Full Breakdown
Red Bull Shelves “Macarena” Rear Wing for Spa After Back-to-Back Crashes
7/16/2026, 8:51:40 PM
Core Decision for the Belgian Grand Prix
Red Bull will run a conventional rear-wing flap on both RB22 cars at the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. The team has temporarily abandoned its rotating “Macarena” rear-wing system after Max Verstappen suffered high-speed spins in Austria and at the British Grand Prix, incidents that were traced to the wing’s failure to re-attach fully before corner entry.
Background & Technical Context
Ferrari introduced the “Macarena” concept in 2024, allowing the upper flap of the rear wing to rotate far beyond the fixed opening of a standard DRS, thereby cutting drag and increasing straight-line speed. Red Bull later developed its own version, rotating the flap up to 160 degrees counter-clockwise, whereas Ferrari’s design rotates up to 270 degrees clockwise. Both systems rely on hydraulically operated linkages that must close the wing within 0.4 seconds. In testing after Silverstone, Red Bull engineers identified a fault in the wing’s ability to restore airflow attachment at speed once the DRS zone ends, leading to a sudden loss of rear downforce.
Key Figures & Groups
- Max Verstappen – Four-time world champion driver of Red Bull Racing.
- Laurent Mekies – Red Bull team principal, overseeing the technical response.
- Pierre Wache – Red Bull technical director who led the original Mac-arena development.
- FIA – The sport’s governing body, currently gathering technical data from Red Bull and Ferrari.
Data & Statistics
- Two high-speed crashes occurred on consecutive race weekends (Austrian Grand Prix qualifying and the British Grand Prix).
- The Red Bull wing rotates approximately 160 degrees; Ferrari’s rotates about 270 degrees.
- Verstappen sits seventh in the drivers’ standings with 76 points, while Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli leads with 179 points.
Official Statements & Responses
Red Bull announced that the conventional wing will be used at Spa while the team “leaves no stone unturned” in investigating a permanent solution. Team principal Laurent Mekies emphasized the “very unpleasant” nature of the failures for both drivers and the organization. The FIA confirmed that its review of the Mac-arena concept focuses solely on safety and reliability, not on any alleged breach of technical regulations, and has cleared Red Bull to continue using the design in Belgium pending further data.
Criticism & Opposition
Safety concerns have been voiced by drivers and rival teams. McLaren, which also trialed a rotating wing in Austria, elected not to run the system in practice or the sprint race, citing the recent Red Bull incidents as a cautionary example. The repeated loss of rear downforce in high-speed corners has been described as “super dangerous” by Verstappen, underscoring the broader risk to driver welfare.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Red Bull’s own technical analysis states that the Austrian and Silverstone failures stemmed from “different technical causes,” yet other technical commentary attributes both crashes to the same rear-wing malfunction. No definitive public explanation has been released, and the FIA’s ongoing data collection has yet to clarify whether the issue lies in the concept itself or in specific actuator performance.
Verbatim Quotes
- “At that point it's super dangerous because you can really hurt yourself two times. I was lucky in Austria, I was lucky here but that's why you get really fed up with it.” — Max Verstappen
- “He’s right not to be happy,” — Laurent Mekies
- “The answer is that we will do whatever is necessary to be on the safe side. We could even go back to the previous concept if necessary. We've raced with this concept since Miami, so it's still too early to establish whether the issue lies with the concept itself or with something else. But we will leave no stone unturned, and every option remains open.” — Laurent Mekies
- “It has been good to have a bit of a break and, although Silverstone was a tough weekend, I have been back at the factory with the Team last week on the sim. Looking to Spa, it is my favourite track on the calendar and is always good to be back. I think it could be trickier with the energy management limitations on the straights but we have historically done well here so you never know what will happen. I will be back wearing the special Orange Lion helmet which is a tribute to the fans, who are incredible here and have given me huge support over the years.” — Max Verstappen
What’s Next
Red Bull aims to implement a permanent fix to the rotating rear-wing system before the Spa race weekend begins, while the FIA continues to collect technical data from both Red Bull and Ferrari to assess the safety of the Mac-arena concept.
