Why Ferrari's halo wing is now legal - but won't be in 2027

While Ferrari has introduced a lot of new parts at Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix, there is one element that has made an interesting return – albeit likely only until the end of the season.

The Prancing Horse’s unique halo wing concept is back on the SF-26 for the first time since the Chinese Grand Prix.

For the second round of the season in Shanghai, the interesting extra winglets on either side of the halo’s central column were raced by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the sprint.

However, following discussions with the FIA regarding legality matters, Ferrari elected to remove them to avoid the risk of a potential protest from a rival.

This was because motor racing’s governing body was not convinced that the first design fully complied with the regulations.

There were two issues in play at the time.

The first was that regulations that allow such fairings to be added to the halo require them to be made of a specific laminate that is defined in article C15.5.2 of Formula 1’s technical regulations.

This list does not include the transparent material that Ferrari had initially used in China.

The use of a see-through material had opened another potential avenue for Ferrari - because the rules do allow transparent material to be fitted in this area of the car under windscreen rules.

However, the FIA was not convinced that the design that Ferrari had implemented was within restrictions that demand windscreens must be "less than 30mm in Z, less than 300mm in Y" and be "no more than 3mm thick”.

Having gone away and worked on a revamped halo wing design for Miami, Ferrari reintroduced it in black.

Now made from one of the materials that is demanded in the regulations, from the FIA’s perspective it means it fully complies with the rules.

On Friday in Miami, based on driver preference, Hamilton elected to run with it while Leclerc was without it – although may fit it in the future.

But despite the FIA giving the halo wing the all-clear this weekend, this is not the end of the tale.

Legality box move

The Race has learned that the area of the rules that Ferrari has cleverly exploited to introduce the wing is set to be shut down for 2027 – which would outlaw halo wings for good.

The presence of the wing on the halo had prompted some intrigue from rivals and observers because teams have traditionally understood that this was not an area of the car where such bodywork has been allowed.

Article C13.3 of F1's rulebook states "a fairing may be attached to the secondary roll structure" and that it must lie in a specific legality box known as RV-Halo.

The RV-Halo box is one that shrouds the area around the halo but does offer some freedom – especially around the upper structure where teams have fitted fairings.

The central column has been out of bounds previously because RV-Halo was stricter around this area as the FIA did not want bodywork here to get in the way of the driver's view.

For 2026, however, Ferrari jumped on an opportunity that had opened up thanks to the introduction of a new lighter halo.

As part of efforts to reduce the weight of the current generation of cars, the FIA had opened up a tender for a new lightweight design that has a mass no greater than 6kg.

The design picked and is being raced by all teams features a slightly narrower central column than before.

However, it has emerged that the RV-Halo box was not reduced to fit around it.

This mismatch between the thinner halo column and the original legality box opened a window where bodywork could be squeezed in that complies with the rules – which is exactly what Ferrari has done in fitting the winglets.

While the FIA is happy for now with Ferrari’s interpretation and application of the wing, The Race has learned that the governing body wants to close down the avenue for next year to stop designs getting more elaborate up and down the grid.

The intention of the RV-Halo box wording was not to allow bodywork in this area - because it is directly in the eyesight of drivers – and a team jumping on the mismatch for 2026 had not been anticipated.

Sources have revealed that the FIA is set to begin efforts to close up the halo opportunity – which can be done on safety grounds, meaning team support isn't required.