TECH WEEKLY: Inside Ferrari and Red Bull’s innovative ‘Macarena’ rear wings used in Miami

Mark Hughes and Giorgio Piola delve into how and why Ferrari and Red Bull introduced rotating rear wings at the Miami Grand Prix.

Technical ContributorsMark Hughes and Giorgio Piola
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The all-new regulations for 2026 have led to many interesting new interpretations but the most visually dramatic is surely the ‘Macarena’ style rotating rear wings introduced by both Ferrari and Red Bull, both of which were raced for the first time in Miami.

Ferrari’s has been seen on and off since pre-season testing and has appeared in official practice sessions before being discarded awaiting further development. However, Red Bull has been working on its own version since long before the Ferrari wing appeared. Miami was simply the first time it had been seen in public.

The relevant regulation which has made for this new innovation is around the new-for-2026 straightline mode (SLM), which has replaced the previous Drag Reduction System (DRS). The DRS regulations prescribed how the gap between the mainplane and flap could open.