(Motorsport-Total.com) – Active aerodynamics is one of the most important changes for the 2026 Formula 1 season (all races live on Sky without commercial breaks). However, the test sessions have shown how differently the new rules can be interpreted: while most teams rely on a classic DRS mechanism for the rear wing, others are going their own way: Alpine, Audi, and Ferrari.
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Ferrari in particular caused a stir in the second week of Formula 1 winter testing in Bahrain (see photo gallery!) when the team took to the track with a “rotating wing”: instead of simply opening up, the upper rear wing element rotated 180 degrees – a technical solution never seen before that generates lift instead of downforce.
Alpine, on the other hand, had already surprised everyone at the Formula 1 shakedown in Barcelona (see photo gallery!) with a special concept: it wasn’t the leading edge of the rear wing element that folded upwards, but the trailing edge downwards. This effectively extended the main profile of the rear wing, creating an almost homogeneous surface.
What Audi is doing differently now
Audi was also innovative: the movable rear wing element tilted backwards at a central point, so that the leading edge rose and the trailing edge lowered. However, this concept is already considered outdated: in the second week of Formula 1 winter testing in Bahrain, Audi tested a system based on the Alpine model.
The decisive change concerns the attachment point of the adjustment mechanism: the actuator now acts on the second rear wing element and pushes it down at the trailing edge, while the leading edge remains fixed – as with Alpine. Such a system ensures greater stability in the transition phase immediately before braking.
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But such a concept is not entirely without problems: if the wing element is raised at the end of the straight, the speeds – especially in qualifying – are very high. The actuator must therefore exert significantly more force to overcome the air resistance and raise the movable element.
The classic Drag Reduction System (DRS), on the other hand, benefits from air pressure when closing, which facilitates the return to the starting position. Furthermore, the DRS opening occurs at lower speeds, and the actuator thus works against lower aerodynamic forces – exactly the opposite of Alpine and Audi.
The Alpine solution is correspondingly complex and has several pivot points. Audi’s version appears much simpler and is based on a single connection to the upper rear wing element. This underlines how much the new rules favor individual concepts.
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