Why Verstappen called his Red Bull's rear wing failure 'super-dangerous'

Max Verstappen says the rear wing failure on his Red Bull, which caused crashes at two consecutive grands prix, was "super-dangerous." Speaking after spinning out at the British Grand Prix, the Dutch driver said the same issue had already appeared at the previous race, and stressed that his team needed to take the recurring failure seriously.

The incident occurred at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Verstappen experienced a sudden structural issue with his car's rear wing during the race, which abruptly disrupted the rear axle's stability and caused the driver to lose control. Although he attempted to recover the car, the spin became unavoidable.

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged that Verstappen's reaction was justified. Mekies said the rear wing issue occurring in two consecutive races could not be explained as coincidence, and that the team needed to launch an in-depth technical investigation into the matter.

Experts say rear wing failures are considered particularly dangerous in Formula 1, because the component directly affects the car's downforce at high speed. When a sudden structural failure occurs in the wing, the driver faces a large and unpredictable change in the car's behaviour, posing a serious safety risk at high speeds.

Verstappen stressed that the failure represented not just a loss of performance but a direct safety threat. According to the driver, the reliability of a critical structural component like the rear wing should be the team's highest priority, and compromising safety for performance gains is unacceptable.

This string of failures has also unfolded against a backdrop of speculation about Verstappen's future. Rumours circulating on social media suggest a major announcement about the driver's future at Red Bull is imminent, though statements from within the team indicate such claims remain unconfirmed for now.

Team engineers are examining the car's telemetry data and physical components in detail to determine the source of the rear wing issue. Officials acknowledge that running the car in the same configuration at the next race without identifying the exact cause would be risky.

The FIA's technical safety rules call for additional scrutiny and possible penalties for teams if this kind of structural failure recurs. Experts say Red Bull could face further pressure from the regulator if it fails to provide a fast and transparent resolution.

Industry observers say repeated safety issues like this can also damage a team's reputation. In Formula 1, safety is seen as a critical factor that directly affects everything from sponsorship deals to driver trust.

Verstappen said he expects the issue to be permanently resolved before the next race. The driver made clear that for his trust in the team to hold, this kind of safety risk cannot happen again.