The secret test items Ferrari tried out on Friday at the Austrian GP

Ferrari has arrived at the Austrian Grand Prix with a focused but unusual development programme, as the Scuderia continues the refinement phase that began with its major aerodynamic overhaul in Barcelona.

Front wing is the only race upgrade

The headline change is an updated front wing endplate, an evolution of the geometry Ferrari introduced at the previous round. The team has refined the diveplane and footplate vane arrangement, building on the aerodynamic direction established with the Barcelona specification.

The emphasis on aerodynamic consistency comes during a demanding Austrian GP weekend for the team, with Charles Leclerc already warning that Ferrari faces a difficult competitive picture in Spielberg. That wider context was underlined in our report on Leclerc’s Austrian GP concerns, where both straight-line speed and cornering performance were highlighted as key issues.

Floor and mirror tests aimed at validation

The other updates are part of a broader data-gathering exercise. Ferrari’s modified floor board includes optimised front elements and a simplified single vertical member, allowing engineers to compare on-track behaviour with wind-tunnel and CFD predictions.

The revised mirror stay follows the same logic. Shorter and connected differently to the sidepod, it was used to assess how small structural changes affect airflow around the upper sidepod and cockpit region. Neither the floor board nor the mirror stay is planned for use beyond free practice.

Ferrari tests without future-banned RV tail element

The most significant experimental item is the modified RV tail and tailpipe assembly. Ferrari ran a configuration without the central RV tail element, with Dino Beganovic evaluating it in FP1 while driving Charles Leclerc’s car.

That test carries particular relevance because the additional winglet above the tailpipe, described as an innovative Ferrari solution that adds local load and improves rear-wing feeding, will be banned from 2027. Running without it gives Ferrari a controlled opportunity to assess the aerodynamic and engine-related consequences of removal.

While the vane offers a measurable aerodynamic benefit, it is believed to reduce back-pressure and potentially cost engine performance. Ferrari’s revised overlap between the tailpipe exit and its supporting bracket is therefore designed to extract more local load within the regulations while informing future layouts.