20:30 20-06-2026

Ferrari flexible rear wing: a patent for a wing that bends and twists mid-corner

Ferrari has patented a rear wing that doesn't rotate on a hinge — it flexes and twists thanks to bendable supports and separate actuators.

Ferrari is looking for a new way to manage supercar aerodynamics. The company has patented a rear wing that doesn’t simply change its angle of attack — it can bend and twist thanks to flexible supports and separate actuators. What sets the idea apart from the usual active wings, which work as a rigid plane on a hinge, is the very nature of the construction: it doesn’t rotate, it deforms.

According to the patent, the design uses several separate airfoils mounted on a flexible plate. Two flexible supports are driven by different actuators, so in theory the wing can be deformed asymmetrically from side to side. In a corner, that scheme could load the relevant side of the car with extra downforce; on a straight, the supports could flatten out to reduce aerodynamic drag. In spirit, the solution recalls the active wing of Zenvo, but Ferrari’s idea looks more fine-grained in its tuning.

The main challenge is the material. The flexible elements have to bend repeatedly under heavy load without fatiguing, cracking or adding unwanted mass. Steel would handle cyclic bending, but for a supercar it is simply too heavy. So the real value of the patent will depend on whether Ferrari can find a light and durable material for such a structure.

For an ordinary driver, the point of this technology is straightforward: on a winding road or a track, the car could gain extra stability exactly when it needs it, while on a straight it would lose less speed to air resistance. For now, though, there is no saying that the flexible wing will appear on a specific Ferrari model. Patents often capture the direction of engineering thought, but they don’t guarantee a production launch.