Ferrari is expected to resume its Formula 1 season with a set of major upgrades, as it looks to reduce the gap to Mercedes from the season-returning Miami Grand Prix.
The Scuderia has seen huge strides taken since last season, when it laboured to fourth place in the Constructor’s Championship, scoring no wins and just seven podiums.
This year, it has scored podiums in all three rounds, with Charles Leclerc finishing third in Australia and Japan, with Lewis Hamilton taking his first top-three finish for the team in China.
But crucially, it has been forced to face up to the gulf in overall performance to the dominant Mercedes team, which has taken victory in the three aforementioned Grands Prix.
The Maranello-based squad is set to try and build on the positives it has already seen, with a myriad of updates to the SF-26 in time for Miami, where the season resumes in three weeks.
Using the allocated ‘filming days’ in which teams can test with non-race spec tyres, Ferrari is set to make a visit to Monza to try out the parts, both returning and brand-new.
With a new floor already reported to be trialled, Motorsport Week understands that there will also be further experimenting with the ‘Macarena wing’, initially and briefly used in pre-season testing.
The unique wing, which rotates at 180 degrees and aims to promote increased downforce, was then briefly given a run-out in FP1 in China, before it was shelved before the Sprint Race.
The ‘Macarena wing’ and the Halo ‘winglets’ could be set to return on the Ferrari
Another pre-used feature that is set to be altered is the ‘winglets’ that appeared just in front of the base of the Halo.
These were run in the Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying in Shanghai, but were scrapped prior to the race, with apparent concerns about their legality due to the composite material used.
Ferrari will need to give careful consideration to when exactly the returning features will indeed return, that is if they return at all. With Miami being another Sprint Race, it would appear as if the team will be extremely confident in their benefits, given the lack of practice time they will have in full race trim.
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