Ferrari isn’t there: Leclerc isn’t enough

Antonelli, the ease of a phenomenon So beautiful that it doesn’t seem real. So unreal as to make one think that Alessandro Zanardi, the champion adored by all who made the impossible possible, had somehow given him a push to travel towards the finish line with the ease and confidence of a consummate champion, not of a quasi-rookie. Andrea Kimi Antonelli suddenly made Italy discover that it had a champion to fantasize about. Another Sinner who grew up in a family that allowed his talent to express itself without shocks, containing those exaggerations that in similar cases ruined everything. It has never happened before and for this reason the surprise is great. And, consequently, the expectations are also starting to become great. But this is a discussion that we can address later. The reality is that Antonelli triumphed in Miami with the apparent ease of phenomena, based on three elements. The first: there was the usual chaos in the first two corners and he managed to stay out of it. The second: he had to fight with phenomena like Leclerc and Norris and he did it without getting upset in the slightest, with clinical overtaking. The third: he never had to use 100% of the potential of the Mercedes W17, so much so that he triumphed without showing his rivals how much margin he still had in his pocket. Those who are talented run this way. Listening to Mameli’s anthem twice (splendid Gabriele Minì, dominator of F.2) in that equestrian circus called Miami was moving, something that will be remembered. Unfortunately, on a day like this, the icing on the cake for Ferrari was missing. Heroic race by Leclerc “We can win,” Fred Vasseur said on Saturday. And we, greedy, believed it in the initial five laps with Leclerc in the lead. After which faith began to waver in the face of evidence that Mercedes and McLaren (and even Red Bull) were traveling at a different pace and it was inevitable to have to console ourselves with Charles’ exploits, like the one shortly after the start when he already held his foot, forcing Verstappen – what a race he had! – to go head-to-head. A heroic race for Leclerc who was still third with one lap to go. Then the mistake that compromised everything, relegating him back. But it is useless to go around useless details: when Ferrari gives Leclerc a competitive car the errors will disappear and title prospects will open up, given that the driver is there. Otherwise we will travel forever between postponed promises and missing horses, as if the fault (!) lies with others who are stronger. Poor Hamilton, who unfortunately is replicating the less than exciting pace of a year ago, suffered a collision during the race which damaged his car, however the Power Unit suffered an excessive temperature at the same time which forced him to give up. There is therefore a lot to fix in Maranello, even if the SF26 overall is certainly not to be thrown away. In the meantime, McLaren has grown and Norris, second, can perhaps be blamed for never having attempted to attack Antonelli, even if Lando’s speed was remarkable, so much so that he inflicted a gap of 24 seconds on his teammate, a very foggy Piastri. Ditto Russell, knocked out by Antonelli with a gap of 43 seconds which, with the same car, is an abyss that will weigh heavily on the Englishman’s morale. Once again there was a spectacle, between real overtaking and plastic overtaking. But, at the very least, it seems that certain things are being adjusted, saving us from those mental worries related to safety or the difference in speed between cars that attack and others that decelerate to recharge the battery. And now, as spring advances, let’s enjoy two Sundays off. Then, after Canada, the Formula 1 season will really begin.

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News
2026-05-04 15:00:00