Miami GP, Ferrari: fast in the twisty sections but straight-line deficit benefits McLaren
Ferrari showed early promise during FP1 but ultimately had to settle for fourth place in Sprint Qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix. Despite introducing new aerodynamic upgrades and demonstrating strong performance in the more technical sections of the circuit, the SF-26 continues to lose around a tenth of a second on the long straights.
Ferrari showed early promise during FP1 but ultimately had to settle for fourth place in Sprint Qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix. Despite introducing new aerodynamic upgrades and demonstrating strong performance in the more technical sections of the circuit, the SF-26 continues to lose around a tenth of a second on the long straights.
A closer look at Ferrari’s performance reveals a car that is particularly competitive in the first sector, the most technical part of the lap, where Charles Leclerc frequently set the fastest micro-sector times. There were also encouraging signs in the second sector, albeit with less consistency, while the third sector proved to be the most problematic area for the SF-26. In the end, the overall result saw the Monegasque driver secure fourth place, while Lewis Hamilton finished further back in seventh position.
Miami GP 2026, Vasseur: “We lose a tenth on the straights”
At the end of the session, Fred Vasseur spoke to Sky Sport F1, offering a detailed summary of the day. The Ferrari team principal highlighted the shift in performance between FP1 and Sprint Qualifying, while also discussing race prospects and the importance of the start.
“There is a bit of frustration,” said the French manager, “because this morning we were first and second, and we finished fourth at the end of Q3. We need to understand what we did wrong because we didn’t manage to put everything together, but at least the potential was there from this morning, and that is encouraging.”
These were Fred Vasseur’s opening remarks, and they underline the need for internal analysis to identify the reasons behind the drop in performance between FP1 and Sprint Qualifying. Despite some minor mistakes from the drivers, the car itself appeared fundamentally solid.
As the team continues its investigation, attention turns to whether the issues are linked to the power unit or to the car as a whole. “We lose a couple of tenths on the straight,” the team principal stated. “It’s about the package, it’s not just the engine or the chassis,” he continued. This raises a legitimate question: are the recent upgrades not delivering the expected gains?
It is a fair question, one that only the track can ultimately answer. However, the deficit described by Fred Vasseur appears less pronounced in race conditions: “It’s a bit less visible in race configuration, but tomorrow anything can happen.”
Miami GP 2026, Vasseur: “The start is an advantage, but it’s the overall package that makes the difference”
The focus then shifts to Charles Leclerc and the importance of the race start. In the first case, it was clear that car #16 was not particularly satisfied after climbing out of the cockpit: “When you are first in Q1 and second in Q2, and you finish fourth, can you be happy? I wasn’t happy on the pit wall either, but that’s how it went. Now we need to understand what we did wrong so we can do better on Saturday.”
As for race starts, Ferrari has so far consistently shown an advantage, even if it has only lasted for the opening laps. Fred Vasseur concluded by emphasizing that the free practice session revealed encouraging race pace, meaning that nothing has been decided yet.
“We know you have a huge advantage at the start.” The Ferrari team principal did not elaborate on how much the rivals may have closed the gap, but he acknowledged a general convergence in performance across the field. “I am confident that tomorrow the drivers will also have a good start, but we must not focus only on the start, we need to put everything together, starting from qualifying.”
