Ferrari’s ‘impressive’ last aero upgrade of 2026 F1 season explained

Ferrari’s final aerodynamic upgrade of the 2026 Formula 1 season has been explained by Sky Sports F1’s pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz. 

The Italian team has brought a significant upgrade package to this weekend’s United States Grand Prix as part of its continued bid to reduce its deficit to Mercedes in the final rounds of the 2026 season. 

Ferrari’s SF-26 will feature an updated board brace layout, and redesigned front floor leading edge. Further modifications have been made to the inboard vertical and horizontal board elements. 

The sidepod inlet and undercut has also been reshaped, while Ferrari has also introduced a revised diffuser as part of its package of updates deployed in Austin. 

Kravitz described Ferrari’s upgrade as “impressive” as the team looks to extract more efficient downforce and overall performance from its 2026 challenger. 

“Whatever issues Ferrari are having on track does not extend to their design office,” Kravitz said on Sky Sports F1. 

“Four more upgrades. In fact this is the continuation, the completion you might say of the upgrade package that Ferrari started to bring to Madrid. This will be their last chassis upgrade of the year. 

“There are two crucial areas. The floor and the diffuser. 

“This is quite an interesting thing, they are calling this the ‘snowplough’. It’s kind of an extra claw, an extra kind of bulldozer plough that comes out, grabs the air and pushes it underneath the floor to be worked by the diffuser. 

“The diffuser has a larger volume, say Ferrari, and giving more aero load, more down force but more efficient downforce as well. So that is important. 

“I’ve got to say this is quite impressive for me. Yes, we saw the first part of this upgrade in Madrid, but this is the end of it and quite high hopes down here at Ferrari for this upgrade, to see whether they can beat Red Bull to the top of the podium.” 

Charles Leclerc is reportedly running the new package in FP1 at COTA, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton using the old specification for a comparison. 

Both Leclerc and Hamilton had played down the significance of Ferrari’s latest upgrade when speaking to the media on Thursday.

“We have a very, very small upgrade this weekend. It's less than a tenth. It's like half a tenth,” seven-time world champion Hamilton said. “So, I don't think that propels us forward enough to necessarily challenge that deficit. 

“But maybe the track suits our car, and maybe they'll have a one-off weekend. Maybe Mercedes will have an off weekend again, and we'll be right there to take it.”