Formula 1 Spanish GP
What is behind Verstappen’s recurrent F1 DRS problems
Max Verstappen may have taken victory in Formula 1's Spanish Grand Prix, but it wasn't without drama, most especially with his DRS.
Matt Somerfield Jonathan Noble
Edited: May 24, 2022, 3:05 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
Giorgio Piola is the preeminent Formula 1 technical journalist. View our full selection of Giorgio's technical illustrative content
As the Red Bull driver battled to recover from an early off across a gravel trap, his attempts to find a way past George Russell were compromised by his DRS playing up and not working consistently.
The DRS deployment issues were a recurrence of those that arose during qualifying and prevented Verstappen from challenging Charles Leclerc for pole position in his final run.
This had prompted the team to make changes under parc ferme conditions ahead of the race to try to resolve the problem.
In the pre-race official FIA technical delegate's report, which indicates what parts are changed on a like-for-like basis and without penalty, Red Bull opted to replace the DRS actuator and flap pivot pins on Verstappen's RB18.
This was clearly not enough to fully resolve the problem and suggests the issue goes beyond just a single item failing.
Mechanics work on the DRS of Max Verstappen, Red Bull RB18
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Indeed, as can be seen in the above image, the problem does not seem to just revolve solely around the actuator mechanism.
As this exclusive photograph shows, it appears the team was concerned with stress related cracks or fractures that they may have found during their checks of the wing after qualifying.
As such, there's a large section of the upper flap that's been subject to a fix, with the sponsor decals reapplied before the car made its way to the grid.
Interestingly enough, whilst Perez hadn't suffered the issue in qualifying and didn't have the DRS actuator or pivots replaced ahead of the race, they did apply the same fixes to his rear wing's upper flap.
The DRS issue has similarities to the problems faced by the team towards the end of last season.
However, what remains unclear if it's the mechanism that causing a stress induced failure of the flap, or vice versa.
Speaking after the Spanish GP race, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner suggested the issue revolved around the team making things too lightweight in this area of the car, with potentially a more flexible wing being susceptible to damage.
"Of course, we're chasing every ounce of performance and weight is a factor as well," he explained. "Maybe we've been too ambitious there.
"But I think we need to understand exactly what the issue is because we thought we had a fix. Unfortunately, it didn't prove to be a reliable fix for the whole race."
Read Also:
- Mercedes: Spanish GP progress has renewed F1 title ambitions
- How Verstappen overcame his and Red Bull’s errors to win in Spain
- Horner: "Didn't make sense" for Verstappen and Perez to battle
The first signs of Red Bull's DRS issues appeared at the Dutch Grand Prix last season when Verstappen was unable to open his wing flap on the run to the line during qualifying.
There were no further issues during that weekend, but running repairs between qualifying and race sessions became a running theme during the last few grands prix of 2021.
It was also noted, in those last few races, that the DRS flap and mechanism failure was accompanied by a fluttering of the upper flap when DRS was deployed, something that was also spotted in practice in Spain.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article 10 things we learned at the 2022 F1 Spanish Grand Prix
Next article Analysis: Did Hamilton have the pace to win Spanish GP?
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Matt Somerfield
Gallery: How F1 tech evolved during the 2024 season
Formula 1
Formula 1 Dec 31, 2024
Gallery: How F1 tech evolved during the 2024 season
How McLaren’s rear wing push changed the game in F1
Formula 1
Formula 1 Dec 20, 2024
How McLaren’s rear wing push changed the game in F1
How 2026 F1 rules will help avoid identikit designs
Formula 1
Formula 1 Dec 16, 2024
How 2026 F1 rules will help avoid identikit designs
More from
Max Verstappen
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Formula 1
Formula 1 7 h
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 d
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Latest news
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 2 min
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 26 min
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
1 h
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
IndyCar 2026 season review: Juncos Hollinger Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 1 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Juncos Hollinger Racing
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe