Max Verstappen's Red Bull failures labelled "big concern" after British GP retirement

Max Verstappen's recurring active aero failures have been noted as a safety concern after the Red Bull driver went off the circuit at high speed for the second time in eight days at the British Grand Prix. 

The four-time Formula 1 champion endured a miserable weekend at Silverstone, which ultimately resulted in a retirement on lap 48 after he became beached in the gravel.

The incident, which resulted in a late-race safety car that stayed out until the chequered flag, was a repeat of the failure that caused Verstappen to spin out during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix a week before.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, lead commentator Alex Jacques discussed the severity of the issue.

"I think it's more the fact that he highlighted that he's been pitched off the road at high speed twice in eight days," Jacques said. "I think that is probably in the modern age not a nice place to be for a driver.

"That's fundamental. That's not something that can be improved overall. He's committing to fast corners and safety standards are higher, right? But it's still not something that he wants to be experiencing."

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Manuel Eletto / Getty Images

An unpredictable loss of rear downforce is almost impossible for a driver to manage. Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, who joined Jacques on the podcast, added: "You're doubting the next time you turn in. What's the next track? Oh, great. Spa. Is the rear wing attaching here? No thanks. Can we go back to the old one that's much slower, but at least I know I'm not going to hurtle into the barriers?

"You know, it's a big concern for a driver. You need to have the fundamentals right. And if you're now doubting that the new part you've got on has just inherent flaws that mean occasionally once in a while it won't shut... Doesn't matter if it's once every 50 laps, that one time you will be off into the barriers or you'll be skidding off into the gravel if there's enough run-off.

"So I can see that that is such a big issue for any driver, and it happens to be Max on both occasions here."