Ferrari tests F1 upgrades
- Ferrari tested new front and rear wings, a revised floor, and diffuser at Monza ahead of Miami. (x.com) - The team said the focus of those upgrades was addressing cooling challenges. (x.com) - The work aims to improve performance under hot conditions before upcoming races like Miami. (x.com)
Ferrari used a Monza test day to run new Formula 1 parts before the Miami Grand Prix, with cooling in hot races at the center of the work. (the-race.com) The package included new front and rear wings, a revised floor and diffuser on the SF-26 during a 200-kilometer filming day at Monza on April 22. (the-race.com) In Formula 1, the floor and diffuser do much of the car’s aerodynamic work by managing airflow under the chassis, while the wings tune balance and drag for each circuit. Ferrari’s Monza run combined those downforce parts with changes aimed at cooling management. (formula1.com, the-race.com) Cooling matters more when temperatures rise because teams have to keep the power unit, brakes and electronics inside safe operating windows without adding too much drag. Miami is the next round on May 1-3, and Formula 1 lists the race for Sunday, May 3, at the 5.412-kilometer Miami International Autodrome. (formula1.com, formula1.com) Ferrari’s timing also fits the early shape of the 2026 season. Formula 1’s official results page shows Ferrari heading into Miami after Charles Leclerc finished third in Japan, while Mercedes driver George Russell won in Australia and McLaren driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli won in China and Japan. (formula1.com, ferrari.com) The 2026 calendar is the first under Formula 1’s new technical rules, and Ferrari launched the SF-26 in January as its car for that regulation reset. New rules usually push teams into rapid early-season development because the first concepts are still being sorted at the track. (formula1.com, formula1.com) The Monza session was not a race weekend test but one of the limited promotional running opportunities teams use to gather track data, check reliability and compare new parts against simulation. That makes it a practical place to judge whether cooling fixes cost speed before a sprint-format weekend like Miami. (the-race.com, formula1.com) Ferrari now heads to Florida with a package shaped for heat as much as outright grip. Miami will show whether the Monza data turns into a car that can run fast without running too hot. (the-race.com, formula1.com)
