The Miami Grand Prix is Ferrari’s next challenge. Today’s Formula 1 is extremely complex, as a multitude of details make the difference. It’s clear that the Maranello team didn’t do its homework properly over the winter. And unfortunately, the results confirm it. The 677 project, much talked about but ineffective in several areas, is dragging down fans’ hopes for the 2025 championship.
The Maranello team is tied without corrections
Like every track on the calendar, Miami has favourable and unfavourable points. The crucial issue is whether the Italian team can strike the right compromise and deliver on lap performance. The setup process is emerging as a powerful tool to get the most out of the car. It’s a key element which, when properly exploited, makes a big difference.
Ferrari finds itself dealing with the same problem of a short operating window. When the limit is technical, there is basically nothing you can invent to fix a fundamental issue. Optimisation is carried out based on the material available, combined with the drivers’ ability to “drive over the problems”. Charles Leclerc is excellent in this regard. The Monegasque has been outstanding in understanding the car and, as a result, extracting the maximum from it.
This is not yet the case for Lewis Hamilton, still disconnected from this type of problem, suffering through an adaptation phase that calling difficult would be an understatement. Updates are needed. The simplicity of those two words clashes with a harsh reality. We now await the coming weeks to see whether the Prancing Horse can finally sort out this troublesome situation.
Let’s now take a look at the main issues which Ferrari has to contain for Miami. The Miami weekend is a transitional one. Technical updates are expected, as mentioned, upgrades that could radically change the face of the SF-25. That said, generally speaking, decent results are expected in Florida for the Italian side. We’ll recall last year’s podium, when the Italian car played the role of the third force over the 300-kilometre distance and qualified second on Saturday.
The American circuit features a highly varied layout, with wide-radius corners in Sector 1, slow sections in Sector 2, and long high-speed stretches in the final sector. This means the Italian car will need to find a working compromise between aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical grip, without excessively sacrificing one aspect over the other.
The Maranello team has chosen to start from the first sector to build the car’s setup, aiming to limit the damage in high-speed corners, and then fine-tune the balance for the rest of the track. A challenge shared by all F1 teams, but we know how much it can trouble the SF-25, which was forced in the early races to adopt extreme setups that, moreover, didn’t work effectively.
Sector 2 is clearly a concern, and there’s a strong sense that the Maranello team may struggle heavily in that part of the circuit. It’s not a matter of mechanical grip: the SF-25 has shown excellent ability to generate longitudinal grip at low speeds. The problem is the overall compromise that can be achieved—this needs to be clearly understood. That infamous short operating window again. It’s the element that prevents the car from excelling in every type of corner. The example of Jeddah is telling, where the qualifying gap was born precisely from this issue in Sector 1, exacerbated by poor tyre management at the start of the lap. In the 2024 edition of Miami, the SF-24 suffered from rear overheating, which created tyre inconsistency and hurt race pace.
Ferrari could capitalise on tyre dynamics
This is somewhat the risk that could arise, though the hope is to better manage this factor. To be clear, this is a parameter that everyone needs to control. However, the tyre activation disadvantage experienced in Saudi Arabia could turn into a benefit in Florida if managed correctly, offering more consistent grip throughout the lap.
Ferrari has been working on this, seeking a breakthrough on tyre behaviour between qualifying and the race. McLaren is good at optimising performance thanks to its great adaptability and wide operating window. The Maranello-based team must find the right balance between aerodynamics and mechanics—essential for maximising each part of the American track. Only then will performance meet expectations.
In the high-speed sections, Ferrari should perform well, right behind Red Bull, which on paper could dominate in this area. If the SF-25 proves competitive again in longitudinal acceleration phases, it will have a key strategic asset in the race, along with a solid chance to limit damage in qualifying and compensate for difficulties in the more technical sectors.
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