The F1 paddock’s new obsession: Will Williams mirror Ferrari’s rotating wing?

James Vowles might just adopt Ferrari’s radical rear-wing concept for the FW48, after admitting the design caught his team’s attention during pre-season testing in Bahrain.

The Williams team principal conceded that the rotating rear wing seen on Ferrari’s new challenger was not something Grove had pursued in its original concept phase. But after footage of the system went viral, it quickly became the talk of the paddock.

“It was not on our radar,” Vowles admitted when asked about the design. “It is interesting. There are positives and negatives to it.”

He added that in modern Formula One, innovations are dissected almost instantly. “Within 24 hours, you’ll know whether it’s something that genuinely adds performance or whether it’s just visually different,” he explained. “We’ll go through the data like everyone else.”

The device in question appeared on the new Ferrari during running at the Bahrain International Circuit. Unlike a conventional Drag Reduction System (DRS) that simply opens a flap on the straight, this rear wing rotates dramatically as the car transitions between cornering and straight-line phases.

In high-speed corners, the wing sits at a steep angle, generating maximum downforce and rear stability. As the car straightens, the upper element rotates into a far flatter configuration, effectively transforming into a low-drag profile designed to boost straight-line speed. Video clips show the upper plane almost flipping orientation as it switches modes—a visual demonstration of the new-generation active aerodynamics allowed under the 2026 regulations.

The system works in harmony with front-wing adjustments, allowing the car’s aerodynamic balance to shift dynamically throughout a lap. Rather than a binary open-or-closed system, it appears to offer a broader range of positions, optimising both efficiency and grip.

For Williams, the question is whether the complexity and packaging trade-offs justify the gains. Active systems introduce additional weight, mechanical components, and potential reliability risks. But in an era where power units rely more heavily on electrical deployment and straight-line efficiency is paramount, reducing drag without sacrificing cornering performance could prove decisive.

In typical Vowles fashion, the former Mercedes man was measured in his response, neither dismissing nor overhyping the concept. “There’s clever thinking in the pit-lane,” he said. “Our job is to understand if it makes sense for our car and our architecture.”

Ferrari’s bold move signals an aggressive interpretation of the aerodynamic freedoms introduced this season. After years of more conservative development cycles across the grid, the rotating wing feels like a throwback to Formula One’s most inventive eras. Whether rivals copy the idea or find alternative solutions remains to be seen.

What is clear is that the new rules have opened the door to visible innovation once again. Teams are no longer hiding incremental gains in subtle floor edges and vane geometry; instead, mechanisms like Ferrari’s wing are transforming the silhouette of the car itself as it speeds down the straight.

Williams now faces a familiar modern dilemma: react quickly and risk chasing a red herring, or stay committed to its baseline concept and trust the numbers. Ferrari may have been fast asleep for the past decade in terms of championships, but the Prancing Horse may have just set the benchmark for new-generation aerodynamics.