Red Bull Revert to Older Rear Wing at Spa as Norris Takes Grid Penalty

Red Bull is reverting to an older rear wing for the Belgian Grand Prix after Laurent Mekies revealed post-Silverstone testing uncovered an issue with its upside-down design. The team is shelving the concept following Max Verstappen's recent accidents and opting for a previously used specification at Spa-Francorchamps. McLaren also confirmed Lando Norris will take a 10-place grid penalty on Sunday after fitting a fourth power electronics unit, though he will run Mercedes' latest version.

Why it matters:

The rear wing reversal suggests Red Bull has hit trouble with its latest aerodynamic direction, forcing a retreat to a known baseline at one of the calendar's most demanding circuits. For Norris, the penalty compromises his qualifying position, but running updated Mercedes electronics could provide a crucial advantage in race trim if it improves energy deployment and reliability around Spa's long full-throttle sections.

The details:

• Mekies confirmed the issue with the upside-down rear wing was found in post-Silverstone testing, leading Red Bull to abandon the concept for this weekend.
• The change comes after a difficult run for Max Verstappen, whose recent accidents have added urgency to stabilizing the team's aero package at the high-speed Spa circuit.
• McLaren announced Norris will drop 10 places on the Sunday grid for introducing a fourth power electronics component, exceeding the permitted allocation.
• The team noted Norris is now on Mercedes' latest power electronics version, which could offset the grid penalty with better efficiency and performance.

What's next:

Red Bull will use the race weekend to evaluate whether the older wing restores the consistency Verstappen needs while its engineers continue investigating the newer specification's flaw. Norris faces a recovery drive through the field, where the effectiveness of his updated Mercedes hardware will be immediately tested on one of Formula 1's most iconic and demanding tracks.