Günther Steiner expects that Red Bull has said goodbye to the so-called ‘Macarena rear wing’ during the upcoming Belgian GP. The design, which opens 180 degrees in straight-line mode, has already cost the team two costly crashes. Both in Austria and in Great Britain, Max Verstappen spun because the rear wing did not fully close in the corners.
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“We have to call Red Bull the loser of the weekend,” Steiner judged strictly in the Red Flags podcast. “It happened for the second time already,” he referred to the problem with the rear wing. In Austria, the faulty rear wing cost Verstappen his last qualifying lap. In Great Britain, the same problem occurred again, this time in the final phase of the race. Verstappen was in sight of third place at that moment, but ultimately went home without points.
“There are many good people working at Red Bull and they will really have to find a solution for this,” Steiner continued. “It is as Max (Verstappen, ed.) himself already indicated: super dangerous! And yes, it can indeed be very dangerous.” Ferrari revealed the Macarena wing first during the test days in Bahrain. The design uses a spoiler flap that rotates 180 degrees, causing the entire wing to effectively open and create even less air resistance. On paper, this should lead to even higher top speeds and thus better lap times.
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No ‘Macarena’ at Spa?
McLaren also experimented earlier with a Macarena wing, but has not yet raced with this radical specification. “McLaren has not put it on the car yet,” Steiner noted. “Possibly because they also had problems with it. If you ask Max, the Macarena wing definitely causes more problems,” laughed the former team boss. “You can be sure you will get an honest answer from him. I am also quite sure they will leave that wing at home in Spa-Francorchamps. I would bet my hand on that.”
The FIA also seems to be getting involved in the development of the Macarena wings. After the British GP, it became clear that the organization requested additional data from both Ferrari and Red Bull about the operation of the rear wing. This is primarily to check whether both teams are operating within the regulations, but also to ensure the safety of the concept. The FIA could ban the use of Macarena wings – now or at a later stage.
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