Lewis Hamilton confirms Ferrari’s huge Chinese GP boost | F1 | Sport

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed rumours suggesting Ferrari have taken the ‘upside down’ rear wing they debuted in pre-season testing with them to the Chinese Grand Prix. It was first suggested by Italian media earlier this week that Ferrari had rushed production of the ‘Macarena’ wing so that it would be ready in time to use in Shanghai this weekend.

That is the name given to the part by media, after Ferrari surprised everyone in testing by trying out the eye-catching design for a handful of laps. The wing at the back of Hamilton‘s car rotated 270 degrees at high speed, with Ferrari testing the benefits of turning it around completely while on straights.

And clearly the data has suggested there is enough of a benefit to potentiall use it in competitive action. It was reported that Ferrari had sent the upgraded parts to China via team staff as cabin baggage on flights, in order to cut shipping times and make it available to race with in Shanghai.

Speaking to reporters on media day, seven-time world champion Hamilton confirmed that the upside down wing is, in fact, set to be used this weekend. He said: “We did a full day or so on the wing, so I think we got what we needed. I’m so grateful for the team, because it was actually supposed to be later down the line, and they worked really hard to develop it and bring it here.

“So that, for me, is just… it’s great to see that the team are fighting, pushing, chasing, and really working overtime back at the factory to be able to bring upgrades, because that’s the name of the game. Last year, we didn’t get to see— I didn’t get to see—the team’s full potential in that mode, because we were working on some issues.”

It is an aggressive move by Ferrari in these very early stages of the new season, especially as some have suggested they have a chassis that is perhaps as strong as the Mercedes cars that dominated the first round in Melbourne. Hamilton said after that race that they were as good as the Silver Arrows in corners, while Lando Norris went as far as to suggest Ferrari have the quickest car all around.

Mercedes’ powerful new engines helped George Russell to win the Australian Grand Prix from pole, while Kimi Antonelli finished second behind him to secure the perfect start for the team. But Ferrari were third and fourth and finished close enough by the end of the race to have confidence that they can fight for glory this year if they can out-develop their rivals.

And they have made the first move by rushing to get this upgrade ready in time for the second event of the season. It is also the first Sprint weekend of the year, with more points on offer for Ferrari who won the Shanghai Sprint 12 months ago.