Max Verstappen’s rear wing saga at Silverstone overshadowed a more concerning issue for Red Bull

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Max Verstappen spinning out of the 2026 British Grand Prix owing to an issue with his rear wing overshadowed a problem that Red Bull fear will continue to hold them back.

Four-time F1 champion Verstappen saw his and Red Bull’s hopes for a podium at Silverstone end abruptly last Sunday when he lost control of his RB22 through Stowe on Lap 48 of 52. It was also the second time in the space of eight days that he spun due to Red Bull’s rear wing.

Red Bull’s hopes for a home pole position vanished the previous Saturday when Verstappen spun during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. Like at Silverstone, the 28-year-old could not stay on circuit as the upper flap on his rear wing did not close after using straight mode.

It appears that Verstappen’s spin during the British GP and his earlier off in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring were both at least partly tied to the airflow over his rear wing not reattaching in time. Red Bull’s Macarena rear wing takes slightly longer to close than a standard design.

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Red Bull are analysing Max Verstappen’s engine data to solve their energy efficiency woes

But even though Verstappen spun whilst running in third place at Silverstone, Red Bull want to also now analyse his data as Autosport reports that the Milton Keynes-based team fear a difficult week will await them next time out at Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix on July 17-19.

READ MORE: Leclerc wins the 2026 British GP under the safety car after Verstappen’s crash

Red Bull know that their car struggles in high-speed corners like those at Silverstone, yet the British GP also hammered home how much the RB22’s energy management lacks efficiency. So, Red Bull hope to find a solution from Verstappen’s data, otherwise Spa will cause issues.

Team principal Laurent Mekies has already conceded that Red Bull are “afraid” that Spa will expose the RB22’s energy management struggles as Silverstone did. The iconic circuit in the Ardennes forest is the next stop on the F1 calendar and it presents many of the same issues.

“A week ago [in Austria], we were fighting for the win,” Mekies stated, via Autosport. “A few days later, here in Silverstone, we were hitting some pretty strong limitations that stopped us from extracting everything out of our package.

“We think it is compounding with a track like Silverstone. On tracks where the energy limitations are strong, we seem to be struggling more compared to the competition. In that respect, I’m afraid Spa will probably fall in that category, as well.”

Verstappen, too, knows that his hopes for a fourth Belgian GP win are likely to be slim due to Red Bull’s issues with energy efficiency. The Dutchman, who was actually born in the Belgian city of Hasselt in Limburg, won at Spa in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and he also set pole in 2021.

“Spa and Monza are going to be great…” Autosport notes Verstappen said sarcastically. “And that’s a real shame, because Spa is obviously one of my favourite tracks. But this year, it’s going to feel very different.”

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Spa and Silverstone share many characteristics in that both circuits feature high-speed turns and long straights that will offer very few opportunities to recharge the battery. Verstappen’s struggles at Silverstone are thus likely to recur at Spa, unless Red Bull find the silver bullet.

Red Bull’s energy management woes are especially likely to hold Verstappen and teammate Isack Hadjar back in Spa’s first sector, given that the run from La Source, through Eau Rouge and Raidillon, and onwards to the Les Combes chicane along the Kemmel Straight is flat out.

Verstappen and Hadjar will likely have to sacrifice all of Spa’s middle sector to recharge their batteries, as the run from Stavelot into the Bus Stop chicane via Blanchimont is another flat-out sector. The Red Bull drivers will have to use at least some of their battery store through the final sector to avoid being sitting ducks but still have enough saved to use in sector one.