Ferrari is set to debut its novel “Macarena” wing at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix after the active aero innovation was fast-tracked to appear on the car earlier than originally planned.
Under F1’s new regulations, drivers are allowed to switch between two different wing settings: one to reduce drag on straights and one to retain maximum downforce in corners.
The straight-line mode (SLM), which rotates the upper flaps on the front and rear wings to reduce drag, is limited to designated straights around the circuit and is operated by the driver much like last year’s Drag Reduction System.
Ferrari has taken a novel approach to the new rule, with one version of its straight-line mode featuring a rear wing that rotates the upper flap completely upside down when activated.
Dubbed the “Macarena” wing by team principal Fred Vasseur during preseason testing, it stands out among the various rear wing interpretations of the new active aero regulations — most of which resemble last year’s DRS device.
Ferrari ran the innovative wing for a handful of laps in Bahrain testing, but opted to use a more conventional version for the opening round of the season last weekend in Australia.
Lewis Hamilton, who tested the Macarena wing in Bahrain, said the concept was now race ready after the team brought forward its planned arrival on the car.
“I don’t think there’s any [extra learning needed] — we got all the running needed [in testing],” Hamilton said.
“I’m so grateful for the team’s work, because it was actually supposed to arrive later down the line, and they worked really hard to develop it and get it brought here.
“So that for me, it’s great to see that the team are fighting, the team are pushing and chasing and really working overtime back at the factory to be able to bring upgrades, because that’s the name of the game.
“Last year I didn’t get to see the team’s full potential in that mode, because we were focused on this year’s car.”
Hamilton said the wing did not feel any different from within the car during testing, but is “looking forward to seeing what it will do here.”
Asked about the name, he added: “I don’t know if it has an official name. Someone said Macarena, and I have no idea why.”
Hamilton finished fourth at the opening round in Australia behind teammate Charles Leclerc in third, but was over 16 seconds off the pace of race winner George Russell at the flag.
Hamilton said Mercedes holds a significant lap time advantage based on the result in Australia, but is optimistic Ferrari can close the gap as the season progresses.
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“I think it’s really dependent on development — the development rate is pretty steep for everyone at the moment, so people are going to be interested to see who brings upgrades over these next races,” Hamilton said.
“They do have a big, I mean you saw in qualifying it was, I don’t know, 0.8 seconds or something like that, and in the race I think it was between 0.4-0.5 seconds when they were in clear air, which is a huge gap.
“So it’s really going to be interesting to see the development, we’re going to try and catch them up, and I believe we can, but I don’t know, it’s not going to be a sure thing.”
Hamilton said a large part of his former team’s advantage becomes apparent when SLM is activated, but also believes Mercedes holds an advantage in terms of energy management.
“I mean, it seems mostly on straights, so I think it would be, at the moment, everywhere on the straights,” he said.
“It seems more so when they open up the SLM, that’s when they take a huge step, so whatever’s going on in that phase is an area we need to understand, and then they seem to have a little bit more [electrical] deployment.
“So less de-rating at the end of the straights than us so far. So we’ve just got to work on trying to see how we can eke out more from our engine.”
