Ferrari is using a strikingly aggressive development strategy in 2026. The most notable innovation from the Scuderia is the much-discussed ‘Macarena rear wing’, whose flap rotates 180 degrees, thereby reducing drag on the straights. Other teams have struggled with this aerodynamic application in recent months, but Fred Vasseur expects the Macarena wing to be the standard in 2027.
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In an interview with the French Auto Hebdo, Vasseur was asked about the rapid development of the SF-26. “I encourage the team to take risks,” he explained. “At Sauber, we already had a culture of taking risks,” he reflected on his time at the Swiss team. Between 2017 and 2022, he was in charge in Hinwil before moving to Ferrari. “That was quite strange, considering we were a Swiss team,” he joked about the down-to-earth work culture.
‘Ferrari was too much in the comfort zone’
“At Ferrari, we were perhaps a bit too much in our comfort zone,” Vasseur compared the two teams. “This year, we were more aggressive in making certain choices, for example with the chassis or the Macarena rear wing.” This new aerodynamic innovation owes its name to a joke Vasseur made earlier this year. Meanwhile, McLaren and Red Bull have already developed their own versions. The papayas have so far only tested the design. At Red Bull, several versions have already been tried after Max Verstappen crashed twice due to a faulty flap.
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“There are also other parts of the car where we have been aggressive, but at this stage of the season, with brand new regulations, it is simply easy to push the boundaries a bit. In the coming seasons, there will be more convergence and all teams will come closer together. We were still quite uncertain when we started developing the Macarena wing, but I expect everyone to be convinced next year,” he referred to the fact that all teams will develop a version of this rear wing in 2027.
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