Ferrari F1 remove controversial wing after FIA talks

Photo: © IMAGO

Ferrari

Ferrari F1 remove controversial wing after FIA talks

Ferrari introduced little winglets on their halo in China

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 18 March 2026 08:14

Ferrari backtracked on a clever design quirk at the Chinese Grand Prix after discussions with the FIA.

The Maranello-based outfit brought a number of eye-catching upgrades to the Shanghai International Circuit last weekend, including the 'Macarena' rear wing.

While some upgrades were used during practice for the Chinese GP - and others even made it to the sprint race on the Saturday - qualifying and Sunday's grand prix saw an SF-26 that was much more similar to the one that took to the track in Australia earlier this month.

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One such upgrade that was scrapped ahead of main race qualifying was the halo 'winglets' which were attached to the SF-26's cockpit halo and were designed as a way of channelling airflow better around the cockpit.

But these mysteriously disappeared after the sprint race, despite Ferrari having performed well in that mini race.

Now, The Race have reported that the removal of these winglets were after conversations that the team had with F1's governing body the FIA about the legality of the design quirk.

The above publication suggest that there was some debate about the wings being 'borderline' in the regulations, leading to the team concluding that it was not worth the risk of any potential post-race trouble.

As it happened, Ferrari still managed a strong performance during qualifying and the main race, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc taking home third and fourth respectively.

Will Ferrari bring the Macarena wing back?

Ferrari also tried out their new 'Macarena' rear wing design at the Chinese GP, a flip flop wing which they believe can reduce drag even more when active aero mode is in place on the straights.

They first adopted it during pre-season testing, turning heads in the F1 paddock, and then used it during FP1 in China, when Leclerc and Hamilton finished fifth and sixth in the timesheets.

But ahead of sprint qualifying, the Macarena was ditched, with team principal Fred Vasseur admitting that they didn't know enough about the effects that it has on the car.

It may be set for a comeback later in the season, however, with Vasseur claiming that they are set to try it out once again at the Japanese GP later in March.

"If we want to put mileage on the parts, we need to do FP1," he told F1 media. "But we'll do it again probably next week.

"[If] reliability will be OK, and the mileage will be OK. That we'll introduce it for the weekend."

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