F1 2026: Ferrari’s Radical 180-Degree Rotating Wing Leaves Red Bull and Mercedes Scrambling In Bahrain

Ferrari just lit the fuse on Formula 1’s 2026 tech war, starting with a wild move at the back of the SF-26. During the last pre-season test in Bahrain, everyone’s eyes were on Lewis Hamilton, and then his car’s rear wing didn’t just open up like the others. It spun around.

The whole thing flipped, almost like it was dancing. Fred Vasseur, Ferrari’s boss, started calling it the “Macarena” wing.

WATCH: The Moment Ferrari’s ‘Macarena’ Wing Flipped The F1 Rulebook Upside Down In Bahrain

The innovation never stops in F1

Contrast and compare @ScuderiaFerrari‘s different rear wing systems 👀#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/kd6HRINJFA

— Formula 1 (@F1) February 19, 2026

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Shred by F1’s official X handle, this video presents SF-26’s wild engineering in action. When Hamilton comes out of the last corner and hits the active aero, those IBM-labelled wing pieces don’t just tilt, but they snap around in perfect sync, flipping in under 400 milliseconds. That’s as fast as the FIA allows.

Here’s what makes it different: when Hamilton hits “Straight-Line Mode,” the wing doesn’t just flatten out like Red Bull’s or Mercedes’ versions. It actually rotates up to 225 degrees, which is far enough that the top part starts making a bit of lift instead of just killing drag.

By stalling the entire rear wing, Ferrari gets rid of the drag that’s been slowing down every other team’s new cars. If this works as well as it looked in testing, Hamilton might show up at the first race with a serious top-speed edge.

Whetting the appetite for the season ahead 🤩

Hamilton 🆚 Piastri#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/cW8xGcrqfM

— Formula 1 (@F1) February 19, 2026

Why Ferrari’s SF-26 Rotating Wing Is Legally Untouchable (For Now)

As the paddock was in the heat of “illegal” rumours, the FIA’s Technical Department is said to have given Ferrari a provisional go-ahead. The 2026 regulations indicate a changeover period for the use of active parts, but they do not directly prohibit the amount of rotation, as long as the wing goes back to its high-downforce state for cornering.

It was rumoured that Mercedes and Red Bull were “frantically running CFD simulations” to figure out if they could recreate the design in time for the Australian Grand Prix.

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