F1 Confirms 2027 Ban on Ferrari-Pioneered Exhaust Wings

The FIA has formally banned exhaust wings for the 2027 Formula 1 season, closing a loophole Ferrari pioneered and rivals copied. New regulations establish an exclusion zone around the tailpipe and remove support allowances entirely, even as Ferrari ran without the device in Austrian practice for the first time to gather data.

Why it matters:

The exhaust wing trend risked triggering an expensive development war. Ferrari's original concept delivered downforce gains by extending the diffuser and improving rear wing airflow, but required a unique gearbox and crash structure layout. Rivals including Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull responded with their own versions via tailpipe supports, prompting the FIA to act before designs grew more extreme.

The details:

• The 2027 rules introduce a cylindrical exclusion zone 20mm greater than the tailpipe, blocking any aerodynamic surface in that area.
• The regulatory clause permitting tailpipe supports has been deleted entirely.
• Ferrari's design placed a wing directly behind the exhaust, enabled by its specific rear packaging.
• During Austrian GP opening practice, test driver Dino Beganovic ran without the wing to evaluate car behavior, especially for upcoming low-downforce races.
• Shedding the wing reduces drag and is believed to lower exhaust back pressure, potentially recovering around 10kW of lost power.

What's next:

With the exhaust wing era ending, teams must hunt performance elsewhere for 2027. Ferrari's Austria experiment will help refine its low-drag package for circuits like Monza and Spa. The focus now shifts to maximizing gains within tighter regulatory boundaries.