One month after the last race held in Suzuka, the Formula 1 World Championship resumes with the Miami Grand Prix. Following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds, Scuderia Ferrari HP returns to the track in Florida for the second Sprint weekend of the season and the first American event of the year.
For all teams, this will be a crucial technical weekend. Miami will mark the debut of several upgrade packages prepared during the break, alongside the introduction of new adjustments to the 2026 regulations that will need to be quickly understood and optimised.
To help drivers and engineers adapt to these changes, the single free practice session on Friday has been exceptionally extended to 90 minutes.
The circuit and schedule in Florida
The semi-permanent Miami circuit measures 5.412 kilometres and features 19 corners, long straights and heavy braking zones, making car setup particularly challenging.
Track evolution and the high temperatures typical of Florida will significantly influence car behaviour, which is why Pirelli has selected the softest tyre range (C3, C4 and C5), also considering the relatively smooth asphalt surface. Tyre management, with degradation mainly driven by thermal factors, will be the key to Sunday’s race.
The weekend schedule begins on Friday, May 1, with free practice at 18:00 (CET) and Sprint Qualifying at 22:30. On Saturday, the Sprint race will take place at 18:00, followed by Grand Prix qualifying at 22:00. The race itself will start on Sunday, May 3, at 22:00, over a distance of 57 laps.
Vasseur: “An unusual break with intense work in Maranello”
The Ferrari team principal expressed satisfaction about returning to racing activity after the long pause.
“We are very happy to finally be back on track after such a long break, something quite unusual in the middle of the season. During these weeks, we worked intensively in Maranello to analyse the data collected from the first races and to prepare for this event in the best possible way.”
In recent weeks, Ferrari carried out TPC testing at Mugello, wet tyre testing with Pirelli at Fiorano, and a filming day at the Monza circuit to make the most of the forced break.
Fred Vasseur remains fully aware of the competitive context.
“We will bring some aerodynamic updates, but we know our competitors will do the same. It will be important to stay focused, approach the weekend with humility, and maximise the work in the only free practice session available. We will concentrate on our own weekend to achieve the best possible result.”
Attention is particularly focused on the rear wing nicknamed “Macarena”, which was tested again at Monza last week.
Power unit: Carlo Bussi’s technical analysis
Carlo Bussi, born in Modena in 1974 and currently Ferrari’s Head of Power Unit Performance, provided a detailed analysis of the regulatory changes that will debut in Miami.
“The 2026 regulations have rightly been described as one of the biggest revolutions in Formula 1, both in terms of the complexity of the product and its management on track,” he explained.
The removal of the MGU-H has made energy management more complex, leading to the corrective measures that will be introduced starting this weekend.
“From Miami, the total electrical energy available in qualifying has been reduced, while the power of automatic harvesting on the straights has been increased, reducing the need for drivers to lift off the throttle before braking.”
These changes are not only aimed at performance but also at improving drivability and safety.
“The procedure for preparing a timed lap has been simplified, and the behaviour of the hybrid system has been made more flexible and predictable,” Carlo Bussi added.
There are also important updates for race starts.
“The use of the MGU-K electric motor at low speeds has been enabled for cars struggling during acceleration phases, reducing safety risks.”
Further adjustments concern wheel-to-wheel racing.
“Safety during overtaking has been improved through a reduction in electrical power and flexibility in areas of the track where large speed differences could be dangerous,” he continued.
Focusing on the Miami layout, the engineer described it as “a medium-length street circuit characterised by four full-power sections interrupted by sequences of medium- and low-speed corners.”
For current power units, the track is considered “moderately demanding both in terms of energy recovery difficulty and the importance of electrical deployment.”
The critical section will be the sequence between Turn 7 and Turn 17, where “the length of the two straights allows the battery to be fully depleted and offers overtaking opportunities, while the series of slow corners connecting them is particularly challenging for both energy recovery and turbo management.”
Finally, Bussi highlighted the importance of cooling and reliability.
“The high temperatures and humidity typical of May make Miami a demanding circuit. The track is particularly tough on the turbocharger, which from this year can no longer benefit from the electrical assistance previously provided by the MGU-H.”
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