Ferrari turned heads at the start of the final batch of pre-season testing on Wednesday by debuting a completely new design to the rear of their car. Charles Leclerc was behind the wheel of the SF-26 in Bahrain on the first of the three days of planned running, with Lewis Hamilton scheduled to jump in for the afternoon session.

And both were driving a car which captured the attention of their rivals from the moment it emerged from the Ferrari garage. In particular, a new innovation at the rear of the SF-26, which was not present on the car when it took part in the first Bahrain test last week, has turned heads and, if it adds the performance that the Scuderia hope it might, it will not be easy for their rivals to replicate.

Photos of the rear of the car show a small wing which sticks out beyond the end of the exhaust pipe, internally referred to as the FTM, which makes use of the hot air expelled from the car. In theory, the air would be used to push the car down into the floor, providing extra downforce on a car which has much less of it compared to the previous regulations.

The rules do not allow for aerodynamic parts in that area of the car which jut out more than 60mm from the axle. But Ferrari have found a way to place such a part which goes beyond the end of the exhaust by pushing back the differential as far back as they could, making the wing legal as far as the regulations are concerned.

The innovation was certainly noticed by rivals, with reports claiming McLaren team principal Andrea Stella spent some time studying the part for himself. No other teams on Wednesday had anything even remotely similar on their cars as they hit the track for the first day of the final batch of testing before the season begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.

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Ferrari hope to start the season fast and it has been estimated that the FTM could provide up to a quarter of a second in terms of lap time, which would be a significant boost to their performance. What’s more, it will prove to be a difficult design for rivals to replicate as it would require a complete redesign of the rear of a car, meaning Ferrari could enjoy an advantage in this area which may last months before others are able to put something similar on track.

While Leclerc will certainly hope to benefit, he is among the many drivers who, so far, are not enjoying being behind the wheel of this new generation of F1 cars. He said: “It’s not the funnest car. I mean, it’s not the most fun I’ve had driving a car, but it’s the way it is. And I find the fun in a different way.

“I think the challenge of really developing this whole new system is, in itself, something that I’ve enjoyed, and something that I find very interesting. In that, I kind of find some fun into just experiencing different things, and things that might have not worked in the past. But now that it’s all different, it’s cool to be able to think a bit outside the box, and to try and find other ways in trying to maximise the performance of the car. But the actual pleasure of driving the car is different.”