Ferrari has modified the SF-26 FTM for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, introducing a new slot designed to reduce the element’s local downforce and, crucially, its aerodynamic drag. The solution represents a compromise between retaining the device and removing it altogether as the Scuderia searches for maximum efficiency at one of the fastest circuits on the Formula 1 calendar.
The FTM had been under discussion at Maranello for some time ahead of the season’s highest-speed tracks. The basic question surrounding the SF-26 was straightforward: should Ferrari retain the device at Monza and Las Vegas, or remove it in pursuit of the lowest possible aerodynamic resistance?
Ferrari modifies the SF-26 FTM for Monza
Ferrari appears to have found a middle ground. For Monza, one specification of the FTM has been modified by opening a slot in the element, an intervention intended to alter the way it generates aerodynamic load and, above all, resistance to the airflow.
The change inevitably reduces the downforce produced locally, but at the same time lowers drag. That is precisely the type of compromise that becomes attractive at Monza, where aerodynamic efficiency is more valuable than absolute downforce and every reduction in resistance can translate into additional speed along the circuit’s long straights.
The approach fits into Ferrari’s broader work to optimise the SF-26 for the extreme demands of the Temple of Speed, where the team is also preparing its ADUO-2 power unit specification for Monza.
Ferrari had also considered running without the FTM
Maranello had previously evaluated a more radical option: competing without the FTM altogether. The SF-26 had already carried out comparative testing in that configuration during the Madrid filming day, gathering useful data specifically with the lowest-downforce circuits in mind.
The revised specification now appears to allow Ferrari to retain the concept rather than abandoning it completely. The new slot effectively unloads the FTM, reducing its aerodynamic influence and therefore lowering the drag penalty associated with running the device.
Monza is an especially demanding environment for this type of compromise. The characteristics of the 2026 cars have already changed the traditional approach to the circuit, while Ferrari continues to refine the SF-26 across both aerodynamic and power-unit areas. Further developments surrounding the car can be followed in our Ferrari technical analysis coverage.
Lower drag can also reduce the SF-26’s energy demand
One of the most interesting aspects of the revised FTM will be its potential effect on the overall efficiency of the SF-26. With the 2026 Formula 1 cars, reducing drag is not simply about achieving a higher maximum speed.
Lower aerodynamic resistance also means that less energy is required to maintain a given speed. That can reduce the workload placed on the power unit and ease the demand on electrical deployment along Monza’s long straights.
This makes aerodynamic efficiency particularly valuable under the current regulations, where straight-line performance is closely connected not only to conventional power but also to how efficiently electrical energy is deployed. Ferrari has therefore been working on several areas of the package, including the SF-26 power-unit and aerodynamic package prepared for Monza.
Ferrari chooses adaptation rather than removing the FTM
Ferrari’s work has therefore not simply been a choice between running the FTM or removing it. Instead, the Maranello engineers have adapted how the element operates to suit the extreme characteristics of Monza.
By reducing the aerodynamic contribution of the FTM through the new slot, the Scuderia is attempting to retain the benefits of the concept while limiting the drag penalty that would otherwise become particularly costly on the Italian circuit.
If the solution delivers the expected results, the same approach could become particularly useful later in the season at Las Vegas, another circuit where straight-line efficiency and low aerodynamic resistance are major performance priorities.
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