The battle of the sidepods: How Ferrari’s customer teams are carving their own paths
One of the most fascinating technical stories emerging from the 2026 Formula 1 grid is how teams sharing the same Ferrari power unit have arrived at completely different cooling and sidepod solutions.
A comparison between the Ferrari SF-26, Haas VF-26, and the Cadillac Ferrari-powered entry highlights just how much freedom still exists in F1 car packaging — even under tightly controlled regulations.
Same PU, Very Different Cooling Concepts
Despite relying on identical Ferrari hardware at the core, each team has interpreted cooling requirements, airflow management, and aerodynamic trade-offs in its own way.
The result is three cars that look related on paper, but vastly different on track.
Ferrari SF-26: Complexity and Precision
Ferrari’s SF-26 features a medium-sized, triangular upper intake, paired with some of the most complex sidepod inlet geometry of the three cars.
The bodywork is less aggressively sculpted than some rivals, suggesting Ferrari has prioritised precise airflow control and internal packaging efficiency over extreme external shaping.
This approach hints at a design that may already be operating close to its thermal targets, but still leaves potential flexibility for future refinement as the season develops.
Haas VF-26: Maximum Cooling Headroom
Haas has taken the most conservative route in terms of cooling capacity.
The VF-26 runs the largest upper intake of the three — a prominent triangle combined with additional side inlets — alongside simple, rectangular sidepod openings.
Aerodynamically, the sidepods are more heavily sculpted than Ferrari’s, but the inlet philosophy is clear: ensure ample cooling margin.
This may come at a drag or packaging cost early on, but it also suggests Haas could have room to shrink or reshape the bodywork later in the season for aerodynamic gains.
Cadillac: Minimalism and Tight Packaging
Cadillac’s Ferrari-powered car sits at the opposite end of the spectrum.
It features a tiny triangular upper intake, supported by small side inlets and distinctive U-shaped sidepod openings.
The sidepods themselves are the boxiest of the three, indicating a design that tightly wraps internal components while relying on highly efficient airflow management.
This aggressive packaging suggests Cadillac is pushing cooling limits early — a bold choice that could pay off aerodynamically if reliability remains under control.
Sidepods: Three Interpretations of the Same Rules
Beyond cooling inlets, the overall sidepod shapes further underline the contrast:
- Ferrari: Less sculpted, more flowing surfaces
- Haas: More aggressively sculpted bodywork
- Cadillac: Boxier, tightly packaged sidepods
These differences matter because sidepods influence not just cooling, but airflow to the floor, diffuser efficiency, and rear-wing performance.
In modern F1, they are aerodynamic devices as much as thermal ones.
Room to Evolve
The key takeaway from this comparison is that none of these solutions is definitive.
The variation in cooling concepts strongly suggests that at least some of these cars — particularly Haas and possibly Cadillac — may have room to shrink, reshape, or re-optimise their sidepods as teams learn more about real-world cooling demands.
Three Ferrari-engined cars, three very different answers to the same problem — and a clear reminder that in Formula 1, design philosophy can be just as important as raw hardware.
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