Ferrari make major U-turn on Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's cars ahead of Chinese GP

Ferrari have made a late U-turn on the SF-26 ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Last weekend, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton enjoyed an encouraging Australian Grand Prix by finishing third and fourth respectively.

The Ferrari pair were behind Mercedes duo Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, who dominated the race around Melbourne's Albert Park.

This weekend, the 2026 Formula 1 season continues with the Chinese Grand Prix around the Shanghai International Circuit.

Ahead of the race, it was reported that Ferrari would run the 'Macarena' wing in Shanghai, six races earlier than expected.

Hamilton said: "We did a full day or so on the wing, so I think we got what we needed."

The 270-degree rotating wing was first introduced during testing in Bahrain and is believed to add around 5–8 kph in straight-line speed.

However, ahead of Friday's Sprint qualifying, it was reported that the 'Macarena' wing had been replaced.

According to Sky Sports, both Leclerc and Hamilton ran the new wing in practice, but it was taken off ahead of Sprint qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Image: Getty

Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz said: "We were all excited about the Ferrari rear wing but it was inevitable they would take it off! They are not running it for the rest of the weekend.

"Not because they think it gives them 5kph more speed in a straight line but they are not sure it is reliable enough to make it through the rest of the weekend. A lot of load goes through it as it flips but they are not 100 per cent certain it will be reliable."

During sprint qualifying, Mercedes dominated again as Russell led every session to secure pole position ahead of Antonelli and McLaren's Lando Norris.

Hamilton qualified in fourth place, with Oscar Piastri fifth and Leclerc sixth.

Speaking after the session, Russell said: "The car has been feeling amazing. We knew after Melbourne we had a really good car, the engine is performing really well, and today it was a real joy to drive.

"I'm intrigued to know what the lap times are compared to last year because it felt very quick, really cool, and very different to Melbourne."