Ferrari presented a new evolution of its rear wing in Hungary, relying on a unique architecture to continue its rise to power.
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Ferrari continues the development of its SF-26. After several evolutions that have contributed to the Scuderia’s return to form in recent weeks, the Italian team arrived at the Hungarian Grand Prix with a particularly visible new innovation.
In the pit lane, mechanics unveiled a revised version of the rear wing already nicknamed “Macarena” earlier this season. This new specification immediately catches the eye with the appearance of two small lateral appendages reminiscent of “rabbit ears”.
The wing is also distinguished by a central aerodynamic cascade composed of three superimposed elements. A design that illustrates Ferrari’s desire to fully exploit the possibilities offered by the technical regulations to improve the performance of its single-seater.
A unique architecture on the grid
This evolution is based on a peculiarity specific to Ferrari. Unlike most teams, the Scuderia does not install the actuator that controls the movable flap of the wing in the central part of it.
By moving this mechanism to the ends, at the level of the endplates, Italian engineers completely free up the central area. This allows them to integrate more aerodynamic elements designed to optimize airflow.
This solution offers more freedom to aerodynamicists and explains the appearance of this particularly sophisticated new configuration. Ferrari thus hopes to continue exploiting one of the most original concepts on the grid.
The Hungaroring seems ideal for this evolution
In Monaco, several teams had already been able to use a similar philosophy, as the low-drag mode of the active wing was not necessary on the street circuit. In Hungary, Ferrari benefits from a different context.
The Hungaroring allows the use of the active wing on four sections of the circuit. Despite this, the architecture chosen by the Scuderia allows this innovative configuration to be maintained without disrupting the system’s operation.
On paper, the characteristics of the Hungarian track seem perfectly suited to the SF-26, renowned for its excellent traction and its efficiency in slow and medium-speed corners. This further strengthens its status as a favorite, already mentioned by several observers.
Schumacher sees Ferrari as favorite, Hamilton remains cautious
Ralf Schumacher is among those who place Ferrari at the top of the favorites for the Hungarian weekend. The former German driver believes that the circuit’s profile particularly suits the qualities of the SF-26.
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“That’s why I will be following Ferrari very closely in Hungary.”
Lewis Hamilton, however, refuses to draw hasty conclusions. The Ferrari driver reminds that the competition remains extremely high and that Mercedes remains a threat despite the progress shown by the Scuderia.
“They have won almost every race. They are fast on all types of circuits and also very good in slow corners. In Monaco, they were the fastest. So we have to keep in mind that they can still be the fastest this weekend.”
Hamilton also wants to put the impact of the latest technical evolutions into perspective.
“Everyone has brought evolutions. Our car is not very different from the one we had in Monaco. There are some subtle small changes, but in its basic philosophy, it remains comparable.”
Red Bull also brings back its “Macarena”
Ferrari will not be the only team to rely on an evolution of its rear wing in Hungary. Red Bull has also decided to bring back its own version of the “Macarena”, abandoned after the problems encountered in Austria and then at Silverstone.
Max Verstappen is confident about the corrections made by his team, while remaining cautious before hitting the track.
“We think the problem has been solved, but obviously I can’t be sure. Our guys have done several tests and more simulations. I hope this time the issue is definitively settled. That’s the goal.”
Isack Hadjar also confirms the return of this configuration on his RB22 and hopes that it will allow Red Bull to take a new step forward this weekend.
“Our rear wing has been validated, so we are coming back with the Macarena version, which is supposed to be faster.”
“In addition, it’s a circuit that suits us better energetically, with also some fast sections that I really like.”
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