From the presentation of the Haas 2026 car, several pieces of information have emerged regarding the suspension layout that will be adopted on the SF-26, which Ferrari is set to unveil in the coming days.
In a season defined by a profound regulatory overhaul such as the one scheduled for 2026, the launches of new Formula 1 cars must inevitably be placed into context. In most cases, teams limit themselves to revealing the livery they will race with during the championship, attempting to conceal as much as possible the truly significant technical details.
The Haas presentation, however, provided some particularly interesting insights, offering a glimpse of what could be the technical choices adopted by Ferrari for the suspension of the future SF-26.
Despite the deliberately “covered” nature of these events, it is still possible to identify some preliminary indications of the development directions chosen during the design phase. Among the visible elements, the suspension has always represented one of the most crucial aspects in the development of a Formula 1 car, both because of its impact on vehicle dynamics and because of its integration with the aerodynamic package.
During the 2025 season, for example, Ferrari had to deal with several difficulties linked precisely to this area. These issues emerged following the introduction of the pull-rod front suspension, with the engineers from Maranello then attempting to resolve the problems encountered in the first part of the season through the long-awaited upgrade package introduced during the summer. For this reason, interest is growing around the suspension concept that Loic Serra intends to adopt for the SF-26, whose official presentation is expected on 23 January.
How Ferrari’s suspension is changing
In this context, the first images of the Haas VF-26 provide some useful indications. The American team uses the same suspension components supplied by Ferrari. From the available images, a return to a push-rod layout at the front appears to be emerging, a choice that could prove more consistent with the new packaging requirements and with the management of the aerodynamic platform introduced by the 2026 regulations, which will lead to cars that are profoundly different from those seen in recent years. At the rear, the images seem to confirm the adoption of a push-rod configuration as well.
Looking at the overall layout, the philosophy of the front suspension appears to be aligned with solutions already adopted by some of the reference teams on the grid, including McLaren. The mounting points of the upper wishbone on the chassis are positioned at different heights, a solution aimed at increasing the degree of anti-dive in the suspension geometry. This approach helps to limit the pitching of the car under braking, contributing to greater stability of the aerodynamic platform.
The lower wishbone, on the other hand, appears to be positioned at a higher level compared to the past. This configuration is primarily intended to manage the airflow generated by the front wheel and to clean up the flow directed towards the floor and the diffuser. As a result, it can have an indirect but significant influence on the overall efficiency of the aerodynamic system.
Overall, a solution of this type would offer benefits both from a vehicle dynamics perspective, improving response consistency and tyre exploitation, and from an aerodynamic point of view. The real effectiveness, however, will depend on how well the suspension integrates with the floor and with the overall stiffness distribution of the car. As a result, more concrete indications will only come from on-track running, starting with the pre-season tests in Bahrain. Even so, the level of study and design effort carried out by Haas, and by Ferrari in parallel, is already evident, as both teams attempt to mitigate the critical issues that emerged during the previous season.
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