Change everything in order for nothing to change? This seems to sum up Ferrari’s Sprint Qualifying session at the Miami Grand Prix, where the Scuderia once again found itself as the third force on track, just like in Suzuka, behind a resurgent McLaren and a Mercedes team that, despite several difficulties, managed to stay competitive after the long break separating the Japanese Grand Prix from the Florida round.
It is an unchanged result, but unlike the previous event, it comes after a significant development phase in Maranello focused on the SF-26, with updates both on the power unit side (including software adaptations) and on aerodynamics, where extensive work has been carried out across multiple areas. The aim was to solve the car’s issues, close the gap to direct rivals, and potentially turn around the season. However, this goal has not been fully confirmed in Miami’s Sprint Qualifying.
Bitter feeling after qualifying
At the end of the session that set the grid for the Sprint Race of the Miami Grand Prix — the first of six Sprint events scheduled for the 2026 season — Ferrari left the track with a bitter feeling.
Charles Leclerc finished only fourth, while Lewis Hamilton came home seventh, with both drivers losing significant time to pole sitter Lando Norris: four tenths for the Monegasque and seven tenths for the Briton.
That is too much for a team that started the season with high expectations, especially after the introduction of an upgrade package designed to reduce the gap to the front-runners and, at the very least, secure a second-row start for one of the cars.
Instead, the result leaves disappointment within the Scuderia, which will need to reflect and work overnight ahead of both main qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix. The session was analysed by the key figures on Sky Sport F1 at the end of the day.
Vasseur speaks
Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur commented on the session, expressing clear disappointment at the team’s inability to convert its free practice potential into a strong qualifying result. However, looking ahead to the Sprint and the race, he remained optimistic about both the SF-26’s starting performance and its race pace.
“We are frustrated because in free practice we were ahead and in qualifying we finished fourth. We need to understand what we did wrong, but the potential was there. That is encouraging. We lose two tenths on the straight, but I think it is about the package and not the engine. That disappears in the race, so we can come back. We need to fix all the details, because we can be in front. Nobody is happy, now we need to understand what we did wrong. The start will be important, but the race pace was good: I don’t want to reveal anything about the start, but everyone will improve. I am confident, but we must not bet everything on the start.”
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