FP1 Miami: Ferrari strengthens, McLaren arrives, Mercedes to be rediscovered

What the Miami tests said Formula 1 finally returns to the track in Miami and does so with cars that are only relatives of those seen racing in the first 3 events before the long forced break. The amount of mechanical and aerodynamic updates is enormous for all the teams and although it was run in a single free practice session so far there have been some significant indications of confirmations and steps forward. Ferrari: the chassis qualities seem strengthened. The single-seater with the most updates is the SF-26, including the latest version of the “Macarena” wing, particularly useful on a track like that of Miami. Looking at the data, the impression is that the strengths of the project emerge from this round of updates not only confirmed, but even strengthened. In fact, in obtaining the best time of the session, Leclerc showed the best performances both in the high-speed corner section of the first sector and in the very slow section just before the second intermediate. It is not possible to draw definitive conclusions from a single free practice session, but the impressions are of a decidedly better rear compared to the first 3 races, of an increased aerodynamic load and more stable even in changes of direction, as well as of a mechanical set-up capable of adapting well to both the fast and the high curbs of the slow section. The conditional is a must, but if these impressions are confirmed in the official sessions, it can only mean that the SF-26 has found a good path of development at least for the beginning of the season. The weak point still seems to be the engine, with a slightly attenuated deficit compared to what was perceived in Japan, but very marked at the end of the straights, when the red car is the only one to collapse as if it were in the super clipping phase, evidently in debt of energy compared to Red Bull and McLaren/Mercedes. This is not surprising however, given that the drive units, although new to everyone, obviously keep the same specifications until the ADUO comes into play. McLaren seems able to invite itself to the party of the top teams. The other team that made a positive impression in the first session is that of Woking. Regardless of the times, we noticed first of all a more economical use of the Power Unit, especially in the two accelerations, which however left room for good cornering performance, especially in the slow corners. The perception is of a notable step in load and stability, which therefore makes McLaren a candidate to at least seriously annoy Ferrari, if not to insert itself between Mercedes and the red car itself. Obviously everything will have to be checked again in qualifying, especially on the soft compounds, given that the race pace simulation was also carried out by the two standard bearers of the reigning World Champion team with a much higher fuel load than the direct competition, making direct comparisons impossible, especially on the tire degradation front. Red Bull improves and flies on the straight, doubts about the chassis Max Verstappen has returned to the top of the rankings, thanks to a first step forward with his car, especially in terms of stability and handling. The RB22 continues to be incredibly fast in a straight line, but lacks downforce and therefore suffers especially in fast corners. In the race we know that Verstappen has the ability to manage cars with lower load than the competition, especially thanks to his sensitivity on the tyres, but the impression from the first session is of an improved car but not yet at its level. Only the impression of one session remains, as for all the others, and it will obviously be necessary to evaluate everything with the data from the official sessions. Mercedes a semi-unknown, between the troubles for Kimi and the difficulties of Russell. That Mercedes’ value is record-breaking would certainly not be a surprise, and the times seen in the race pace simulation seem to give the Brackley team the scepter of favorites once again. But the lead seemed less comfortable than what we saw at the beginning of the season and the session was certainly not one of the “smoothest” for Wolff’s men. Antonelli started with an excellent feeling with his car, stable and fast, but was unable to carry out the qualifying simulation due to a probable battery failure, a component that has already caused problems in the first races. A situation that in perspective also raises some bells on the penalty front, which inexorably looms if further substitutions are made. On the other hand, George Russell appeared to be in considerable difficulty on the set-up front, with many revolutions attempted during the session and never a good feeling with his car, ending up making up for a significant gap even on the soft tyre. The impression is that the potential is there, but to extract it the entire Mercedes team, from the drivers to the engineers, will have to find a quick solution to the questions that emerged at the beginning of the weekend. The qualification of the Sprint will already provide a first significant response in this sense, given that the excessive power of the W17 has been seen so far precisely on the flying lap, and the comparison with the “new” McLaren will be very interesting, as well as, obviously, with the Ferrari. The start of the official sessions, starting from the Sprint qualification, will therefore tell us if these impressions are correct or if we will have to review them. In general, on the flying lap we also saw an improvement in the handling of these cars, with a strong and unpleasant (super)clipping present in the two main sprints, but also with an overall management that appeared less exasperated, although always present. We will therefore soon see if qualifying can return to being a fun session and who will come out on top.

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News
2026-05-02 05:35:00