Scuderia Ferrari nearly secures pole position for the Miami Sprint race, but in the end it is Red Bull who once again claims it. Max Verstappen clinches pole position in the sprint qualifying session despite the fact that the Dutchman had a less-than-brilliant session, with a general feeling with the car, according to him, which was certainly not perfect. Right behind Max Verstappen we find Charles Leclerc with an impressive performance, as the Monegasque was able to get accustomed to the Miami International Autodrome within just minutes, having practically not participated in the only free practice session in the morning due to an unfortunate spin on his first run. Like the world champion, the Monegasque managed to activate the Pirelli tires better than his opponents, exploiting the grip provided by the softer tire. This despite making three corrections during the lap, which effectively slowed his overall lap time.
Disappointment, on the other hand, is clear for the two McLaren cars of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The significant update package brought here to Miami works for the British team’s car. But a performance step that was only evident with the medium tire. Once the cars hit the track with the Soft Pirelli tire, mounted in SQ3, the drivers found it more difficult to warm up the tires, resulting in a lack of grip and performance. We should also highlight the excellent performance from Daniel Ricciardo, who seems to have revived his qualifying skills on the American track, securing fourth position behind the Red Bull duo and Charles Leclerc.
Miami GP/Telemetry S1: Ferrari good handling in the fast section. Red Bull exploits the higher floor load.
By analyzing the data relating to the first sector we can observe some difficulties for Max Verstappen in traction, one of Red Bull’s strong points. It is noticeable how the Dutchman adopts a similar approach to Charles Leclerc in the early races. The world champion, with the softer tire, is the best in braking from turn 1 and also holds the highest top speed. However, it’s Charles Leclerc who excels in the exit. The Monegasque anticipates the throttle input and increases speed similarly to Daniel Ricciardo, benefiting from better traction.
The Ferrari driver achieves top references despite making a double mistake: understeer at the entry of turn 1 and oversteer in the following corner. These are two minor errors resulting from the warm-up strategy. Snaps that likely cost Ferrari pole position for the Miami Sprint race. At turn two, where the three drivers partially release the throttle, it is observed that the driver of the red car has a higher average percentage and releases the accelerator less than his competitors. Max Verstappen once again makes the difference in the fast snake section from turn 4 to turn 8.
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The championship leader navigates through turn 4 at a higher speed and is much more effective in the short acceleration straight before turn 6. Max Verstappen exploits a car capable of extracting greater downforce, especially from the floor. This grants his car greater stability in direction changes. At turn 8, however, the three drivers have a similar approach to turn 1, with Max Verstappen preferring the entry compared to Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo, who appear more skilled in traction.
Miami GP/Telemetry S2: Ferrari focuses on improving the exit. Red Bull efficiency higher.
In the central sector of the Miami International Autodrome, Red Bull demonstrates its efficiency. Max Verstappen not only dominates in the fast snake section, as we’ve just analyzed, but also has the upper hand in the first of the two long straights. The RB20 single-seater is equipped with a better drag reduction system, allowing the Dutchman to regain lost ground in traction. The SF-24’s setup seems primarily focused on achieving a high level of traction, useful for optimizing the approximately 1000 horsepower generated by the Italian power unit 066/12.
This was the Maranello’s team’s primary concern, as in previous circuits, the red car lagged behind Red Bull in direct comparison during acceleration phases. In the only free practice session for the Miami Grand Prix, the SF-24 struggled significantly at turn 16, a corner the Ferrari technicians sought to optimize for the qualifying session. This objective was achieved, also thanks to Max Verstappen, who didn’t feel entirely comfortable with the car. It is observed, in fact, how Charles Leclerc, although not achieving the highest top speeds between turns 11 and 16, manages to gain ground in the exit phases.
Furthermore, the driver from Monaco fully exploits the serious mistake made by Max Verstappen, evident in the change of direction between turns 15 and 16. The Red Bull man, as seen from the minimum speed in turn 15 of 97 km/h, brought in too much speed on entry, attempting to cut the curb more aggressively. This move induced the tedious pendulum effect on the RB20, resulting in a detrimental oversteer that limited performance.
Miami GP/Telemetry S3: Ferrari exploits hybrid power more. Red Bull struggles.
Finally, let’s examine the third and final sector of the American track. Once again, we can easily notice the various difficulties of the Dutch driver in acceleration phases. The reigning world champion is forced to delay throttle application due to excessively hot tires from pushing too hard earlier, something that was also seen in Carlos Sainz’s case. This aspect costs the Red Bull man in terms of lap time throughout the first part of the straight.
In contrast, Charles Leclerc, possibly due to a strategy on Pirelli tire activation undoubtedly quite different, studied with peculiarities on the simulator, manages to exploit the compounds more effectively and, combined with the hybrid boost in this section, manages to match Max Verstappen’s speed before reaching turn 17. Exiting this last corner, the Red Bull driver once again delays braking and consequently his apex, conceding ground to his opponent in traction towards the finish line of the Florida track.
Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
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