FERRARI FORCED TO REMOVE HALO WINGS
According to The Race, Scuderia Ferrari removed its new halo winglets during the Chinese Grand Prix after talks with the FIA raised doubts about their legality.
Ferrari had introduced small winglets on the halo in Shanghai as a minor aerodynamic upgrade. The parts were tested in practice and even used during the sprint session, where both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ran them without issue, passing scrutineering.
However, before qualifying for the main race, Ferrari decided to remove the winglets. The move came after discussions with the FIA, which reportedly considered the design “borderline” under the rules.
Why Ferrari removed the Halo winglets
The winglets only gave a very small performance gain, just a few hundredths of a second. Because of that, Ferrari chose not to risk potential problems, such as a protest from another team or a post-race penalty.
Even though the parts were initially approved, there were concerns that their placement on the halo might stretch the limits of what is allowed in that area of the car.
This is not the first time Ferrari has pushed the rules around the halo. Back in 2018, the team introduced mirror mounts with aerodynamic elements, which were later banned after the Spanish Grand Prix.
Ferrari is expected to continue discussions with the FIA to get a clear answer on whether the halo winglets are fully legal. Only then will the team decide if they will bring them back at future races.
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