FIA talks prompt Ferrari to drop bold wing design

Ferrari

FIA talks prompt Ferrari to drop bold wing design

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 17:00

Ferrari opted to abandon one of its more unusual design ideas during the Chinese Grand Prix after holding talks with the FIA.

The Maranello squad arrived at the Shanghai International Circuit with a series of striking upgrades, most notably a distinctive rear wing concept that quickly caught attention in the paddock.

While some of those developments were trialled in practice — and a few even appeared during the sprint race — Ferrari ultimately reverted to a more familiar SF-26 specification for qualifying and Sunday’s race, closer to the package seen earlier in Australia.

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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.

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 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."

F1 Ferrari FIA Chinese Grand Prix