The MCL39 has started to visibly show its potential, putting more than 30 seconds between itself and the nearest non-Papaya competitor. The championship is taking a rather uninspiring turn, especially when considering the final part of the 2024 season, which had hinted at a tightly fought battle for 2025. At Miami, the sixth round of the 2025 season, McLaren obliterates the competition, with lap times unattainable for all, as shown in the race pace analysis.
Between the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Andrea Stella, the Orvieto-born team boss of McLaren, had voiced concerning remarks about the final year of the wing car era. “We want to make F1 a little more boring,” said the Italian, words that seemed surreal at the time but are now taking on a prophetic tone. Compared to 2024, the MCL39 has improved by over a second on the MCL38, with performance gains in every area. The biggest improvement has come in slow-speed corners, where it is around six tenths quicker than in 2024—a sign that a major step has been made on the mechanical side.
Suspension and tyre management made the difference in the race as well, keeping the Pirelli C3 and C4 compounds alive for many laps. Compared to the chasers—Max Verstappen above all—the two McLarens averaged more than six tenths per lap faster, raising serious concerns about the continuation of the season. Just behind the new father’s RB21 were the two W16s, which suffered an average gap of 7 tenths per lap.
Those time gaps are already significant—especially considering the presence of two VSCs—but they’re even more worrying in context. In fact, the two McLarens may have finished the Miami GP with around a 45-second lead over Russell, who was third at the flag. Figures like these recall the RB19, when Max Verstappen won in Miami with a massive lead starting from mid-grid.
Ferrari, the technical stagnation is worrying
The lead-up to the Miami GP raised concerns among Ferrari fans, especially those familiar with the technical side, aware that the SF-25 has a very short operating window. In the first American GP of 2025, the Maranello car exposed all the weaknesses highlighted in our early post-Melbourne analyses. The car is currently trapped in a completely flawed mechanical setup, stemming from overly optimistic simulations at the Ferrari Racing Division.
The issue crippling the SF-25 originates from the SF-24, but is even more apparent now. It seems unfixable and has stripped away all the strengths that previously defined the Maranello machine. The technical crisis isn’t terminal, but the words of both drivers, combined with Fred Vasseur’s, are anything but reassuring in terms of finding a solution.
Compared to 2024, the Ferrari has improved by just five tenths, while rivals have gained over a second. That’s a step forward that’s far too small, especially after the winter hype in the media. Hype that was disproven already at the first race, when the SF-25 showed abnormal wear on the skid block.
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