Feb.20 (GMM) Ferrari has sent fresh shockwaves through the Bahrain pitlane – this time with a rear wing innovation that appears to rotate 270 degrees when activated.
After already raising eyebrows this week with its small exhaust-mounted winglet, the Maranello team unveiled another eye-catching solution – a novel approach to the active aerodynamics rules that, when deployed, eventually flips the IBM logo on the rear wing upside down.
The system was only run for a handful of laps before Ferrari reverted to a conventional setup – but not before rivals took notice.
Haas driver Oliver Bearman was among them.
“I was following Lewis, saw this, and thought, ‘What the hell happened?'” he said. “I thought it must have broken. But, frankly, it’s a super-innovative solution.”
Some paddock estimates suggest the device could be worth as much as 8-10kph in certain conditions, though Ferrari has remained coy about its true gains.
Team boss Frederic Vasseur joked to Canal Plus that the mechanism should be called the “Macarena” – a reference to its dance-like movement.
But he warned against assuming it will appear in Melbourne.
“I don’t know if we’ll use it in Melbourne or later,” Vasseur said. “Everyone is bringing innovations. Some are visible, some aren’t. Our two new parts are clearly recognisable when you look at the car, but it’s not a big difference from what the others are doing.”
Former Ferrari driver Ivan Capelli was impressed by more than just the headline-grabbing parts.
“The car impressed me because you can see that it has a consistent logic, from the front to the rear,” he told Sky Italia. “It’s a very harmonious concept. In the past, there have been cars that seemed fragmented to me, almost as if the parts didn’t communicate with each other, but that’s not the case here.
“I found the atmosphere at Ferrari to be relaxed. They gathered all the necessary information and completed the programs without any problems.”
With some observers now tipping Ferrari as early favourites, Vasseur refused to be drawn.
“Frankly, that’s a question for you, not me. I’m not interested in this discussion until Melbourne. We’ll talk in Melbourne and see.”
It is shaping up as a crucial season not only for Ferrari but also for its drivers.
Another disappointing campaign for Lewis Hamilton would intensify scrutiny, while Charles Leclerc’s manager Nicolas Todt – present in Bahrain – recently hinted subtly that options always exist in Formula 1.
“I really get the feeling that Ferrari is trying a lot of different things this year – they’re not afraid of innovation,” Todt said. “Although that doesn’t mean anything. As we can see, the Aston Martin car also looks revolutionary, but the team has its issues.
“In any case, we’re confident in Ferrari and are happy to be here.”
Leclerc himself sounded upbeat.
“I think everyone is hiding their performance and everyone is trying to say the other team is faster,” he said. “So I’m not really sure where we stand.
Leclerc also hinted that suggestions Ferrari is ahead of the game with race starts for 2026 may be true.
“The start is a very important moment of the race, and it’s definitely something we’ve kept in mind with these new regulations. Maybe we’re a little better off in this respect.
“If I really have to say it, I think we should be in the top part of the grid.”
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