Red Bull has apologised to Max Verstappen after a technical issue caused his crash during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. The team identified rear aero damage on his RB22 that led to a loss of downforce in Turn 9.
During Q3 at the Red Bull Ring, Verstappen lost control of his car in Turn 9. He described a sudden loss of rear-end grip that sent the RB22 into an uncontrollable spin at high speed.
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull's racing director, said the team found the cause after the session. "We lost aero performance on the rear of the car and it gave Max no chance to survive," Mekies said. "As a team we take full responsibility for it and apologise to him."
Verstappen confirmed the damage was limited and should not affect his car for Sunday's race. He added that without the crash he would likely have finished third behind the two Mercedes drivers.
Red Bull is still working to understand its new upgrade package, which showed improved pace in qualifying despite earlier power unit concerns that have since been resolved.
