The FIA is now exploring options to ban one of Ferrari's major upgrades present at the Miami Grand Prix.
The five-week wait for Formula One to return is finally over as the Miami Grand Prix weekend got underway on Friday evening.
Heading into the weekend fans were eager to see how the 11 teams will have used the unplanned break to change their cars, with a number of teams believed to be brining significant upgrades to Miami.
Chief among them was Ferrari, who brought an extensive list of 11 upgrades to the race, including the 'Macarena' rear wing that previously went viral during practice in China.
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However, it has now been revealed that the FIA, F1's governing body, are looking to ban one of Ferrari's new upgrades after the Italian team exploited a grey area in the rulebook.
The upgrade in question was Ferrari's updated version of the Halo winglet, also first revealed at the Chinese Grand Prix back in March.
Although it is currently legal, a report from The Race claims that the FIA is already looking to ban it for for next year's season.
It is believed that Ferrari noticed a grey area created in the regulations introduced when the FIA brought in a new Halo this year.
The 2026 regulations mean that the Halo cannot weigh any more than 6kg, with a new design including a narrower central column.
But Ferrari have since realised that this central column would allow them to add a small winglet on either side of the pillar.
These winglets are designed clean up airflow around the cockpit and redirect it towards the engine intake and rear bodywork.
The design will reportedly deliver a small aerodynamic gain, especially at high speed.
The FIA are said to be ok with Ferrari keeping the design this year, but only after it was changed following discussions after it was first brought in at the Chinese Grand Prix.
But, the governing body do not want teams adding bodywork to this area to avoid it impairing a driver's vision during a race, so will ban the winglets on safety grounds.
In Miami, only Lewis Hamilton decided to run Ferrari’s updated Halo winglet on his car so far, with Leclerc instead keeping it off his car.
However, the Monegasque driver did test the updated Halo winglet during a testing session at Monza over the break and therefore could decide to bring them in later this weekend or elsewhere in the season.
What other upgrades did Ferrari bring to the Miami Grand Prix?
Ferrari had initially planned to introduce a series of upgrades over the weeks following the third race of the season in Japan, but the cancellation of the following two races has changed things.
Instead, Ferrari introduced all of their upgrades to the car in Miami.
The first saw the return of the controversial 'Macarena' rear wing, which sees the wing pivots and rotates when the driver applies active aerodynamics.
Team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed after China that the design needed more mileage before being implemented permanently, but the team was happy to bring it to Miami.
No updates on the power unit side but a new front wing, floor, a rear diffuser and tweaks to their exhaust tail flap were all implemented.
Ben McCrum