Ferrari Reveals ‘Genius’ Rear Wing Feature Other F1 Teams Can’t Easily Copy

The first day of the second week of testing showed that McLaren had the best pace, finishing first and fourth, but the competition was close at the top.

And another spanner has been thrown into the works now, as Ferrari revealed a shocking new car feature on the morning of 19 February as Lewis Hamilton raced around the track.

It could end up being an addition to the Ferrari car that may propel them closer to the Drivers' or Constructors' Championship, after finishing fourth out of ten in the team standings last season.

Ferrari's biggest weapon could be its rotating rear-wing revealed at testing in Bahrain

Lewis Hamilton will be hoping for a bounce-back season with Ferrari after a disappointing 2025. | Scuderia Ferrari

Only an hour into the Thursday session, Lewis Hamilton wowed fans and commentators alike.

As his bright-red Ferrari took to the main straight at the Sakhir circuit and entered active aero, the spiritual successor to DRS that can now be activated at any point around the track, the rear wing visibly flipped almost entirely over, reverting back to normal when Hamilton approached the corner.

A major reason the Italian team implemented this feature in the car is to further reduce drag compared to other cars in their active aero mode, and potentially take some of the load off of the brakes as drivers enter the corner.

You spin me right round! 😵‍💫

Here's Ferrari's innovative solution to moving the upper flap of the rear wing as part of this season's active aero introduction 👀 #F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/yY0ZcI1Kph
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 19, 2026

Talking about the rear wing's movement (which is at around 225 degrees, according to Gary Anderson), Formula One technical journalist Craig Scarborough pointed out that Ferrari's engine placement compared to other teams would mean that any copycats would encounter roadblocks.

"Ferrari clearly have moved [their driveshaft] rearwards in order to bring this bodywork zone into the area around the diffuser and the exhaust to get this effect. So, other teams aren't necessarily going to be able to copy [the rear wing] very easily. Most teams I would imagine that are running their own gearboxes... if [the driveshaft is] too far away then they can't do something like this."
Scarborough on the wing's tech aspects

This means that if any team, bar Haas, who use Ferrari engines, wants to replicate Ferrari's rear wing design, they would have to fundamentally change the internals of their car to accommodate.

But with Australia fast approaching, it is unlikely that any team looking to replicate such a technical marvel as Ferrari's rear setup would have the time now.

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