Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies apologized to Max Verstappen as he confirmed that another rear-wing failure led to the driver’s crash during the British Grand Prix. The Dutchman was running in P3 when the crash happened and was almost certain to secure a podium position with only four laps to go in the race.
Verstappen had somehow fought his way up to P3 at the British GP, a position which he would have snapped anybody’s hands off for prior to the start of the race. But in the end, it was still not meant to be for the driver, who lost control of his car at Stowe and got stuck in the gravel after spinning out.
Verstappen immediately blamed the car for the incident, and Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies has now confirmed that the accident occurred due to a rear-wing failure. The Frenchman also apologized to his driver after the race, saying [via Viaplay]:
“We had an issue with the rear wing, so it’s on us. We apologise to Max. This is not the first time we have had an issue that took him off-track. It’s never very pleasant when you send your driver off-track.
“What is important is that he’s okay, and yes, the pace was certainly better than we had shown so far this weekend, so some progress there. We were a bit weak on the hard tyre, but Max was very, very strong on both stints on the medium. It would have been a podium, but yeah, we wasted it today. It’s on us to progress.”
After the race, Max Verstappen explained that it was the same issue that had also led to a crash for him during qualifying at the Austrian GP a week prior, as the rear wing did not close properly going into the fast corner.
Max Verstappen shares concerns about his safety after British GP crash
Max Verstappen raised concerns about his safety following his crash at the British GP. The 4x world champion’s words serve as a stern warning for Red Bull as he explained that the same issue two weeks in a row caused him to crash out.
Speaking about the moment after the race, Verstappen said [via F1 TV]:
“Same problem again like in qualifying in Austria. The rear wing doesn’t close fully, you lose a lot of downforce, and you spin off the track. So, yeah. One time, okay, but two times, it’s becoming dangerous for me.”
When asked where he goes from this point on, Max Verstappen shared a damning verdict, saying:
“I don’t know. I mean, it’s just painful, frustrating. You know, you’re trying everything you can. The whole weekend I wasn’t happy with the car balance.”
“At the moment, I’m honestly just looking forward to going home and not thinking about Formula One.”
Verstappen also reiterated that he was unhappy with the balance of his RB22 throughout the whole weekend, saying that he was also down on top speed specifically on his side of the garage. He also once again said that if it was up to him, he would have made changes to the car after qualifying and started from the pit lane.
Edited by Samyak Sharma