Ferrari fits SF-26 with 180-degree flip wing in Shanghai

Ferrari will debut a radical rear wing—nicknamed the Macarena (also called the flip-flop wing)—on the SF‑26 at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai as part of an early-season technical development arms race. Team principal Fred Vasseur says the upgrade is part of an aggressive development program, and the team plans an evolved rear-wing specification by the Canadian Grand Prix in May; reports indicated three different specifications of the Macarena were sent to Shanghai for the sprint weekend.

Video from pre-season testing in Bahrain showed the wing’s top element rotating a full 180 degrees, effectively turning the flap upside down to reduce drag. Ferrari first ran the device on the penultimate day of testing with limited mileage and chose not to use it at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. In Shanghai the wing was positioned to operate along the circuit’s 1.1 km straight.

Rivals and Ferrari personnel framed the rollout as part of a rapid development battle. Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari ran the device “a full day or so” in Bahrain, praised Ferrari’s engineers for accelerating upgrades, and said he was keen to see its impact in China while warning the title fight will be decided by an ongoing “development war.” Hamilton also noted qualifying gaps of roughly eight tenths and race deficits of four to five tenths to Mercedes after Ferrari finished third and fourth in Melbourne following a pit-stop strategy blunder that likely cost a probable win. Others, including Lando Norris, have highlighted Ferrari’s strong cornering pace, and Ferrari has introduced other upgrades this season—including a smaller turbo intended to help race starts—as teams escalate technical development early in the season.