Red Bull Racing has launched a comprehensive investigation into its active aerodynamics system after a second consecutive rear wing failure caused Max Verstappen to crash out of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
The four-time world champion lost control of his RB22 at Stowe corner on lap 48 while running in fourth place, triggering a race-ending safety car.
The incident follows a similar aerodynamic malfunction during qualifying at the previous race weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc won the 52-lap race ahead of Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, while Verstappen was left empty-handed despite recovering well from a seventh-place grid slot.
Team data confirmed the wing failed to close properly on the straights, severely compromising the car's downforce and stability.
Different Defect, Same Outcome
Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies stated that early assessments indicate a different technical defect triggered the latest failure, though the catastrophic outcome remained identical to the failure experienced in Spielberg.
“We understand what happened at the Red Bull Ring. We are not going into details because I think that would not be right.
But we understand the cause of the error,” Mekies said.
The team introduced its extreme 160-degree rotating active rear wing configuration in Miami in late 2025, but the recent accidents have cast severe doubt on the reliability of the concept ahead of the upcoming high-speed Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
“From today's initial analyses it appears that we have encountered a different type of problem.
That doesn't make it better, but it is clear that, given the sequence of events, it doesn't actually matter if the error is different,” Mekies added.
Red Bull is currently considering all engineering options to ensure driver safety, including the possibility of reverting to a conventional, higher-drag rear wing specification for the next race if the root cause cannot be completely rectified.
“We are going to review the entire area to ensure we leave no chance of such a moment happening again,” Mekies said.
Verstappen expressed intense frustration over the team radio immediately after the impact and reiterated his concerns regarding safety during his post-race media obligations.
“There happened the same as in Austria. The rear wing did not close completely.
It was a different problem, but with the same outcome,” Verstappen said.
The retirement leaves the championship leader critical of Red Bull's ongoing technical struggles, which included severe downshift problems during the opening stints of the race.
“It's just nothing. I am totally not happy with that,” Verstappen said.
Before his retirement, Verstappen had moved into podium contention through a series of on-track passes and a well-timed pit stop under a virtual safety car caused by Nico Hulkenberg's stranded Audi.
“It also came down to penalties and (virtual) safety cars. If we had finished it in third place, we totally wouldn't have deserved the podium,” Verstappen said.
McLaren had notably brought a similar rotating wing concept to Austria but chose to delay its deployment due to safety margins, a cautious approach that appears validated by Red Bull's recurring track incidents.
British Grand Prix Race Results
- 2. George Russell (Mercedes) – +2.345 – 18 points
- 3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – +4.567 – 15 points
- 4. Lando Norris (McLaren) – +6.789 – 12 points
- 5. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +8.910 – 10 points
