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Ferrari stunned their Formula 1 rivals by adding a new exhaust flap to the back of their car on day four of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Charles Leclerc set the third-quickest time on Wednesday, with Lewis Hamilton finishing in the top six on the time sheets despite an issue that kept him off track for around 90 minutes.
Fans shouldn’t take the fastest times each team sets too seriously yet, but Ferrari were one of the teams that caught everyone’s attention with a new addition to their car.
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Ferrari have extended their diffuser further than their rivals, and initially, it was believed that this was done for downforce reasons alone.
However, the Scuderia unveiled a new flap attached to the central exhaust pipe that caught the attention of plenty of their rivals.
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Ferrari needed special FIA approval to add new exhaust flap to their 2026 F1 car
A report from Motorsport has shared more details about the newest addition to the SF-26.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was spotted studying Ferrari’s car on Wednesday when he realised that they had made a new addition to the exhaust.
Ferrari have added a vertical flap to the exhaust, which has been made possible due to the changing regulations this year, as previously this sort of innovation was outlawed.
It’s reported that Ferrari needed ‘the FIA’s approval’ to mount the flap to the exhaust due to its proximity to the rear axle line, which, considering the FIA wanted to do additional checks to Ferrari’s car, is not a surprise.
However, once it had been approved, Ferrari knew that they had a unique advantage over the rest of the grid.
The Scuderia’s rivals can’t copy the design because none of them have extended their rear diffusers as much as Ferrari, and Fred Vasseur’s team only revealed the flap now, which means any other team wouldn’t have time to design and manufacture a replica before the Australian Grand Prix.
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The flap serves two purposes: moving hot exhaust fumes upwards to improve the rear wing’s efficiency, as well as extracting the flow from the diffuser.
This is all related to the choice Ferrari made to install a smaller turbo this season, which they believe will benefit them during race starts.
There are concerns about Ferrari’s ability to use first gear to recharge the battery, and while Leclerc and Hamilton started to test whether the engine and gearbox could handle it on Wednesday, they’re still nowhere near the level of Max Verstappen and Red Bull when it comes to energy recovery.
READ MORE: Who is Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur? Everything you need to know
Lewis Hamilton gives his verdict on day four of 2026 Bahrain F1 testing
After using the new exhaust flap for the first time, Hamilton was relatively pleased with the SF-26 during Wednesday’s running.
The seven-time world champion said: “It was a solid day, as we managed to complete a good amount of running, which is positive.
“We had a small issue during my session, but the team did a great job to get me back out on track to do some long runs.
“I feel like we’ve made progress compared to last week, and I’m continuing to build my understanding of the car.
“We’re still working on fine-tuning the balance, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
Sebastian Vettel has allayed Hamilton’s fears about this year’s regulations, with the Ferrari driver previously concerned about how complicated they would be for fans to understand.
The Scuderia are another team adding more and more complicated parts to their car, but the hope is that Vasseur’s team could finally end their 18-year wait for a championship with this machine.
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