Lewis Hamilton gets Ferrari F1 boost as radical 'Macarena' called for

Hamilton smiling and edited in front of a close up of the Ferrari F1 car's rear wing on track — Photo: © IMAGO

Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton gets Ferrari F1 boost as radical 'Macarena' called for

The rear wing is reportedly being shipped to Shanghai this week

Originally written by Graham Shaw. This version is a translation.

Tuesday 10 March 2026 21:00

Ferrari came out swinging the 2026 F1 season began in Australia on Sunday, and the Italian outfit will be hoping to maintain that momentum heading into this weekend’s race in China.

The SF-26 again demonstrated its impressive launch speed under the new regulations, with Charles Leclerc blasting into an early lead while team-mate Lewis Hamilton also showed strong pace during the opening stages.

In the end, the Maranello pair had to settle for third and fourth at Albert Park Circuit, as Mercedes secured a dominant one-two finish thanks to George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

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Ferrari though clearly believe they are in a position to challenge at the front end this year, and are now set to quickly add to their package for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

According to Autoracer.it, the Scuderia are shipping three specs of their eye-catching rear wing design - which caught the eye of so many paddock watchers during pre-season testing - to China.

What is the ‘Macarena’

One of the new features of the 2026 F1 cars is active aerodynamics, which allows both the front and rear wings to be adjusted whether they are on the straight or approaching a corner.

The flaps on both the rear and front wings can be actively opened or closed. When closed they provide downforce but create drag. When they are open they reduce drag and downforce.

Ferrari's use of active aero caused a stir during the second week of testing in Bahrain, after Hamilton's rear wing opened on the straight.

When the wing was open, it looked rather unusual and when it re-entered corner mode the reason for this quirk was exposed, after the wing fully rotated back into a closed position.

Ferrari have reportedly found a clever trick in the regulations which doesn't specify that the wing has to be mounted the right way up when the active aero is deployed.

This means they can run the rear wing upside down as they go down the straight, similar to an aircraft wing.

How will this help Ferrari?

Ferrari's upside down rear wing should reduce drag and generate lift. Reducing drag could also reduce rolling resistance for the tyres, altogether allowing for a greater top speed on straights.

The introduction of the wing also be used to counter-balance Ferrari's exhaust wing, where an extra flap extends the diffuser area to help use exhaust gases to blow the rear wing area of the car, increasing downforce but at the cost of drag.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc 2026 regulations Chinese Grand Prix