During Q3 in F1 Austrian GP qualifying Max Verstappen lost control of his RB22 in Turn 9 at the Red Bull Ring after, according to his own account, already experiencing a significant snap three corners earlier.
Speaking to the media after qualifying, the Dutchman struggled to explain the moment himself, particularly as those balance issues had not been present during his previous qualifying runs.
Laurent Mekies has since revealed that Verstappen was lacking rear downforce at the moment of the crash, causing the car to step out immediately after turning in, as Verstappen described it in the media pen.
“The dynamic of the incident was quite unusual. We lost aero performance on the rear of the car and it gave Max no chance to survive,” Mekies said. “As a team we take full responsibility for it and apologise to him.”
Red Bull does not wish to comment further on the exact cause at this stage, but as Mekies specifically referred to a loss of rear aerodynamic performance, it appears to point towards an issue with the rear wing.
Immediately after the impact, race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase told Verstappen over the team radio: “I will check the rear wing, maybe a delay on the rear wing.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing crash
Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Just before Turn 9 there is an SM zone, where the active aerodynamics are deployed. Photographs show that the rear wing had closed again by the time of the impact, but Verstappen said he was lacking rear downforce at the moment he turned into the corner.
After Red Bull identified the cause, Verstappen also acknowledged there was nothing he could have done to avoid the spin.
“In T9 there was a big loss of rear end grip and the car spun out at high speed. I had an uncontrollable spin and the wheel fully locked,” the four-time world champion said.
“We lost aero performance due to some damage on the rear of the car, which caused the issue. The car spun off and the situation was out of my hands unfortunately.”
Verstappen admitted that, even without the crash, he would not have been able to fight for pole position, but believes he would have finished third behind both Mercedes drivers. The Dutchman added that the damage to the RB22 is limited, meaning the crash should have no implications for Sunday’s race.
Red Bull still learning about major upgrade package
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Aside from the crash, Red Bull has faced several challenges this weekend.
On Friday, both drivers complained about a power unit issue in Turn 3 – more specifically a loss of RPM at the apex – although Verstappen, when asked by Autosport.com, clarified that the problem has now been resolved.
In addition, the car’s balance was not where the team wanted it to be on Friday. That improved ahead of qualifying, before parc fermé conditions came into effect, although Mekies acknowledged that Red Bull is still learning about its new upgrade package.
“With any significant upgrade, it is never simply a case of plug-and-play. The real challenge is to understand the package, identify its optimum operating window and maximise its potential over the course of the weekend.
“We are still learning but today was an encouraging first step. The improved pace we had demonstrated the progress we have made with the package we have brought to Austria.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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