Japan’s Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend came with the expectation of once again seeing Ferrari’s ‘Macarena’ wing in action. However, once again the Italian team chose not to use the device.
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Therefore, for the third stage of the season, the Maranello team goes without major changes, despite having enough spare parts in the garage for both cars – Fred Vassour had already said at the end of 2025 that he would only bring parts that lowered lap time or would have low transport costs. Other teams on the grid ended up bringing some updates to Suzuka.
For 2026, freight for races is part of the budget cap and, therefore, F1 teams need to study and plan the introduction of new parts much more carefully. Also, Ferrari’s plans had to adapt to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs.
Before the start of the Japan GP, Charles Leclerc, without giving many details, had already stated that he did not expect to get closer to Mercedes this weekend. After the first free practice sessions, the pair fell behind the leading Mercedes and McLaren.
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Now, with April having no races, the team will take the opportunity to refine and focus on some points of the SF-26. The ‘Macarena’ wing, then, will continue development in Maranello. Still in early stages, it should undergo reliability testing before being improved.
Today, in the current specification of the car, the Italian multi-champion team observed a performance gain on the straight, but it also brought greater instability compared to the conventional design when the rear wing was closed. With this, Ferrari concluded that the ‘Macarena’ wing was not as well correlated as it could be with the front wing.
It is still early in the 2026 Formula 1 season to say that the wing is a failure, but it certainly still needs development and work.
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