Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache is open to looking into Max Verstappen’s concerns over low-drag rear wing specifications ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 campaign.
At the Italian and Las Vegas Grands Prix, Red Bull went without an ultra-low downforce rear specification, unlike many of the team’s rivals.
This drew criticism from Verstappen, who felt that Red Bull was hurting its chance at Monza and the Las Vegas Strip circuit.
“It feels a bit like we throw away two race weekends like this because you definitely lose too much on the straights,” he said after F1 visited Vegas in November.
“We would have liked to have a lower wing, a lower-downforce wing, or at least a different shape, a more efficient shape.
“But on the other hand, there’s only one more year left with these rules, and I don’t know if it makes sense.”
Despite there being just one year left in the current rules cycle, Wache is open to exploring rear wing options but admitted some factors ought to be considered.
”It has to do with the budget cap, but also with what you found,” Wache told Autosport.
“It is not because you have a different shape than the other teams that it is worse.
“When you have a massive balance issue, then I don’t know if the rear wing was the main issue. We will look at it, what to do next season and if we find something better.”
Wache unsure a low-drag rear wing will bring benefits
Red Bull struggled with balance issues throughout the 2024 season and they were heightened during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza with Verstappen only finishing sixth.
In Vegas, Verstappen and Red Bull suffered a straight-line speed deficit of approximately seven KPH and the Dutchman can only manage fifth.
In years gone by, cost-cap pressure, combined with a dominant package meant that Red Bull could get away with spending resources elsewhere than a low-drag rear wing.
It didn’t have that advantage in 2024 and as such Wache doesn’t want to dismiss Verstappen’s concerns.
However, Wache admits that there’s no guarantee a low-drag rear wing will bring a marked benefit to the RB21 at venues like Monza and Las Vegas.
“I don’t dismiss Max’s comments saying ‘we didn’t look at it enough’, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that we will find a better solution,” Wache said.
“I think there is a margin between saying ‘the others have done that and it is better’ and being open-minded. I fully agree with that final part about being open-minded.
“We have to look at what is the best solution for our car. If you find a special shape for Monza and Vegas but it is one tenth slower, then why would you take it?”
READ MORE – Red Bull can’t rule out further development issues in F1 2025
Discussion about this post