Ferrari's Macarena Wing: Reliability Work Ahead

0:00On March 27th, Ferrari showed up at the Japanese Grand Prix with their new rotating rear wing, dubbed the Macarena by Team Boss Frederic Vassar. They had enough spare parts in Suzuka to build two cars but chose not to run it during Friday's free practice. The SF-26 cars stuck to their current setup for the third race of the season. This decision fits Ferrari's strategy to avoid major upgrades and early flyaway races. Freight costs now count toward the budget cap so they only bring parts that deliver big lap time gains or achieve to ship. Plan shifted a bit after Bahrain and Saudi races got cancelled. Charles LeClair admitted he isn't expecting to catch Mercedes this weekend. The team is willing to accept some struggles here to push developments during April's race free month. Their car still needs to hit the minimum weight limit. In practice, Ferrari's zeroed in on boosting battery charging, an area where they trail Mercedes. They also tested a new halo flap made from different material and tweaked the power unit for better internal combustion use.

1:04The Macarena wing offered straight line speed but caused instability issues. The wing heads back to Maronello for more reliability work and better front rear harmony. Ferrari plans weight cuts ahead of the Miami Grand Prix in early May, keeping their engine concept intact while eyeing rival innovations. From your team, powered by AI, this is F1 News Today.