Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc used Thursday’s media day in Miami to reassure Scuderia fans about the recent changes to the race start procedures introduced by the FIA. At the same time, the Monegasque driver offered a realistic assessment of the competitive picture, admitting that Mercedes still appears to be out of reach, at least for now.
Ferrari will not lose its starting advantage
As is well known, the smaller turbo used by Ferrari’s power unit helps reduce lag and improves initial acceleration off the line, giving the cars from Maranello a valuable edge during race starts. From this weekend onwards, however, the FIA will introduce an “emergency” mode designed to assist cars that encounter difficulties at the start, preventing them from remaining stationary on the grid.
Despite these adjustments, Charles Leclerc does not expect Ferrari to suffer any disadvantage. The Ferrari driver was clear in his assessment of the situation:
“Honestly, I don’t think it will affect start performance. It’s more of a system to avoid problems if someone has a very poor start. If you have a normal start, nothing will change.”
Leclerc’s comments suggest that the new system is primarily focused on safety rather than performance, ensuring that any car experiencing issues can still move away without creating dangerous situations for others on the grid.
Upgrades: Mercedes still ahead according to Leclerc
The Miami Grand Prix marks the beginning of a crucial development phase, with several teams expected to introduce significant upgrade packages. Charles Leclerc acknowledged the unusual scale of these updates, largely made possible by the extended break in the calendar.
“It will definitely be unusual to see so many updates from so many teams, but with the long break, many cars will be almost completely new,” Charles Leclerc explained.
However, the Ferrari driver remains cautious about the potential impact on the competitive order:
“I doubt it will significantly change the order we’ve seen so far. There might be differences, but I’m not expecting a complete reshuffle. We hope that, in the fight with McLaren, our package can make the difference. But to catch Mercedes, I think they are too far ahead, at least with the updates we are bringing here.”
His words underline Ferrari’s current position: competitive, but still chasing the benchmark set by Mercedes, which continues to lead in both performance and efficiency.
Finally, in comments reported by Motorsport, Charles Leclerc also highlighted a potential concern in case of wet conditions during the Miami weekend:
“It might sound strange, but you can be faster at the end of the straight in the wet than in the dry. The problem is that, with low visibility and different engine strategies, we could find ourselves in complicated situations,” the Monegasque driver pointed out, referring to safety concerns — particularly in light of the ban on using boost in wet conditions starting from Miami.
As the weekend approaches, Ferrari will be hoping that its upgrades deliver a step forward in performance, even if, as Leclerc suggests, closing the gap to Mercedes may require more time and further development.
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