'Naive and small team' Red Bull is dragged through the mud after 'oddball' choice

Red Bull Racing assumed the weather would stay dry during the British Grand Prix and opted for a rear wing with minimal downforce. This decision proved problematic in the wet race, complicating matters for Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman went off-track multiple times and even spun, finishing in fifth place despite starting from pole position.

Gary Anderson, former technical director at Jordan and Jaguar, analyzed the situation in his column for The Telegraph. "Red Bull had Max Verstappen on pole but the race quickly got away from him. The skinny, low-downforce rear wing that he ran on Saturday helped him to beat the McLarens in qualifying but was the cause of his downfall in the damp on Sunday."

"You could see how the car was getting away from him, with numerous slides and one big spin on the race restart. You do not see that often from Verstappen," wrote the Irishman.

Even though the choice could have worked out well, it certainly did not. Anderson speaks of a mistake by the Austrian racing team. "I think Red Bull made an error in setting up Verstappen’s car like this – it was too bold a decision."

Completely out of character for a championship winning team like Red Bull Anderson notes. "This is all a bit small team-ish from Red Bull and naive, in my view. Verstappen is still fighting the McLarens for the championship, though his hopes are diminishing. For a team that have won four drivers’ and two constructors’ titles in the last four seasons, it was a bit of an oddball decision."

The Austrian team's outlook is not broad enough, according to the former technical director. "McLaren, on the other hand, focused on the race rather than qualifying and reaped the rewards. A team like Red Bull should go into the weekend with the best set-up for the race and look at the bigger picture. They did not. Just because they do not have the best car any more does not mean they should be making decisions like this," concluded Anderson sternly.