Ferrari ends the 2024 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix with a third and fourth place secured on the track surrounding the Hard Rock Stadium, concluding a fluctuating weekend fraught with challenges (starting from Friday’s FP1) where the Maranello team managed to bounce back from the disappointing performance shown two weeks ago in China. However, at the same time, the Scuderia also had to minimize the damage in the constructors’ standings, facing both the well-known superiority of Red Bull and Max Verstappen, and a McLaren in excellent form that, effectively, in Florida capitalized on the substantial package of updates brought to the track, clinching their first win of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
In a race that Scuderia Ferrari finished, as mentioned, in third and fourth place, they were slightly disadvantaged by the appearance and misplacement of the Safety Car on track, which effectively handed the race lead to the McLaren driver on a silver platter, thus thwarting the Ferrari team’s attempt to execute an undercut with Charles Leclerc to pass Oscar Piastri’s McLaren and catch up to Verstappen’s Red Bull. This was a minor misfortune that likely did not jeopardize Ferrari’s race, as from the start, they showed a pace comparable (albeit slightly inferior) to that of Red Bull and McLaren.
This situation, given the lack of new developments on the SF-24, actually highlights a very positive performance by the Scuderia in Miami. As mentioned, both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were racing almost on the same tenth as winner Norris and the Red Bull throughout the race. This positive performance was acknowledged by the Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, Frédéric Vasseur, during an interview with Sky Sport F1, where he also remarked on the misfortune with the poorly positioned Safety Car.
“We’ve been battling with McLaren since the beginning of the year, it’s always like this. I want to congratulate Lando Norris on his first victory and McLaren; we’re all happy for him. We had a good race, the pace was there, and we were close to Max Verstappen throughout. We were unlucky with the Safety Car, which obviously is so used to seeing Max ahead that it came out in front of him. But that’s how it is. Still, the pace was there, and we’ll start from scratch next weekend.” – the French manager pointed out.
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Fred Vasseur also commented on the chaos at the start, where Sergio Perez nearly took out both Ferraris with a risky braking maneuver. The consequences of this move cost Carlos Sainz two positions and, in retrospect, a potential shot at the victory.
“It wasn’t ideal. The race was influenced by track position, it was difficult to overtake, and Carlos lost two positions at the start due to Sergio Perez’s attack. He had a good race, showed exceptional pace, and was also unlucky with the Safety Car. We take away the positives since, despite not having updates, we maintained good pace throughout the weekend.”
Finally, Fred Vasseur discussed the upcoming Imola Grand Prix in two weeks, where Ferrari will introduce the first package of updates. He downplayed the impact of these updates, asserting that the value of any improvement is only worth a few tenths of a second and is, in fact, less influential than adapting to the track and maximizing the potential of the car in determining the performance of a car and the competitive field.
“The message is that it’s one of the most beautiful races on the calendar. We will do better in the race, I’m sure. Everyone has brought updates, but developments are worth tenths, not seconds. McLaren brought a big package, but it wasn’t half a second ahead. We’ll be closer with the updates, but the gaps vary with track characteristics, not just developments. Of course, the package will help, but it won’t depend entirely on that.” – the Ferrari team principal concluded.
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