At the US Grand Prix, after FP3, Red Bull found a thin line crack on the rear wing of Max Verstappen, which required some final work before qualifying.
Then, in Mexico last weekend, people saw Red Bull's mechanics working wildly on the wings of two cars again in order to prepare for the Saturday afternoon shootout after seeing some damage again after the final practice.
In the end, the Red Bulls played in qualifying and performed some very obvious temporary repairs on the rear wing, which looked like some super-strength tape.
The solution gives the team a period of time before completing a more permanent repair overnight before the race
Although back-to-back rear wing problems may indicate problems with the Red Bull design, detailed observations of the situation indicate that these problems are completely independent.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B
The bumpy surface of COTA is probably the cause of the cracks in the main aircraft on the rear wing of Austin.
There, the team was forced to perform keyhole surgery and then repair the wings (red arrow).
This highlights the due diligence that the team must perform in order to stay one step ahead of failure.
But it also raises the question of how far the team needs to push the boundaries while seeking performance while seeking the durability required to work in the context of the upper cost limit.
In fact, Red Bull was not the only team to be collided by COTA, because Fernando Alonso was forced to withdraw from the race after his tail component malfunctioned due to pressure.
Sergio Perez's rear wing detail, Red Bull Racing RB16B
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The Red Bull problem in Mexico seems to be of a different kind to Red Bull, and hastily repaired the outermost part of the top flap (red arrow) and the shutter part of the end plate (blue arrow).
It is worth noting that although the louvered end plate has been used in Red Bull's high downforce arsenal for some time, it has never appeared in Mexico before.
The team did encounter some initial problems during the first run, which may be due to the subtle connections to the end plates and where they meet.
Mexico can be a particularly challenging place for cars. The team is looking for the highest downforce solution on very long straight and high speed tracks.
In Monaco, the maximum load on the wing (the last time a similar-sized tail was used) is incomparable to the load it will bear in Mexico, because they must reach the maximum speed.
Most importantly, in Mexico, the different loads and stresses applied through the wings when the DRS is opened and closed are much more extreme.
Red Bull itself confirmed that there is no connection between the issues it faces in Austin and Mexico.
Team owner Christian Horner talked about Mexico: "This is a completely different part of the wing.
"This is something we have never seen before. But these guys have made excellent changes on the court, and this weekend's wing has done their job perfectly."
He added that when the problem was exposed after the last free practice, the team had to remove all the wings of the two cars for some repairs-and return the best parts to the two drivers.
This is why Sergio Perez suggested after qualifying that his car does not use the exact same wing that he once ranked first in FP3.
Red Bull Racing RB16B rear wing damaged
"We found that repairs were needed on the wings, so as a precaution, we made some changes to all the wings that were left in the swimming pool," Horner said.
"Obviously, all the wings were removed from the car, and then the best components were manufactured and installed on both cars. Also, after Checo left in P1, we obviously lost it earlier in the weekend. A tail wing."
Although Brazil's next game may present some challenges to the team, the situation that caused Red Bull flank problems in the United States and Mexico is unlikely to resurface there.
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