Ferrari delays debut of ‘Macarena’ wing after cautious Shanghai practice test

Ferrari’s ‘Macarena’ wing represented a big risk for the Scuderia to introduce in China, with the Italian squad opting against taking that risk.

The so-called ‘macarena’ wing, which is a very different interpretation of the active aerodynamics rules in F1 2026, briefly appeared on the Ferrari SF-26 in FP1 in China, but wasn’t used for the remainder of the weekend.

Ferrari tests ‘Macarena’ wing in Shanghai practice but delays race debut

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Formula 1’s new regulations for 2026 have reintroduced active aerodynamics, which see the front and rear wings enter low-drag configurations while powering down the straights, before returning to their usual high-drag configurations when the driver lifts off or brakes for a corner.

While the teams have started the season with wings of a similar philosophy to what was seen in the drag reduction system [DRS] years, simply opening or flattening the flap, Ferrari showed up with an unusual design during pre-season testing in Bahrain.

This involved a particularly eye-catching movement in which the rear wing flap rotates backwards to enter its low-drag configuration, with the inverted flap presumably offering benefits by way of more efficient drag reduction than the more traditional solution.

The added drama of the rotation prompted Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur to jokingly label it the ‘Macarena’ wing, in honour of the popular dance from the mid-1990s.

But while all the teams have a full understanding of how downforce reattaches with evolutions of a DRS-style wing, the Ferrari rear wing does require further examination in order to ensure that there are no hidden pitfalls, given the more complex movement.

The speed with which the wing transitions between straight and cornering mode is tightly defined in the technical regulations, with Article 3.11 prescribing a maximum transition time of just 400 milliseconds between the two positions – near instantaneous to the naked eye, but long enough to create possibly disruptive behavioural dynamics for drivers slowing or braking for a corner, particularly if steering angle has already been applied.

These considerations and requirements to fully understand the wing’s effect on car stability are understood to be why Ferrari opted against using the wing for longer than the first practice session in Shanghai, although Vasseur confirmed the team has no concerns over downforce re-attachment dynamics when he spoke to the media on Sunday evening.

In-season testing, outside of Pirelli tyre testing, is not permitted under the regulations, meaning teams seeking to evaluate new components must use practice sessions during a Grand Prix weekend; this is exactly what Ferrari was doing in Shanghai.

More on the Ferrari ‘Macarena’ wing

Ferrari unveils radical rotating active rear wing

Hamilton says Ferrari’s ‘Macarena’ wing ‘a little premature’ in Shanghai

Given the earlier-than-expected roll-out of the component, Ferrari opted to test the wing out simply for mileage gathering, fully aware that its roll-out for competition is still “premature”, according to team sources.

The results are understood to be encouraging, with the Macarena wing design having been baked into the car’s development plan, but it’s a design that needs fine-tuning.

One of the reasons that Ferrari opted against running the wing was simply down to the extent of the advantage Mercedes appeared to have in Shanghai, with the potential performance advantage of the Macarena wing not being great enough to bridge the gap to the W17.

It was also down to reliability worries; while the team is said to have been “95 per cent” confident of its reliability, the potential for a rushed introduction causing a DNF, given the single point of failure inherent in a system dependent on a single actuator, is believed to have not been worth the risk when weighed against the net performance gain.

“We didn’t put enough mileage on the rear wing,” team boss Fred Vasseur said after the Chinese GP weekend.

“And, with the system today, you have to do FP1 because you don’t have tests between the races.

“That means, if we want to put mileage on the parts, we need to do FP1, which will do it again probably next week [in Japan].

“At one stage, the reliability will be okay, and the mileage will be okay, and we will introduce it for the full weekend.”

With the initial plan for the Macarena wing being an introduction at the now-cancelled Bahrain Grand Prix, the exact weekend at which it may be rolled out isn’t clear, but could logically be the Miami Grand Prix, now the fourth round of the championship.

Speaking on Friday, Hamilton said he felt the car was great to drive in either configuration.

“I think we rushed to get it here, and it was not supposed to be on the car until, I think it was, race four or five,” he said.

“So they did a great job to rush it here, and we only had two of them.

“It was maybe a little bit premature, so we took it off. The car was still great.

“We’ll work to try to bring it back when it’s ready.”

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