Max Verstappen Confirms Controversial Red Bull Rear Wing Return for Hungary

Max Verstappen has confirmed that Red Bull's controversial rotating rear wing will return on the RB22 for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. The device was pulled at Spa-Francorchamps after causing aerodynamic instability, but the team now believes it has resolved the issues through extensive simulation work.

Why it matters:

Red Bull's rotating wing concept offered genuine performance gains after its Miami debut before becoming a liability. With the Hungaroring demanding maximum downforce, the wing's reliability is under intense scrutiny. A successful return could restore a key upgrade pathway, while another failure would force a costly rethink of the team's development direction.

The details:

• The concept: Red Bull introduced its rotating upper-flag rear wing after Ferrari's similar "Macarena" design. The Milton Keynes version featured a larger gap between upper elements, aggressively stalling on straights before closing for cornering downforce.
• The failures: The system proved dangerously inconsistent at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone. In Austria, Verstappen crashed in qualifying when airflow failed to reattach after the flags closed. A similar stall contributed to his British GP incident, prompting removal before Belgium.
• The fix: Following an intensive investigation, technical director Pierre Waché hinted at a Budapest return. Verstappen has now confirmed its reinstallation, telling Viaplay that engineers successfully reproduced the failure in controlled tests and have implemented a reworked solution.
• The stakes: Verstappen admitted the team "assumes" the problem is fixed but will only know for certain under race conditions. "Hopefully it closes properly now," he said. "That is the goal."

What's next:

All eyes will be on the RB22's high-speed corners this weekend. The Hungaroring's stop-and-go nature leaves no margin for aerodynamic surprises, making it the ultimate proving ground. If the revised wing operates as intended, Red Bull can reintegrate the concept into its regular package. If not, the team may have to abandon one of its most troublesome developments of the season.