Red Bull will reintroduce its distinctive ‘Macarena’ rear wing at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix after withdrawing the component from its RB22 at Spa-Francorchamps for precautionary safety reasons. Team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed that corrective measures have been developed following the separate mechanical problems experienced by Max Verstappen in Austria and Britain.
The rear-wing concept, which drew comparisons with a solution previously seen on Ferrari, was absent during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Despite giving up a component that could have been particularly useful on Spa’s long straights, Red Bull still secured a strong double result through Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
The Red Bull ‘Macarena’ rear wing that was missing at Spa
Red Bull left Belgium with a valuable podium after Max Verstappen finished the race in third position. Isack Hadjar also delivered an impressive recovery, taking sixth place after starting from 21st on the grid. His climb through the field represented a gain of 15 positions and added further weight to what was already a positive weekend for the Milton Keynes team. The full story behind Isack Hadjar’s Belgian Grand Prix comeback highlighted how effectively the Red Bull driver recovered from his difficult starting position.
Those two results were particularly significant because Red Bull had chosen not to use its ‘Macarena’ rear wing at Spa. The team decided to withdraw the solution for safety reasons following the incidents involving Max Verstappen during qualifying at Spielberg and in the race at Silverstone.
At the start of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Max Verstappen was questioned about the decision to abandon the component. The Dutch driver described the reasons behind Red Bull’s cautious approach as “rather obvious”, indicating that the previous failures had left the team with little alternative but to step back until the problem had been properly understood.
Isack Hadjar also regarded the absence of the special movable rear-wing solution as “a step backwards” for the RB22. The component would likely have been especially valuable on the long straights of Spa-Francorchamps, where aerodynamic efficiency and straight-line speed play a major role in overall lap performance.
Even without the planned wing, Max Verstappen managed to finish on the podium, although he continued to encounter limitations with the car’s behaviour. Red Bull’s wider Belgian Grand Prix difficulties were also reflected in Max Verstappen’s comments about the RB22’s balance problems at Spa.
Revised Red Bull rear wing set for Hungarian GP return
The encouraging news for Red Bull is that the ‘Macarena’ rear wing is expected to return to the car at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. Laurent Mekies confirmed the plan during his customary post-race press conference at Spa.
The French team principal did not provide extensive technical details, but he clarified that the incidents in Austria and Britain had been caused by two separate mechanical problems rather than one recurring fault.
“Mechanical problem or two different problems? Both are true,” Laurent Mekies told reporters. “It was a mechanical problem, but two different things. So, two separate mechanical problems. But we will have a solution for Budapest.”
His explanation confirmed that Red Bull had identified distinct causes behind the two incidents and had subsequently introduced corrective measures. The team’s priority will be to ensure that the revised assembly can operate safely without repeating the dangerous failures Max Verstappen suffered at Spielberg and Silverstone.
Why the rear-wing solution matters for Red Bull
The return of the ‘Macarena’ rear wing could allow Red Bull to recover some of the aerodynamic performance it sacrificed at Spa. Although the exact benefit of the device was not quantified in the source, Isack Hadjar’s description of its removal as a backward step underlined its importance within the RB22 package.
Red Bull has also remained involved in wider discussions regarding the relative performance of the 2026 power units. Max Verstappen’s questions over the FIA’s conclusions and the team’s challenge to Mercedes’ ADUO ranking have added another layer to the technical competition between the leading manufacturers. That dispute is examined further in the report on Red Bull’s challenge to Mercedes over the ADUO ranking.
For the Hungarian Grand Prix, however, Red Bull’s immediate focus will be on confirming that the revised rear wing is both reliable and safe. After removing the solution in Belgium as a precaution, the team now expects to have an updated version available for Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar in Budapest.
The confirmation follows a Belgian Grand Prix in which Red Bull still produced two notable results despite running without the component. Max Verstappen’s third place and Isack Hadjar’s recovery to sixth can be reviewed alongside the complete 2026 Belgian Grand Prix finishing order.
If the corrective work performs as intended, the Hungarian Grand Prix will mark the return of one of Red Bull’s most recognisable recent technical solutions. More importantly, it will provide the team with an opportunity to demonstrate that the two separate mechanical problems have been addressed without compromising the intended performance of the RB22.
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