The qualifying session of the Austrian GP of Formula 1 was marked by a shocking incident when Max Verstappen lost control of his vehicle at Turn 9 of the Red Bull Ring. The Red Bull Racing driver reported that he had already experienced a loss of control three corners before the accident, which complicated the situation regarding his performance on the track.
During a press conference after qualifying, Verstappen expressed his difficulty in explaining the situation, as these balance issues had not arisen in previous sessions. Laurent Mekies, sporting director of Red Bull, confirmed that aerodynamic force was lost at the rear of the car at the moment of the crash, a fact that made it impossible for Verstappen to control the vehicle.
Mekies pointed out that the team takes full responsibility for the incident, apologizing to the driver. The initial investigation points to a possible damage to the rear wing, which could have caused the loss of lift necessary for the maneuver.
Before reaching Turn 9, Verstappen found himself in an area with aerodynamic activity, and the images show that the rear wing had just closed again before the impact. The driver commented that at that moment he felt a significant loss of grip, resulting in an uncontrollable spin. He mentioned that the damage to his car is limited, a fact that will not affect his participation in the race on Sunday.
In addition to Verstappen’s incident, the Red Bull team has faced other issues during the weekend. In previous sessions, the drivers noticed problems with the power unit, especially at Turn 3. However, Verstappen confirmed that these inconveniences have been resolved before qualifying. Mekies indicated that the team is still learning about their new upgrade package, acknowledging that significant updates are never a simple process and that it is necessary to identify the best performance of each component throughout the weekend.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
