Ferrari has decided to set aside its innovative rotating rear wing during the Chinese Grand Prix. This wing, which had been introduced during pre-season testing, was tested by drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton during the first free practice session in Shanghai.
During this session, Hamilton had a spin when the wing closed at the braking zone of Turn 6, commenting over the radio that “the brakes were locked.” Despite the initial experimentation, Ferrari opted to return to its conventional rear wing for the sprint qualifying.
Hamilton expressed that he may have rushed the integration of this new design, as it wasn’t planned until races four or five. However, he praised the team’s effort in bringing this innovative solution to Shanghai, although he acknowledged that it was too early for its implementation. “The car was still competitive and we will work to reintegrate the wing when appropriate,” he added.
Additionally, it has been confirmed that Ferrari was satisfied with the performance of the wing compared to the conventional option and appreciated its reliability. However, the final decision to withdraw it was due to the lack of sufficient guarantees to compete with it throughout the race.
The team’s next step will be to analyze more details about this design at their base in Maranello before the next race at the Japanese GP, which will take place in two weeks.
In qualifying, Hamilton and Leclerc secured fourth and sixth positions, respectively, with a time of 0.641 seconds slower than poleman George Russell. Leclerc has pointed out that he hopes to improve during the race, acknowledging that the performance of Mercedes poses a considerable challenge.