The Ferrari seen during the 2026 Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain continues to generate intense discussion across the paddock. With the two updates introduced at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, the Scuderia appears to have built a significant advantage ahead of the upcoming season—one that will be difficult not only to close but, above all, to replicate by rival teams. We discussed the technical details with Federico Albano, engineer, passionate F1 analyst and well-known contributor to FormulaPassion.
The two updates working together
We asked Albano to explain the advantage of the two Ferrari upgrades unveiled in Bahrain, which caught the attention of the entire paddock: the small rear wing element positioned behind the exhaust pipe and the so-called “macarena” wing. “These cars have a critical rear-end weakness, so having more downforce in that area is extremely important,” Albano began.
“With cars that move a lot at the rear axle, having more load there helps enormously. It is no coincidence that between the first week of testing and the second week the on-track behaviour of the Ferrari improved dramatically. It was much more nervous and difficult to manage during the first week. In the second week it became far more compliant, more driveable, despite going much faster.”
But what exactly does this solution replicate in aerodynamic terms? “That wing virtually extends the diffuser, so it is as if you had a larger diffuser—therefore a more effective one—and you increase downforce. This solution will be difficult for others to replicate, and by the time they do, Ferrari will already have gained an advantage in terms of time and understanding for the 2026 Formula 1 season.”
Everything is then combined with the so-called “macarena” wing. “You pair this with the rotating wing. When you flip the wing, the entire rear-end package stalls, meaning it no longer works either as drag or as downforce. At that point a particular situation is created: drag collapses—this is an old trick also used by Adrian Newey. You then deploy the wing profiles at high speed to reduce drag and therefore increase top speed. And you can only achieve this if you have this combination of effects, which Ferrari have managed to fine-tune. So you gain a strong advantage at a relatively small cost.”
Speaking of costs, Albano outlined the main drawbacks: “There are two main costs. When you open the wing by rotating it, there is a moment when drag actually increases slightly. You get a bit more drag. But above all, when you move the wings, aerodynamics do not instantly start working again. There is a phase in which the airflow is disturbed and oscillates. Clearly, if the wing movement is very fast, stability is restored sooner. But if the wing has to complete a full rotation when you close it again, it takes some time before it functions properly and gives you downforce back.”
Managing the transient phases
Precisely because of this effect, Albano stressed that managing transient phases will be crucial. “We are talking about something fundamental now: transient management. This has to be done properly. In my view, it can even be interpreted as a positive sign for the overall car project, because having a wing that makes that movement and restores downforce in time to tackle the corner means you believe the aerodynamic platform works very well.”
He also recalled a past episode involving older-generation cars to explain the risks linked to instability. “If you had instability problems—meaning that when you disturb the car’s airflow it takes a long time to recover—instability forms and you would never use such a wing because you would take corners without downforce. In 2022, Mercedes had rear instability problems and in Austria both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton crashed in qualifying after dropping off a kerb. That was because when they came off the kerb, the car disturbed the airflow, which was lost and never properly recovered. As a result, the car suddenly found itself without downforce in the same corner for both drivers.”
A small disadvantage remains in the opening time of the wing. “A standard wing takes around four tenths of a second, whereas the Ferrari one takes much longer—perhaps twice as long.”
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