At Monza, pure speed no longer depends only on the rear wing. To gain the last kilometers/hour, Ferrari and Mercedes applied the same subtle modification to their cars.
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Monza remains the temple of speed, but the recipes for going fast there have changed.
With the 2026 cars, engineers can no longer simply fit an almost flat rear wing as they used to do. Active aerodynamics and its “Straight Line Mode,” which changes the position of the flaps on the straights, already allow a significant reduction in drag. Result: to gain a few more precious points of drag, you now have to look elsewhere.
Ferrari and Mercedes have precisely come to the same conclusion, without consultation. As shown by our comparative images with Zandvoort, both teams shortened at Monza the support connecting the mirror to the bodywork.
A few centimeters that matter
As seen in this exclusive image, the change is particularly visible on the Mercedes. The long rear arm that descended towards the sidepod has been largely cut back. According to documents submitted to the FIA, this reduction decreases the camber and the aerodynamic load produced locally. Mercedes therefore accepts losing a bit of downforce but gains in exchange a drag reduction considered advantageous for the downforce/drag ratio sought at Monza.
Ferrari applies exactly the same logic (see the image below taken at Monza). On the SF-26, the vertical support of the mirror and its junction with the sidepod have been shortened. This modification is part of a set of four adaptations that Ferrari specifies all aim to reduce drag, even if it means sacrificing downforce when the compromise remains favorable.
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This is not the first appearance of this solution on the Ferrari: a shortened version had already been tested in Austria.
The hunt for small winglets
Mirror supports are just one example of this hunt for appendages that have become less profitable at Monza. Several teams have also removed or reduced the small winglets placed at the rear, especially in the central area located in the wake of the exhaust.
Mercedes has thus removed several winglets from its rear wing assembly to reduce both downforce and drag. Ferrari has chosen a slightly different approach: it keeps its central winglet behind the exhaust but has perforated it, while the lateral elements have been trimmed.
With Straight Line Mode, the rear wing is therefore no longer the only lever to create a Monza configuration. Drag is now hunted in the details: a few centimeters of mirror support, a winglet removed, or a thinner profile. And, this time, Ferrari and Mercedes have found the same path.
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