F1's Macarena Wings Under FIA Scrutiny After Verstappen's High-Speed Crashes

By Ryan Erik King
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing during qualifying Formula One British Grand Prix Jay Hirano/Shutterstock

Formula 1 has always been a haven for eccentric engineering, but this season's ingenious solution may have finally caught the ire of the championship's rulemakers. The FIA is now investigating the macarena rear wings used by Ferrari and Red Bull. The flipping flap's failure to close completely was the cause of Max Verstappen's crashes over back-to-back race weekends in Austria and Britain. The sport's governing body will determine if the concept itself is safe or if it's an issue specific to Red Bull's implementation.

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To get you up to speed, F1 ditched its situational Drag Reduction System for a much more extensive implementation of active aerodynamics this season. Seeing an opportunity, Ferrari used practice sessions to test a rear wing flap that rotates open 225 degrees into place. With the wing upside down, it cuts drag more significantly than its rivals and can even generate lift. Ferrari's macarena wing made its competitive debut at May's Miami Grand Prix. Red Bull introduced its macarena wing at the same race without publicly testing it. Apparently, champions test in production.

If an F1 driver says something is super dangerous, the FIA won't ignore it

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (3) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 Red Bull Ford leads Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF-26 on track during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 04, 2026 in Northampton, England. Sona Maleterova/Getty Images

While Ferrari has seen no issues, there have been two high-profile Red Bull crashes. First, Max Verstappen crashed out of qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix. He lost control of his car in the Red Bull Ring's penultimate corner and hurtled into the barriers. The four-time world champion then had a similar crash during the closing laps of Sunday's British Grand Prix. In both cases, the rear wing failed to close completely, meaning it wasn't producing its normal level of downforce. According to the Race, Verstappen said after Silverstone:

"Well, at that point it's super dangerous, because you can really hurt yourself, two times! I was lucky in Austria, I was lucky here, but that's why you get really fed up with it."

The alleged danger may stem from the key difference between the Ferrari and Red Bull macarena designs. Red Bull's flap backflips shut, generating even more lift in the split second it closes. Ferrari's wing is inherently fail-safe because its flap front-flips shut, stalling as it transitions. Both designs were approved by the FIA before their introduction. The technical regulations stipulate that the wings must transition between closed and open states within 400 milliseconds, but the FIA may impose additional restrictions to ensure safety. The governing body could also take the nuclear option: ban the macarena concept entirely for the 2027 season.

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