Ferrari in Miami GP qualifying: where are the problems coming from?
Despite switching to a softer tyre compound between sessions, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton encountered greater difficulties in SQ3 compared to SQ2 during Sprint Qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix.
The Sprint Qualifying session in Miami proved to be a rollercoaster for Ferrari. Although the Scuderia had shown very competitive race pace during FP1, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton struggled to put together a clean and effective flying lap when it mattered most – in the final phase of qualifying, SQ3.
The #44 commented on his lack of feeling with the car, while the Monegasque driver was clearly unhappy with the behaviour of the SF-26 on the soft tyres. Interestingly, both Ferrari drivers had looked extremely competitive on the medium compound in SQ1 and SQ2, to the point where a front-row lockout seemed like a realistic target. That strongly suggests that something did not work as expected in SQ3.
Ferrari – issues with energy deployment?
Almost four tenths separated pole-sitter Lando Norris in the McLaren from Charles Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton trailing by just over seven tenths. As previously highlighted, Leclerc complained about poor sensations from the car immediately after switching from medium to soft tyres. In SQ2, both Ferrari drivers had delivered excellent lap times on the medium compound, finishing the session in first and third place respectively.
It may therefore seem surprising that Ferrari’s performance dropped so noticeably once the softer tyres were introduced in the final part of Sprint Qualifying. In reality, the main cause of the SF-26’s drop-off appears to lie elsewhere and is not directly related to tyre performance. Telemetry from the best SQ3 laps of Lando Norris, Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc clearly shows that the biggest deficit for the Ferrari driver comes from energy deployment. Once again.
First of all, comparing Leclerc’s best laps in SQ2 and SQ3 reveals that in the more technical sections of the circuit, he is actually a few tenths quicker on the soft tyres, exactly as expected. However, despite this improvement, the overall lap time difference between the two sessions is only around one tenth. This is because, in SQ3, Leclerc suffers a significant loss of speed in both the second and third sectors, not only compared to his own reference from SQ2, but also against Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli in the same session.
Top speed and outright power from the power unit are not among Ferrari’s strengths, a point also underlined by team principal Frédéric Vasseur in his post-session comments. Even so, it is evident that the engine mapping used during SQ3 further worsened the situation compared to earlier runs. The two drivers did not simply lose performance between sessions – they lost pure power and efficiency in energy recovery, a crucial aspect to monitor ahead of the main qualifying session later today.
Ferrari – how can the one-lap weaknesses be solved?
Until the long-awaited support from the ADUO system arrives, it will be difficult to see Ferrari completely eliminate these recurring issues over a single lap. The aerodynamic upgrades introduced in Miami appear to have worked well, but rival teams – particularly McLaren – have made similarly effective gains. As a result, the main limitation remains the “raw” power output of the power unit, especially since the expected top-speed advantage from the revised rear wing, known as the “Ala Macarena”, has yet to materialize.
That said, the overall direction of development remains encouraging. From an aerodynamic standpoint, as demonstrated by Ferrari’s excellent performance in the first sector during SQ3, the SF-26 chassis continues to be one of the strongest on the grid, if not the outright benchmark. Once the power deficit to Mercedes-powered rivals is reduced and the persistent energy deployment issues are resolved, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will be in a position to genuinely fight for top results. The key question remains whether the ADUO upgrade package will be enough to close that final gap.
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