Ferrari is preparing to unleash a significant SF-26 floor upgrade at Zandvoort as the Maranello team attempts to raise its performance level and intensify its pursuit of Mercedes, which currently sets the benchmark in both Formula 1 World Championships. The new aerodynamic package was not used during the only free practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, but its most important developments are expected to emerge as the event progresses.
The changes extend well beyond a single component. Ferrari has revised the entrance to the floor channel, altered the management of airflow towards the diffuser and introduced further refinements at the rear of the SF-26, where the diffuser and beam wing have both received attention. It forms part of Maranello’s wider attempt to extract more performance from an already competitive car during the decisive phase of the 2026 season.
Ferrari SF-26 floor upgrade forms part of Mercedes chase
Ferrari wants to raise the performance ceiling of the SF-26 in its attempt to chase championship-leading Mercedes. Loïc Serra is pushing Maranello’s technical department to continue improving the car, while another important development is already waiting further down the road.
At Monza, Ferrari is expected to introduce the 067/6 power unit equipped with the second development permitted under ADUO. The Italian Grand Prix step will therefore follow the aerodynamic work being carried out in the Netherlands, forming another part of Ferrari’s aggressive development programme. The team’s wider plans include a planned power increase for Monza after the Zandvoort aerodynamic package.
The Dutch Grand Prix update itself is more extensive than the revised SF-26 bargeboard already seen at Zandvoort. Ferrari has once again intervened around the five airflow deflectors positioned inside the entrance channel to the floor, an area that has received considerable attention from the team’s engineers throughout the development of the car.
Ferrari reshapes the entrance to the SF-26 floor
Maranello’s technicians have repeatedly refined this part of the SF-26. In its earlier configuration, the small vertical profiles were effectively cut horizontally by an element that divided the individual airflow deflectors.
That component has now become more substantial and has evolved into a more defined aerodynamic element. At its outer edge, it also incorporates the fifth flap, which has effectively disappeared as an independent component. The structure can now be considered a genuine airflow guide positioned ahead of the main floor channel.
The individual vertical elements also differ from one another in both shape and angle. Most importantly, their chord has been increased. Together, these revisions demonstrate how Ferrari is continuing to refine the way airflow is prepared before entering one of the most aerodynamically important areas of the SF-26.
The modifications are consistent with the wider SF-26 Zandvoort upgrade package, which places particular emphasis on extracting greater performance from the floor while continuing to optimise aerodynamic efficiency.
Diffuser and beam wing also revised at the rear
Two additional interventions can be identified at the rear of the Ferrari. The first concerns the trailing edge of the diffuser, where a small vertical flap has been added to the exit edge of the extractor. It is mounted towards the outer edge and works together with two other elements in the surrounding area.
Ahead of it, Ferrari has also revised the beam wing. Its chord has been progressively reduced as the profile approaches the rear wing endplate, a change intended to reduce the aerodynamic resistance generated by that particular component.
Ferrari has therefore reduced drag in one area while searching for additional aerodynamic load through the new micro-flap. That small element also influences the vertical extension of the diffuser, offering another example of the detailed optimisation work being carried out at Maranello.
Rather than relying on one isolated change, Ferrari is refining several interconnected aerodynamic areas to improve the behaviour of the overall package. The development philosophy can also be followed through ScuderiaFans.com’s broader Ferrari technical analysis coverage.
Ferrari kept the new package off the car in FP1
None of these developments appeared on the SF-26 during FP1 at Zandvoort. With the Dutch Grand Prix running to the Sprint format and only one conventional practice session available, Ferrari did not use the new aerodynamic package during the opening hour of track action.
That does not mean the developments have disappeared from the team’s weekend programme. The new components are expected to be revealed during the remainder of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, when Ferrari’s latest attempt to improve the SF-26 should become considerably clearer.
Leave a Reply