The eve of the Miami Grand Prix, as with every round of the World Championship, is dedicated to technical checks. This year, however, the situation takes on even greater importance due to the sprint format of the fourth race weekend of the season, which comes after more than a month of forced shutdown.
From the pit lane, the first concrete indications are already emerging, and one in particular defines Ferrari’s technical direction: the SF-26 will hit the track with the so-called “Macarena” wing, an evolution of a concept already seen during last week’s shakedown in Monza.
The element had been tested by both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in a low-load operating context, more useful for functional validation than for outright performance extraction. The green light for its use in a race weekend suggests that the initial feedback was considered solid enough to justify its introduction in a competitive environment such as a sprint weekend, which features only one free practice session, extended to 90 minutes for this occasion in order to evaluate the new energy management procedures introduced by the FIA.
In fact, it would make little sense to run the new version of the rear reversible wing and then not use it in Sprint Qualifying, as has already happened in two previous events. The solution that has generated significant curiosity in the paddock is therefore set for its race debut, even though it is not ideally suited to this circuit configuration, having originally been designed with Canada in mind.
During the filming day carried out by the Scuderia in Monza on April 22, the evolved version of the Macarena wing finally received the green light, as the data analysis collected after the 200 km run at the “Temple of Speed” returned positive results.
Ferrari SF-26, Macarena wing: a single session to decide
The sprint format imposes extremely tight operational constraints: the only free practice session will represent the entire window available to validate the package. Within this timeframe, Ferrari’s engineers must gather coherent data on balance, aerodynamic efficiency, and interaction with the rest of the car.
If the feedback is positive, as expected, the wing will remain in configuration for the entire weekend. Otherwise, a return to more conservative specifications cannot be ruled out, given the intrinsic risk associated with introducing an upgrade without extensive mileage in full race conditions.
Ferrari SF-26 – Macarena wing: focus on drag reduction
The declared objective is to reduce, at least partially, the performance gap to Mercedes. The reverse wing is part of a broader upgrade package designed to improve aerodynamic load quality and overall stability of the car across different phases of cornering.
At the same time, additional developments are emerging from the garage, including a revision of the front wing endplates, modifications to the floor, and possible updates to the sidepods. These elements, if confirmed, would represent a more comprehensive evolution of the SF-26’s overall aerodynamic behaviour, although more detailed feedback will be required in the coming hours.
The paddock images show not only the two movable flaps, now capable of a 270-degree movement within the four-tenths regulation window, but also significantly larger main profile support pylons. These are designed to ensure reliability of a complex system that enables the movement of the two flaps via actuators located inside the lateral endplates.
In this regard, it is also worth noting that the endplate itself has been redesigned, introducing shaped turning vanes and a squared upper leading edge, whereas previously it had a more rounded profile.
Miami, with its hybrid layout and high efficiency demands, represents a highly stressful benchmark. In such a compressed operational context, every technical decision carries greater weight: Ferrari has chosen not to waste time, and now the track will deliver the verdict.
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