Antonelli dreams, Mercedes is three months ahead: Ferrari lights up late

Antonelli makes it three out of three and gives Mercedes another success on the weekend in which the competition puts pressure on them more than anyone else. McLaren believed in it with Lando Norris, who nevertheless leaves Miami with the awareness of having made an important leap forward. Ferrari shows a good consistency of pace in the second half of the race, but the shortcomings of the power unit are making themselves felt and now Red Bull can also be a problem. Antonelli increasingly leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli is simply super, with a Mercedes that could soon become one again too. This time the blue man manages the sprint at the start well, only to then stall, perhaps betrayed by Leclerc’s sudden closure and cold tyres, after a longer wait on the grid than usual. The Italian then asserted himself in the hand-to-hand battles, but above all he capitalized on Mercedes’ winning strategy of undercut, taking the position on Norris with an excellent lap out of the pits. After the break, the Italian manages everything perfectly, resisting the pressure of the world champion. For him the main concerns come from problems with the gearbox when downshifting and a temporary drop in the tires with 20 laps to go, although he managed to control their overheating. Antonelli makes the difference precisely in the care of the tyres, with a clean ride that avoids sending temperatures skyrocketing. The same cannot be said of Russell, delayed by more than 40 seconds, never in tune with the W17 and often forced to make corrections on the steering wheel, both the cause and effect of his tires overheating. Photo Mark Thompson/Getty Images Antonelli thus consolidates his lead in the world championship, also thanking Mercedes. In the race the W17 is a different car compared to the Sprint, revitalized by the corrections to the set-up and the falling temperatures, with the asphalt 20°C cooler. Despite the step forward, in Miami the Silver Arrows never show the superiority expressed in the first three races, but still compete on equal terms in the very top positions, even without updates. Mercedes demonstrates that it has a package advantage over everyone, developments that took the competition three months to achieve and which the Brackley team will respond to in Canada. McLaren is there An interesting fact about the Miami Grand Prix is ​​the presence in the points of all seven Mercedes-powered cars that reached the finish line. Alpine had already shown interesting qualities, while Williams made a leap forward with the updates, but this does not take away from the fact that the Brixworth power unit plays a fundamental role. So the most credible challenger for the title could be McLaren, provided they continue to improve the energy delivery logic. The MCL40’s strategies do not yet seem as reactive as those of the Silver Arrows, failing to readily adapt to various conditions. This was seen in Saturday’s qualifying, when, by Andrea Stella’s own admission, the gusts of wind ‘confused’ the management software. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images McLaren can still rejoice in the great leap made with the updates, which will be followed by other news in Canada, with the hope that Mercedes will not run away again when it receives its developments. Meanwhile, in Miami the MCL40 seems to have something more than its silver rival in terms of overall performance, albeit not the same consistency in tire management. Norris was certainly affected by the many laps spent in dirty air behind Antonelli, but already at the end of the first stint on a clear track he was experiencing a decline in his times. If nothing else, McLaren seems to retain a predilection for the heat, a quality that will come in handy come summer. Ferrari is third force The Maranello Scuderia is one step away from maximizing the result, but Leclerc wastes precious points right at the end. After deliberately letting Piastri pass to enjoy overtaking mode on the last lap, the Monegasque makes a mistake in the first sector, crashing into the wall and damaging the suspension. Charles thus finished in sixth place in a race in which the SF-26 showed ups and downs. After yet another good start, the Ferrari shut down at the end of the first stint when the Safety Car returned, suffering from overheating of the rear tyres. In hindsight, however, Leclerc’s stop appears premature. Not only did the slow pit stop cost Russell his position, but the early return forced him to make his way through traffic, stressing his tires and accumulating a delay from the leaders. Photo by CHANANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images Once back in free air, however, the SF-26 posted interesting times on the hard ones. Despite Antonelli and Norris having fresher tyres, Ferrari’s lap delay remained constant, even tending to decrease towards the end. The image is that of a car that is on average capable of managing the tires and which simply suffers from a lack of pace, largely due to a deficient engine. However, Leclerc’s statements do not go unnoticed, as he talks about some phases in which the car is fast and others in which some things need to be managed better behind the scenes. That of the Monegasque could be a simple note on strategic decisions, which also emerged via radio, or an indication of the fact that in Maranello there is work to be done to improve the energy management logic, another area in which we can try to erode the delay from the Mercedes-powered ones. Here’s the Red Bull again. In fifth position we see Max Verstappen again, author of a certainly not flawless race, between the spin at the start and an alleged flirtation with the exit line from the pits. The decision to change tires on the sixth lap using the Safety Car prevented the Dutchman from keeping up with his rivals at the end, equipped with much fresher tyres, but this did not prevent him from showing his usual fighting spirit. However, finding yourself in the middle of the leading group goes beyond all your wildest expectations on the eve. With updates to the bottom and bodywork, the Red Bull has improved in every aspect, from balance to downforce, also benefiting from a lightening work. He also hopes to improve soon as Aston Martin is able to cross the finish line again. The ambitions are undoubtedly very different, but finding reliability is a starting point for collecting data and working on performance. Positive news also arrives for the FIA ​​and Formula 1. It is not yet clear how much the changes to the regulations have helped, but what is certain is that when the track is not too severe for energy management, the new cars manage to put on a certain spectacle, at least in the race. Position is often played out when braking and when cornering, in a manner not too different from what happened with the DRS, with the difference that now following closely is much easier. It will be better to enjoy the moment, given that the inevitable development of cars will increasingly increase aerodynamic disturbance. Perhaps it would be appropriate for the FIA ​​to try to counter this involution, avoiding vetoing other apparently harmless solutions.

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News
2026-05-04 07:27:00