Ferrari have copied Alpine to give Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ‘hidden’ upgrade in Barcelona

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Ferrari have taken inspiration from Alpine with the design of their front wing upgrade for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at this week’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

The Maranello natives are set to offer Hamilton and Leclerc each the chance to sample their latest front wing concept in practice at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this Friday. Ferrari also have their previous design in Montmelo, and will likely carry out split testing in practice.

Ferrari hope to correct the failings of their previous front wing upgrade with their update for the SF-26 in Spain. The pride of Italy fell short of their targets with their first wing upgrade in Miami this May, and the aerodynamic challenges present in Barcelona necessitated changes.

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Ferrari have copied Alpine by adding flow diverters to their front wing upgrade in Spain

According to Motorsport.com, Ferrari chassis technical director Loic Serra signed off on the upgrade package they will debut at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP this week. The front wing is the most striking aspect of the Scuderia’s update package, as not all of the tweaks are clear.

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Ferrari’s head of aerodynamics Diego Tondi and aero development boss Franck Sanchez put a great deal of focus into the Scuderia’s front wing upgrade for the Barcelona-Catalunya GP. They especially prioritised improving the outwash effect of the new wing in the wind tunnel.

Tondi and Sanchez have changed the bulkhead of the front wing, and sought to channel the airflow past the front wheels and make the rest of the bodywork more efficient. Ferrari now also have a diveplane on the top part of the endplate, like most of their rivals have this year.

Yet the ‘most interesting’ change to Ferrari’s front wing in Barcelona is ‘hidden’ underneath, as they have copied Alpine by incorporating four flow directors to increase the SF-26’s front downforce. Ferrari ‘exaggerated’ Alpine’s design as each diverter varies in length and shape.

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Hamilton and Leclerc are both likely to run Ferrari’s front wing upgrade during practice this Friday, before deciding ahead of qualifying on Saturday whether they want to race with it in Sunday’s Barcelona-Catalunya GP. Leclerc could enjoy a small advantage over Hamilton, too.

Ferrari will bench Hamilton during FP1 in Barcelona and run Formula 2 racer Dino Beganovic to fulfil the first half of their rookie practice quota for his car. But Leclerc will be testing new brakes during practice in Barcelona, too, having decided to try Hamilton’s set-up this week.