How Ferrari's Macarena wing upgrade borrows from McLaren
Ferrari has given us a first glimpse of its upgraded 'Macarena' rear wing, as it takes a leaf out of Formula 1 rival McLaren’s book with some new winglet cascades.
As part of an effort to increase downforce for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari has seized on the opportunity to add some extra aerodynamic elements in the legality box where the rear wing activator normally sits.
This was a move that many teams had opted for at the Monaco Grand Prix – but Ferrari had not - where they swapped out actuators for winglets.
Perhaps well aware of the missed opportunity in Monaco, Ferrari has now joined the trend for a Hungaroring track where downforce is more important than reducing drag down the straights.
As part of its upgrade, it has introduced a triple-element series of wings in the central area – which is very similar to the version that McLaren used in Monaco.
As well as this winglet, Ferrari has also introduced some extra hangars above the rear wing upper element, which will also help increase downforce.
Ferrari is not alone in upgrading this area of the car, with McLaren getting ready to run its own Macarena wing on track at a race weekend for the first time.
The squad had planned to trial its lower-drag wing at the Austrian Grand Prix but it was removed from the MCL40 before the car even left the garage after some early problems were discovered.
Following modifications that have been worked on at its Woking factory, a revised version of the design has been fitted to Oscar Piastri’s car ahead of opening practice.
While no images have yet appeared of the wing in action, it features a different attachment to the activator, which will allow it to flip over completely.
McLaren only plans to test the wing in Hungary this weekend before reverting to its regular design for qualifying.
If the idea works, then it will most likely appear for the first time at the Italian Grand Prix.
Mercedes is also set to run with a new specification of rear wing in Hungary, which features extra winglets on top of the upper flap.
