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Ferrari’s new car for the 2026 F1 regulations has immediately raised ‘suspicions’ after Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc joined the Barcelona shakedown test on Tuesday.
Leclerc and Hamilton joined Red Bull rivals Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar in taking to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Day 2 of the shakedown test. Ferrari had elected to sit out the first day of action, with teams only allowed to run on any three of the five days in Spain.
Most teams opted against using Day 2 as one of their designated sessions due to the threat of rain, which arrived in the morning while Leclerc was at the wheel of the SF-26. Hamilton took over during the afternoon, and he had a small off through the gravel on his first outing.
Ferrari are using a basic version of their 2026 F1 car in Barcelona, as the Scuderia decided to prioritise gathering data at the start of the new regulations cycle. Yet a report by Formula1.it claims one part on Ferrari’s car in Barcelona has caught the eye of several paddock ‘insiders’.
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Ferrari raises ‘suspicions’ that they have an S-Duct on their 2026 F1 car
A number of paddock ‘insiders’ are understood to be questioning whether Ferrari have tried to incorporate an S-Duct into the design of their first car for the 2026 F1 regulations. F1 has overhauled the regulations, with new engine, aero, chassis and tyre rules coming into force.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the 2026 F1 engine and aero regulations
Images of the Ferrari SF-26 on track in Barcelona have sparked ‘suspicions’ that their head of aerodynamics Diego Tondi has added a channel to direct clean air from below the radiator inlets to the top of the sidepods. The channel can also extract hot air away from the engine.
The main purpose with the S-Duct is to accelerate the airflow towards the rear diffuser and improve Ferrari’s aerodynamic efficiency. Tondi and his team are said to have achieved their goal by adding a slot in the Halo on the SF-26 to firstly manage the airflow out of the S-Duct.
Ferrari have been very aggressive with their 2026 aero concept
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The 2026 F1 regulations handed the 11 teams a major challenge to create new aerodynamic designs compared to the ground-effect era from 2022-2025. The introduction of active aero on front and rear wings was especially challenging to design a stable aerodynamic platform.
Drivers will be able to engage their active aero in set zones on each circuit to reduce drag on the straights before the front and rear wings return to their higher downforce settings in the corners. It will be crucial that the airflow does not stall when drivers brake or enter corners.
Ferrari’s aero design for the 2026 F1 regulations has caught the FIA’s attention, with the FIA set to take a closer look at their concept before giving it the green light. Ferrari’s engineers are said to have been very aggressive whilst creating Hamilton and Leclerc’s 2026 rules car.
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