Tech

Ferrari has deployed an ingenious, radical upgrade in F1 pre-season testing - by flipping its rear-wing design.

When Lewis Hamilton appeared on track in the morning session, the wing did not appear to be any different, with the team using a standard active aero approach thus far during testing.

However, it was then spotted that the flap, which opens in the rear-wing literally flips 180 degrees when open, to effectively become 'upside down.'

The trick was first uncovered when Hamilton was switching from straight line mode with the active aero open back to corner mode for Turn 1, with the wing clearly flipping through 180 degrees to a closed position.

The idea behind the design, which is only being tested at this stage, is the same as an aircraft wing, with the team aiming to create lift and dump as much drag as is possible.

This then allows it to also stall the rear-end and the diffuser, where the team is also running an upgrade, which is impossible for its rivals to copy.

Hamilton has only completed five laps through the morning session with one hour remaining, due to what the team described as "an issue" with the car shortly after the run where the wing was discovered.

Check out the radical design below!