– One of the most striking innovations in the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season was the rotating rear wing, which Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur quickly nicknamed the “Macarena” wing.
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Ferrari was the first team to unveil the concept during the winter tests and managed to surprise several competitors – including McLaren – with the innovative solution.
At that time, Red Bull was already working behind the scenes on its own version. Technical director Pierre Wache emphasized that the inspiration did not come from Ferrari and that Red Bull’s concept works differently – which is indeed the case, as it rotates in the opposite direction, among other things.
Red Bull simply failed to have its rotating wing fully operational in time for the start of the season, which is why it was first used in Miami.
The first race weekends went smoothly for both Ferrari’s and Red Bull’s designs. But after Verstappen’s two consecutive crashes in Spielberg and Silverstone, the Macarena wings came under increased scrutiny.
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The FIA then asked both Red Bull and Ferrari for additional information. This was by no means targeted specifically against Scuderia, but simply served to treat both teams equally, as they were the only racing teams to have used the concept in races so far.
Furthermore, it was important for the FIA to understand the specifics of both systems precisely, as more and more teams are developing their own versions. McLaren has already tested a rotating wing and plans to use it in a race “at one of the first weekends after the summer break.”
Macarena concept approved by FIA
To a selected group of media representatives, the FIA now makes it clear that it will not take action against the basic concept of the Macarena wing: “When the first such design appeared, we wanted to ensure that it is absolutely safe,” says FIA Formula Sport Director Nikolas Tombazis.
“This included various requirements. For many complex systems, engineering teams conduct a so-called FMEA analysis – that is, a failure mode and effects analysis.”
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This evaluation was not only about the prescribed closing time but also about the subsequent behavior of the wing and the rest of the vehicle, because the closing time alone is not sufficient, as the airflow does not immediately reattach after the wing closes.
“We had very intensive discussions to make sure that we consider these designs safe,” says Tombazis. “Mainly, we wanted to rule out the risk of a hydraulic failure – meaning the wing stays open and can no longer return to the closed position.”
“We also wanted to ensure that this happens within a very short time frame. And that there is no very slow movement that could make the car unstable.”
Red Bull still has homework
The result of these discussions is that the overall concept is classified as permissible – although in Red Bull’s case some rework was still required.
According to Tombazis, this does not mean that the FIA formally requested changes from Red Bull. Rather, the technical team around Wache recognized based on these discussions – and logically the crashes – that there was still homework to be done.
“So we discussed these things, and based on these discussions Red Bull wanted to make some improvements,” says Tombazis. “We did not explicitly tell them: ‘No, you are not allowed to run that.’ But they had to put in a bit more work to be sure – because ultimately they also want their car to be safe. I don’t think anyone wants to see a crash from their car.”
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This additional work to fix the problems, which according to Wache were mechanical in nature, meant that Red Bull had to temporarily revert to a more conventional specification in Belgium before Verstappen and Isack Hadjar could use the rotating rear wing again in Hungary.
Read more FIA approves «Macarena» wing, but: Red Bull must make improvements
