Andrea Stella seen examining Ferrari’s ‘unprecedented’ exhaust upgrade at Bahrain F1 testing

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Ferrari’s surprise exhaust upgrade has got the Formula 1 paddock talking on the first day of the final pre-season test, with McLaren’s Andrea Stella paying particularly close attention.

Ferrari were expected to bring upgrades for the second week in Bahrain, but the developments at the rear of the car have nonetheless caused a stir.

The Scuderia impressed in Sakhir last time out, with Lewis Hamilton setting the fastest race simulation of any driver under the lights on day three.

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Charles Leclerc is in the car for the first half of Wednesday’s running before Hamilton takes over after the lunch break.

Ferrari’s ‘secret’ exhaust upgrade catches the attention of rival teams

As reported by Motorsport Italia, Ferrari have added a small winglet in front of their exhaust pipe in an ‘unprecedented’ step for the 2026 generation of cars. The innovation has ‘surprised the paddock’.

Ferrari kept their upgrade plan ‘secret’ until Leclerc took to the track, but it ‘immediately’ grabbed the attention of their rivals.

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Unfortunately, competitors would need to completely redesign the rear end of their car to copy Ferrari’s solution. If it proves to be beneficial, then the ‘small advantage’ should last for months.

Last year’s Ferrari was fundamentally flawed from the outset, with the team forced to raise the ride height to comply with the plank wear regulations. That cost them downforce and took the car out of its ideal performance window.

Andrea Stella among those inspecting the new-look Ferrari

Reporting from the ground in Bahrain, journalist Kemal Sengull said McLaren’s Stella had spent ‘a long time’ examining the new Ferrari winglet.

It’s expected to deliver somewhere between 0.15 and 0.25 seconds of performance. The rate of development will be higher than ever right now, but that is still a sizeable step.

As it stands, Ferrari also have an advantage at race starts amid rumours that they have built a smaller turbo to simplify the preparation.

The F1 Commission is due to meet on Wednesday, and the matter of race starts will be under discussion. Stella is leading calls for a longer pre-race procedure that should ensure cleaner getaways throughout the field and reduce the risk of accidents.