After a disappointing weekend at Suzuka, Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton faced yet another challenging round in Miami. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion left Florida with only a seventh-place finish, a result that not only marks his worst finish of the 2026 season so far, but also raises wider concerns about Ferrari’s competitiveness at a crucial stage of the championship.
Ferrari had placed significant expectations on the Miami Grand Prix, viewing it as the symbolic start of what they hoped would be a “new championship” phase in the 2026 season. The Scuderia from Maranello arrived with a substantial upgrade package aimed at improving the SF-26, but the on-track results did not fully reflect the anticipated step forward. As a result, the gap to direct rivals has become more visible, particularly in race conditions.
On the long straights of the Miami International Autodrome, the limitations of Ferrari’s power unit became increasingly clear. What may have been partially hidden in the early races of the season — also due to McLaren’s initial difficulties in fully understanding their own power unit performance — is now appearing as a more consistent and defining weakness. The lack of straight-line speed compared to Red Bull and Mercedes has emerged as a decisive factor in race pace.
Lewis Hamilton’s race was also heavily influenced by an early incident at the start with Franco Colapinto, which caused damage to his floor and front wing. This contact forced him into an early recovery race, limiting his strategic options and overall performance throughout the Grand Prix.
Hamilton calls for urgent Ferrari power unit upgrades
“Upgrade of the engine? Yes, that is really it,” explained the seven-time world champion, speaking to Mara Sangiorgio for Sky Italia after the chequered flag in Miami. “That is what we need a lot right now. At the moment it is very hard for us to fight against the power of the Red Bull and Mercedes power units, which both have a big advantage over us.”
Lewis Hamilton continued by highlighting the overall potential of the Ferrari package, suggesting that the chassis performance remains a strong point despite the engine deficit.
“For the rest we have a very good car, maybe even the best one, so we need to solve this problem because, if we manage to do that, we could really be more in the fight for victories,” he said.
The British driver also acknowledged that closing the gap will not happen immediately, underlining that Ferrari still requires time to fully address the performance difference.
“It will still take some time to close this gap and try to recover ground,” Lewis Hamilton concluded, clearly referring to Ferrari’s ongoing wait for a decisive FIA ruling regarding the ADUO development direction and future technical clarifications.
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