Max Verstappen left Silverstone exasperated after a rear-wing failure on his RB22 pitched him into the gravel at Stowe while running third. It was the second such failure in nine days following a qualifying crash in Austria, prompting Verstappen to warn the situation was becoming dangerous: "I was lucky in Austria, I was lucky here, but that's why you get really fed up with it." Red Bull apologised and pledged to fix the issue, but Verstappen also criticised the car's balance and top speed, and disagreed with the team's strategy calls amid mounting speculation about his 2027 future with McLaren links dominating headlines.

The frustration contrasted sharply with Austria, where a major aerodynamic upgrade helped Verstappen secure his second podium of 2026, finishing second behind George Russell's Mercedes. Team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged Verstappen's dissatisfaction stems from car balance limitations, saying the underlying performance could deliver better results if resolved. The three-week gap before Spa allowed engineers to analyse the Austria upgrade data and prepare for another power-hungry circuit.

Spa-Francorchamps holds special significance for the Dutchman, who was born in Belgium to Belgian mother Sophie Kumpen and has won three consecutive times there (2021-2023), including from 14th on the grid in 2022. However, Mekies admitted Red Bull struggles on energy-limited tracks like Spa, though he hopes for a "small step forward" before a potentially more favourable layout at Budapest.