Ferrari unveils eye-catching new rear wing, but a rival team principal remains cautious. During the second Bahrain test, Ferrari introduced a rotating rear wing on the SF-26.

On Thursday, Ferrari took to the track on the second day of Bahrain testing with a new rear wing that surprised everyone, but one team principal voiced some doubts.

The second week of Bahrain testing also saw Ferrari reveal several updates, including a new rear wing and a revised exhaust flap. However, the feature that generated the most discussion was the rear wing fitted to Lewis Hamilton’s SF-26. The seven-time world champion ran a few laps with the new specification on Thursday, 19 February, but one team principal raised questions about the design.

The doubts

The movable flap debuted for only five laps before Hamilton was forced to stop at the pits due to an issue with the SF-26. Later that afternoon, Ferrari chose to reinstall the rear wing used in previous days. The next day, with Charles Leclerc at the wheel, Maranello opted to run the new wing again. Just five laps were enough to spark curiosity among rival teams.

The Williams team principal, James Vowles, after completing the second day of Bahrain testing, provided an overview of his own team’s session and commented on Ferrari’s new wing. The Maranello squad introduced a rotating flap that turns 180°. In an interview with F1TV, Vowles shared his cautious thoughts, admitting: “There are pros and cons overall.”

He elaborated further: “It’s worth mentioning, and this doesn’t just apply to Williams – I’d say it applies to all teams on the grid. Every time you see something interesting, it either falls into the category of ‘we thought of it, here’s what we tried and why it didn’t work,’ or it goes into the category of ‘we hadn’t thought of it.’ Usually within 24 hours, we know whether it’s good or not, which allows us to adjust our own development direction accordingly.”