforce the parts, and you will see the wing again soon.”
“It should then be ready for Budapest,” hints the Red Bull technical director that the rear wing could already be found again on Max Verstappen’s and Isack Hadjar’s RB22 next weekend (here is the complete schedule). “Yes, let’s try.”
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