After the Australian Grand Prix, the opening race of the 2026 season and this new technical cycle, many of the dynamics shaping this era of Formula 1 regarding energy management became clear. In the paddock and among technical insiders, there was intense discussion about clipping, superclipping, and the performance differences between the Mercedes power unit and others, including Ferrari, sparking debates, technical interpretations, and sometimes contradictory analyses. But beyond parameters linked to the internal combustion engine—such as the well-known ICE compression ratio—there is another factor that could have a huge impact on 2026 cars: software. According to technical sources close to GES, Ferrari is focusing a significant part of its work on this ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, aiming to address one of the limitations identified during pre-season testing and the first race.
Alongside the eagerly awaited “macarena” rear wing, designed to reduce drag in straight-line mode, Ferrari is reportedly preparing to test a new deployment profile. The idea is to increase energy recovery in medium-speed corners by keeping the engine at higher revs while using lower gears, directing excess kinetic energy into battery recharge via the MGU-K. This approach has been executed very effectively by Red Bull and, to some extent, also by Mercedes.
However, achieving this outcome is not just a matter of choosing a mapping. The central issue lies in managing the distribution between power sent to the drive wheels and energy diverted to the MGU-K. In other words, Ferrari is working on software to make the balance between traction, energy recovery, and electrical power deployment more efficient and stable throughout the lap.
According to our sources, this solution was already considered during testing in Bahrain, but on-track feedback was not entirely positive: both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton experienced multiple micro-slides and even some spins. This clearly illustrates how fine the line is between more aggressive energy recovery and a car that becomes more difficult to drive.
So, the challenge is not only how much energy to recover, but how to recover it. This is precisely where software becomes critical. If a total performance improvement of around five seconds is expected over the season, a significant portion will come not only from aerodynamic or mechanical upgrades but also from teams refining control logic, deployment strategies, and increasingly sophisticated energy usage windows.
For Ferrari, the main goal of this new profile is to reduce superclipping on the straights—that is, the loss of performance that occurs when available energy runs out too early during a full-throttle section, requiring battery recharge for the remainder of the lap. Better recovery in medium-speed corners would allow the car to reach the straights with more energy available, helping it maintain higher speeds for longer.
There is, however, a practical challenge to consider regarding the Chinese GP weekend. The Sprint format, with only a single practice session, will give Ferrari very limited track time to properly evaluate both the new rear wing and the updated energy management profile. It is possible Ferrari may take a more aggressive and pragmatic approach, using the Sprint Qualifying and even the Sprint race itself as test sessions. In a Formula 1 season so radically altered by regulations, experimenting during competitive sessions can become the only way to accelerate understanding of the package. The downside is obvious: every test in sessions that determine grid positions or award points carries a high risk of losing points.
Awaiting FIA updates
The situation could change again in the coming weeks. According to circulating reports, the FIA may intervene as early as the Japanese Grand Prix to adjust several parameters related to charging limits, and Ferrari has already reportedly run multiple software simulations in anticipation of this possible scenario.
For Ferrari, therefore, the Chinese Grand Prix could represent a particularly important milestone—not merely for evaluating the effectiveness of the new rear wing, but also for assessing whether the engineers in Maranello have successfully imposed a degree of control and predictability over one of the most sensitive and technically demanding aspects of the new generation of Formula 1 cars. By addressing both aerodynamic efficiency and hybrid energy deployment in a coordinated manner, Ferrari hopes to gain a competitive edge that will allow it to challenge the Mercedes power unit more effectively and simultaneously build a margin over the two main close competitors, McLaren and Red Bull.
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