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'Macarena Wing' steps out of line: FIA scrutinizes flexi-wings after Verstappen woes
Following recent crashes for Max Verstappen, the FIA has turned its gaze to the striking rotating rear wings—affectionately dubbed 'Macarena wings'—of Red Bull and Ferrari. Coincidence? Of course not.
By Kritische Hans van den Broekma - 2026-07-08T08:20:42.000Z - 2 min read
As the Formula 1 world was still recovering from Max Verstappen's recent crash(es)—yes, more than one, for the forgetful among us—governing body FIA decided to cast its own wise eye on a rather striking detail. The rotating rear wings of both Red Bull and Ferrari, tongue-in-cheek dubbed the 'Macarena wing' by insiders, are suddenly in the spotlight. What a total surprise that this happens right after a top driver in a top car visited the gravel trap just a bit too often.
Laurent Mekies, team principal of Red Bull, assured us earlier that his team would 'leave no stone unturned' following Verstappen's incident at Silverstone. A noble ambition, almost touching. But now the FIA seems to be picking up the baton by requesting additional information from both teams. As if they can settle something as complex as a rotating wing in a couple of emails. It's almost endearing how everyone pretends this is the first time teams have tested the boundaries of what is allowed and what is barely not.
Because let's be honest: a 'Macarena wing' that, accidentally or not, moves with the wind to optimize downforce... that sounds an awful lot like yet another ingenious interpretation of the regulations, doesn't it? Formula 1 teams are masters at finding loopholes in the law, and the FIA is the master at closing those loopholes, usually only after someone has profited handsomely from them (or ended up in the gravel because of them).
The big question now is whether this turns out to be a storm in a teacup—with the FIA ultimately concluding that everything falls 'within the spirit of the regulations'—or whether we are witnessing the next major tech saga to dominate headlines. My crystal ball predicts a lot of headaches for the engineers and a few vague press releases, after which we'll move on to the next controversy in a couple of races. Because that is the Formula 1 we know and secretly love, isn't it?