Hamilton calls Ferrari's 'Macarena' wing premature in Shanghai

Ferrari briefly tested its innovative 'Macarena' rotating rear wing during Chinese Grand Prix practice, only to remove it after the first session. Lewis Hamilton, who drove the car with the unique component, suggested the team's decision to bring it to Shanghai was "a little bit premature," indicating the development may not have been fully ready for competitive action.

Why it matters:

Ferrari's experimental wing represents a bold attempt to find a technical edge in the tightly packed midfield. Its removal highlights the fine line F1 teams walk between aggressive innovation and reliable performance, especially when the gap to direct rivals like Mercedes is already a concern. The episode underscores Ferrari's ongoing push to close the performance deficit through novel aerodynamic solutions.

The details:

• The 'Macarena' wing, named by Team Principal Fred Vasseur, features a unique mechanism where the upper flap rotates completely over on a central pivot, unlike a standard DRS flap that simply pivots backward.
• Ferrari had initially targeted its race debut for later in the season but accelerated its arrival for the Shanghai weekend.
• After running it on both cars in FP1, the team removed the wing for the remainder of the weekend. Sources indicate the team chose to continue its development off-track to better understand its benefits before a future race return, deeming its use in China a "pointless" risk given the performance gap to Mercedes.
• Hamilton clarified that the car performed well regardless, stating, "The car was still great," but confirmed the team only had two of the special wings available.

What's next:

The wing is not shelved permanently. Hamilton confirmed the team will "work to try to bring it back when it’s ready." Its future introduction will depend on Ferrari's confidence in its reliability and performance gains after further analysis and development. Meanwhile, Hamilton identified straight-line speed as a critical weakness, urging the team in Maranello to "push to close that gap" with Mercedes, suggesting power unit performance remains a primary focus alongside aero innovations.