Formula 1 Chinese GP
Ferrari’s China sprint halo wing: What it could be and why it vanished from the SF-26
Ferrari ran its cars with a novel winglet on the front of the halo ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, but it was removed before Sunday’s race
Franco Nugnes
Edited: Mar 18, 2026, 11:04 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Ferrari, under the technical management of Loic Serra, appears to be a team unafraid to explore the grey areas of the Formula 1 technical regulations. The French technical director seems to have revived a concept that had been promoted by Sergio Marchionne during the early phase of his presidency at Ferrari.
According to the Abruzzo-born manager, all the “grey areas” of the Formula 1 technical regulations should be explored as an integral part of competition and innovation. His vision was based on the idea that F1 should be a field of free technological challenge, rather than a set of rigid rules that level performance downward. “Out of a hundred borderline solutions,” he used to tell his engineers, “some may be banned, but the others will remain on the car.”
Ferrari SF-26: here’s the windscreen that disappeared after the sprint race
To demonstrate this, the Scuderia introduced a curious small fin mounted on the front pillar of the Halo at the Chinese Grand Prix – alongside its much-publicised ‘Macarena wing’. It appeared in free practice and was then used in sprint qualifying and the sprint race, but disappeared for Saturday’s qualifying session and, consequently, was not seen in the main race.
Reporters from The Race claimed that it was the FIA that raised doubts about its legality, despite the technical scrutineers led by Jo Bauer having initially approved it. However, what seems to have alarmed Ferrari was a report from a rival team, which allegedly threatened to lodge an official protest after the race.
Lewis Hamilton, in the parc fermé without the Halo wing
Photo by: Lars Baron / Getty Images
The solution had been designed to redirect airflow upward in an area of the cockpit that can be disturbed. It was removed before Saturday afternoon qualifying, as the team believed it would only bring a measurable improvement of a few hundredths of a second, and it was not worth risking a third and fourth place finish in China to defend a solution that was, at best, questionable.
Looking more closely at the small innovation, it can be seen that it was not made of metal, as reflections of light might have suggested, but of a plastic material. The reason for its use could therefore have been as a windscreen – the small deflector often seen on F1 cars – since it could not be considered a structural element of the Halo.
See also:
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Lewis Hamilton: “I’m back to my best” in F1 2026, “both mentally and physically”
Next article Question of the week: Can anything or anyone stop Mercedes from winning both F1 titles in 2026?
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Franco Nugnes
FIA enforces new rule to close F1 cost cap loophole
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
FIA enforces new rule to close F1 cost cap loophole
This is the new tail section that Marco Bezzecchi debuted on the Aprilia
MotoGP
MotoGP
Austrian GP
This is the new tail section that Marco Bezzecchi debuted on the Aprilia
Why Charles Leclerc isn't using latest ADUO2 engine in the Spanish GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Spanish GP
Why Charles Leclerc isn't using latest ADUO2 engine in the Spanish GP
More from
Lewis Hamilton
Fred Vasseur reacts to Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc clash: “It’s a matter of respect”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
10 h
Fred Vasseur reacts to Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc clash: “It’s a matter of respect”
More from
Ferrari
Who slept worst last night: Frederic Vasseur
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
4 h
Who slept worst last night: Frederic Vasseur
Why Charles Leclerc didn’t yield Mexico GP lead after cutting Turn 5
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
11 h
Why Charles Leclerc didn’t yield Mexico GP lead after cutting Turn 5
Latest news
Who slept best last night: Kimi Antonelli
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
1 h
Who slept best last night: Kimi Antonelli
FIA reveals revised Junior WRC for 2027
WRC
WRC WRC 1 h
FIA reveals revised Junior WRC for 2027
How MotoGP teams and riders are organising themselves for their arrival in Qatar
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Malaysian GP
1 h
How MotoGP teams and riders are organising themselves for their arrival in Qatar
Mexico Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2026
Formula 1
Mexican GP
Mexico Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2026
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe