Lewis Hamilton confirms major Ferrari Chinese GP upgrade

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that Ferrari does have a major upgrades package for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix: its revolutionary 'upside-down' rear wing.

In the first Bahrain pre-season test last month, Ferrari stunned the paddock by taking to the track with a never-before-seen style of rear wing.

Ferrari trialled a rear wing featuring a 270-degree rotating flap, dubbed by the media as the 'macarena' wing.

Hamilton was behind the wheel of the SF-26 when it was unveiled by the Scuderia for five laps, with it ready to be introduced at the Shanghai International Circuit.

The remarkable rear wing induces a stronger diffuser stall and is rumoured to have increased the car's top speed by 5–8 kph in Bahrain.

Given that Shanghai features a main straight measuring almost 1.2 kilometres, the new rear wing could boost Ferrari's chances of taking the fight to Mercedes.

RacingNews365's sources understand that the upgrades were transported to China as cabin baggage among Ferrari engineers due to the tight schedule, with the Maranello-based outfit eager for a strong performance on the first Sprint weekend of the year.

Asked what the feedback on the new rear wing was like in testing, Hamilton explained to select media including RacingNews365: "We did a full day or so on the wing, so I think we got what we needed. 

"And 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."