After just one free practice session, Formula 1 returned to the track at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida for the Sprint qualifying session, which will take place tomorrow in the American morning before the weekend’s main event. Oscar Piastri was the fastest driver in today’s free practice session, followed by Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. As always, the first two Sprint qualifying segments were on Medium tyres, while the Softs would only be used in the final segment to decide pole position.
In this morning’s session, Ferrari once again struggled with optimization, especially with Lewis Hamilton, who is still far from the desired feeling. The two Maranello drivers worked hard to find the right setup, and it seems Charles Leclerc found a good balance, although the understeer, a trait of this SF-25, still lingers in the red garage.
The two Ferrari SF-25 cars left the pit lane on Medium tyres for their first SQ1 stint. Attention was focused on tyre warm-up, essential to maximize the initial grip of the Pirelli tires. After some waiting in the pits, the green light sent the Red cars onto the American track. During the out lap, the drivers received numerous instructions via radio from the engineers.
To warm the rear, heavy use of the brakes was made, while the front tyres were prepared with zigzag movements. At the entrance of the final corner, push mode was activated and the flying lap began. Lewis Hamilton struggled in sector two, having trouble rotating the car and missing the apex in several spots, compromising his time, which was good enough for sixth. Charles Leclerc, seventh, appeared more restless at the wheel but did not achieve better times.
The Monegasque driver had room for improvement in Turn 8, where on exit into the second sector he could not fully use the throttle on the long straight leading to the end of the lap. He also needed to refine braking into Turns 1 and 11 to optimize entry. His Maranello teammate also received targeted feedback, especially on managing rotation by adjusting differential settings. After a cool-down lap, both drivers prepared for another run.
On his second flying lap, Charles Leclerc was forced to lift due to a mistake at Turn 11, where he completely missed the apex. There was still time for another attempt. Lewis Hamilton made a similar error on the next lap. Although advancing to the next segment was not in doubt, the times recorded so far, eighth for the Briton and tenth for the Monegasque, weren’t particularly promising in this opening phase of qualifying.
Many drivers misjudged their timing and were eliminated: Lance Stroll, Jack Doohan, Yuki Tsunoda, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Ferrari Driver Academy member Oliver Bearman could already take off their helmets. The best time was set by George Russell, ahead of Kimi Antonelli.
For the second session, Medium tyres were used again, this time a fresh set. SQ2 was expected to be smoother thanks to a less crowded track, eliminating the traffic issues encountered earlier. Special attention was paid to tyre warm-up with a more aggressive approach. The Ferrari 066/15 engine revved up, push mode was activated, and the run began.
Lewis Hamilton was the first to go for it. In the sector one sequence, he was not flawless, though he managed to minimize the damage on the ideal lines. Still, he needed more between Turns 2 and 3, as the final time wasn’t competitive. Charles Leclerc did better, though with several mistakes throughout the lap: at the start of sector one he over-rotated, forcing himself into a noticeable double correction, costing around two tenths.
At Turn 11, the Monegasque driver ran long, missed the apex, and gave up more time — an error he immediately admitted on the radio, saying he had braked too late. It was noted the tyres were not fully in their optimal operating window. On the following lap, the overall time improved, but in Turn 17 Charles Leclerc struggled mid-corner, running wide and compromising the exit with less effective traction.
With a good final lap, Lewis Hamilton managed to climb out of trouble, ending up sixth, four tenths off Lando Norris’s best time. He was followed by Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, and Charles Leclerc. Eliminated were Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson, and Carlos Sainz. For pole position, a fight between the McLaren MCL39 cars and the four-time Formula 1 world champion was on the cards — but with the Softs, we could see a different picture.
In the first few minutes, only Max Verstappen and George Russell took to the track: the Briton shaved off nine tenths compared to his SQ2 time using Soft tyres, securing a very provisional pole position, while Max Verstappen couldn’t improve much on the red tyres and was nearly three tenths off the Mercedes driver, though running with more fuel.
Three minutes into SQ3, both Ferrari SF-25 cars took to the track, this time on Pirelli Softs. Getting this compound to work proved more complex, requiring a more delicate process to reach optimal grip, essential to extract maximum performance. The drivers received many radio instructions on managing track position and warming up the tyres, but used a more gradual approach.
The Ferrari drivers’ two runs once again highlighted existing issues: limited rotation on entry, an unsettled setup, and complex tyre management. Despite their efforts, Charles Leclerc finished about three tenths off the best time — a small margin but only enough for sixth.
Lewis Hamilton did worse, finishing seventh with over half a second gap to pole position. The first qualifying session ended with Ferrari left feeling like they had not fulfilled their potential and still had much work to do to close the gap to the best. Pole went to Kimi Antonelli: the young 18-year-old secured his first big moment in Formula 1 and will start tomorrow’s Sprint Race in Miami from the front. It is only a mini-race, but it’s a huge performance from the Italian. The Ferrari drivers will have to settle for sixth and seventh, confirming there is still a long way to go.
It’s worth noting that Charles Leclerc’s track position was far from ideal. This had a significant impact on his first sector, where he lost about two tenths compared to Max Verstappen due to a late pit exit. The rest of the lap wasn’t flawless either, but the final time could have been comparable to the Dutchman’s, if not for that early issue.
— see video above —
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