The Miami Grand Prix ended in a disappointing way for Ferrari. Both drivers finished outside the podium positions, with Lewis Hamilton suffering damage from the very first lap and Charles Leclerc dropping to P6 after a mistake on the final lap, and he is now also under investigation. After a solid opening phase of the race, during which the Scuderia maintained the lead in the early laps, the team lost ground in the second half due to a combination of the Safety Car, a power unit deficit, and issues with rear tyre management. Frederic Vasseur analyzed what was a difficult and complex race to interpret, a race of two halves that currently leaves a sense of disappointment, despite some areas of progress.
“It has been the story from the beginning, everything revolved around tyre management and temperature. When you are in the right position, the pace is there. That applies to us but also to everyone else, with big swings in performance. It is very easy to overheat the tyres and lose performance,” Fred Vasseur commented, underlining however that Ferrari showed solid pace in the opening phase of the race. “It is a difficult race to interpret. In the first part, when we were in the lead, in the first 15–20 laps, we were able to hold position, it was not simple but everything was under control. Then the Safety Car came out.”
The arrival of the Safety Car reshuffled the order: “When the Safety Car came in, the others used the overtake mode, we lost position and from there the race became much more difficult.” The main issue was tyre degradation, particularly at the rear: “We suffered too much from overheating, especially on the rear tyre.”
This was a behaviour already visible in previous sessions: “There was a big gap between the first 17 laps and the rest of the race. We already had the same feeling yesterday: a very strong first part and then more difficulties at the end. We need to learn from what happened and fix this issue.”
Ferrari showed its potential mainly in clean air, without cars ahead, a situation in which its main weakness was less exposed: “In clear air the pace was good, we were able to keep others behind. We struggled more when we were in the pack, in the right track position. We do not have an advantage on the straights and this is a problem when you are in a fight. It is easy to lose positions when others use the overtake mode.”
Fred Vasseur also stressed that this is a wider limitation: “It is a package issue, not just an engine issue. We need to work on everything.” It is now well known that Ferrari’s hopes in Maranello are focused on the development direction and the upgraded power unit, which could potentially arrive during the summer.
Despite everything, Fred Vasseur continues to focus on the potential shown by the car and what can be improved in the near future: “We were able to lead with a certain margin for the first 15–17 laps, which means we can do it for longer as well. Let’s focus on Canada and try to bring updates as soon as possible to improve.”
On the championship battle, Vasseur maintains an open mindset: “It is possible to fight for the title until the last race. The important thing is to have the pace to fight for victory. We have issues to solve, but we know what to do.”
Finally, a mention of Lewis Hamilton’s complicated race: “He had many problems, also with engine temperature, and had to manage his pace to protect the power unit. For him it was more of a survival race until the end.” – the French manager concluded.
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