Red Bull Racing has apologized to Max Verstappen for not resolving a steering issue on the RB22 car sooner. The team identified and fixed the problem after the Miami Grand Prix, where Verstappen finished fifth following an opening-lap spin. Technical director Pierre Wache explained the complexity in pinpointing and addressing the root cause.
Red Bull Racing technical director Pierre Wache expressed regret to four-time world champion Max Verstappen over the team's delay in fixing a steering system issue on the RB22 car. Verstappen had noticed the problem since the first shakedown in Barcelona. The team replaced the complete steering rack and supporting components, with improvements evident during a filming day in Silverstone, Wache told Motorsport.com after the Miami Grand Prix. “I'm sorry that we didn't fix it before,” Wache said. “We tried multiple stuff and it didn't work. Some parts also took a long time to arrive, but I think the engineering team did a very good job to achieve it.” The fix contributed to Red Bull's stronger performance in Miami, closing the gap to frontrunners by over a second in qualifying compared to Japan, despite upgrades from McLaren and Ferrari. Wache clarified the timeline, noting the root cause was found a bit before the April break, which allowed time to produce parts unavailable earlier for Bahrain and Jeddah. Verstappen's fifth place in Miami did not reflect the car's pace, as it was hampered by his lap-one spin and early pit stop. Separately, Red Bull introduced its version of a movable rear wing, developed since November but refined over races like Bahrain, Melbourne, and Suzuka to meet FIA regulations. “We tried to introduce it in Bahrain, and then in Melbourne. But we had some issues to make it work,” Wache explained. The device rotates oppositely to Ferrari's and now functions effectively.
