F1 | Ferrari rejects the Macarena wing: Fred Vasseur explains the China GP decision. Ferrari decided not to use the Macarena rear wing at the China GP.

During the China Grand Prix weekend, one of the most discussed technical topics in the paddock was Ferrari and the so-called Macarena wing, an aerodynamic solution the engineers in Maranello have been developing for several months. The new configuration was brought to Shanghai with the goal of gathering useful data on its on-track behavior, but in the end, the Scuderia decided not to use it during the competitive sessions of the weekend.

Tests in FP1 and return to the standard specification

Ferrari used the first and only practice session of the weekend to carry out checks on the new rear wing. The team’s work program was primarily focused on collecting technical information, essential to understanding whether the component was ready for race use.

After analyzing the FP1 data from the China GP, the team ultimately chose not to continue with this configuration for the Sprint Qualifying and the race, returning to the standard aerodynamic specification of the SF-26.

Vasseur explains Ferrari’s choice

The team’s strategy was clarified by Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur, who explained that Ferrari used Friday’s session mainly to verify the reliability of the solution.

When asked by Ivan Capelli why the single-stalk spoon wing was not introduced, the French manager replied: Because we used Free Practice 1 to conduct reliability tests and decided not to use it today so we could get more mileage next week before making a final decision.

Ferrari still chasing Mercedes

Fred Vasseur also commented on Ferrari’s competitiveness during the early stages of the Chinese GP weekend, emphasizing that performance trends remain difficult to interpret.

Honestly, I think having a sort of convergence of performance is normal. It’s a bit too early to have a clear picture of the race, but we’re trying to start well to be as close as possible to Mercedes, and then we’ll see what we can do.

The French manager also noted that the work carried out in Shanghai allowed Ferrari to improve compared to the difficulties experienced during the first weekend of the season. But I’m not sure we’ve made a huge step compared to Melbourne in qualifying. Qualifying in Melbourne had been quite challenging for us; today we worked better and are perhaps slightly closer to Mercedes.

Fred Vasseur’s “reliability first” approach underscores the immense technical challenge posed by the 2026 regulations, where even a slight mechanical glitch in an active aero component can lead to a disastrous loss of points. While the “Macarena” wing holds the promise of higher top speeds on Shanghai’s legendary 1.2km straight, the risk of it failing in the middle of a Sprint battle was clearly too high for the Maranello brass. By sticking with the standard SF-26 configuration, Ferrari is betting on consistency and driver confidence over experimental gains. However, the data logged today in China will be vital for the Italian side in view of the next rounds. If Ferrari can iron out the reliability kinks by the next round, the “Macarena” could finally become the weapon they need to dismantle the current Mercedes dominance. For now, the focus remains on execution and staying within striking distance of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.