Ferrari rolls out new front wing and floor package in Barcelona to close on Mercedes

Ferrari arrived at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona with its most substantial aerodynamic overhaul since Miami, unveiling a redesigned front wing and a heavily revised floor on the SF-26 as the team looks to claw back ground on Mercedes.

The centrepiece of the package is a long-awaited evolution of the front wing, which carries significant consequences for aerodynamic performance across the rest of the car. The new nose features a raised lower surface, a revised footplate with a rearranged vane layout, and an additional dive plane on the endplate. Ferrari has also optimised the wing elements themselves to improve load distribution and integrated the straight-mode actuator more cleanly into the nose structure. The changes are designed not only to generate more downforce but to clean up the aerodynamic wake over the front tyres and make the car easier to balance.

Further back, Ferrari has reworked the front section of the floor, citing “reduced keel volume, redesigned front floor leading edge profiles and claws, and front floorboard element optimisation” as the key areas of development. The rear floor winglets and diffuser have also been tweaked, with the sidepod shape adjusted to work in concert with the broader floor redesign.

Ferrari’s previous major upgrade at the Miami Grand Prix in early May largely performed as intended, but was not enough to prevent Mercedes from establishing a clear advantage in the opening phase of the season. Barcelona, one of the most data-rich circuits on the calendar and a traditional benchmark for aerodynamic development, provides an ideal environment to assess whether the new package closes that gap.

Several other teams have also brought updates to Spain. McLaren’s changes are limited to a new front wing endplate aimed at improving downstream airflow, while Mercedes has added small winglets to its rear wing in pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency. Red Bull has revised its front wing geometry and brought a more powerful flap as an option should conditions demand it.

Williams has made minor rear wing adjustments to add downforce efficiently while managing drag on Barcelona’s long straights — an approach similar to Mercedes. Racing Bulls has optimised its diffuser and its integration with the crash structure, and has brought additional front wing configurations to help balance the VCARB 03. Haas has made small changes to its rear impact structure.

Cadillac continues its incremental development of the MAC-26, with updates this weekend confined to additional cooling slots and the reintroduction of the Straight Mode mechanism to its Monaco rear wing — a feature that was disabled by regulation at last weekend’s race.

Aston Martin, Alpine, and Audi have brought no aerodynamic upgrades to Barcelona.