On the first day of track action at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, Ferrari doesn’t deliver its best with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. A third and fourth row that perfectly captures the current state of the Italian side. The sprint qualifying session is still destined to make waves, that of the Miami Grand Prix, where one name rings louder than all others: Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The very young Italian driver clinched a surprising Pole Position for the Sprint race.
Kimi Antonelli had never raced in Miami, yet he set a masterful lap on a challenging street circuit. A performance that leaves no room for doubt: only a pure talent like his could achieve such a result in the sixth race of his Formula 1 career. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari finished with a significant gap: +0.326 seconds from the top and just 71 milliseconds from a second row.
The fourth position was within reach, which, considering the current conditions, probably represents the maximum the Maranello team can realistically aim for on this type of circuit. At the end of his only push lap, the Monegasque driver complained via radio about the track position. He was given a mere 8-second margin to avoid taking the checkered flag, forcing him to start the lap with less-than-ideal pressure.
In such conditions, where trust in the car is already fragile, not having time to properly prepare the lap risks compromising everything. The first sector was not perfect. Indeed, there were some mistakes due to the tires not being ideal yet: in turn 1 entry, he struggled in the center of the corner, even having to perform a large counter-steer to correct the rear.
The consequence is immediate: he delays throttle opening and has to perform a prolonged lift compared to Kimi Antonelli, thus losing precious meters right from the first seconds of the lap. The same pattern repeated between turns 6 and 7, where, in the long, wide-radius curve where the car is mostly loaded, he had a moment where the rear slipped a little, losing the advantage he’d gained in turns 4-5.
Based on the telemetry data analysis, in this section, the Monegasque carried perhaps too much speed, trying to recover the ground lost earlier due to an imperfect out-lap. He did so much so that he then had to brake longer than his opponent, ensuring that his Ferrari SF-25 could slow down and enter the long high-speed section leading to turn 11.
From turn 11 onward, the comparison is merciless. The micro sectors show it: Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes W16 dominates the slower section of the circuit, from turns 11 to 16. In this part of the track, what matters is the ability to put power to the ground, manage traction out of tight corners, and in general, have a predictable and stable car. The Italian driver does this exceptionally.
The work done on his car’s setup is clear: sacrificing some stiffness to gain more mechanical grip, ensuring more effective traction and better tolerance on the curbs—particularly tricky on this track. A solid rear end allows pushing on corner exit without the fear of sliding, significantly improving the time in the slow micro sectors.
Ferrari, during the first free practice session, after the first run with medium tires, decided to change the setup of the Italian car. We are talking about ride height but also suspensions, softening the setup. While in the early afternoon yesterday, Ferrari was just under four-tenths behind McLaren at that specific point, in the Sprint Shootout, the gap shrank to about a tenth and a half.
The most obvious limit of the SF-25 remains one: the traction phase. This is where Charles Leclerc loses the most time. Out of every slow corner, the Monegasque is forced to delay throttle opening. A caution greater than Kimi’s. Telemetry makes it glaringly clear: the delay in acceleration translates to a growing delta along all the straights.
Kimi Antonelli, once again, showed not only that he has extraordinary talent, but also that he knows how to use it at the most important moment. His precision in the fast sections and his cleanliness in the slow ones show a maturity that is surprising for a rookie. Ferrari, on the other hand, remains a car that is hard to interpret, especially on street circuits where confidence is everything. Aerodynamic updates are urgently needed.
— see video above —
Leave a Reply