Miami is set to host the second Sprint event of the Formula 1 season this weekend. Just six weeks ago, the first Sprint in China seemed to indicate a promising start for both Lewis Hamilton`s tenure at Ferrari and the Italian team`s season.
While not a full Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion`s pole position and subsequent victory in the 19-lap race at the Shanghai International Circuit felt significant at the time. This was particularly notable given it was only his second race weekend with the team, following a difficult debut in Australia.
However, Ferrari has struggled to replicate that performance level in the five full Grand Prix races held since. Hamilton`s difficulties adapting to the SF-25 car have been especially evident. Nevertheless, Charles Leclerc`s recent third-place finish in Saudi Arabia, marking the team`s first Grand Prix podium of the year, offered a degree of optimism.
A significant challenge for Ferrari, even after introducing notable upgrades at the fourth round in Bahrain, is that as they lose ground to competitors, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify allocating substantial resources to a season that looks more and more like a disappointment. This situation is complicated by the significant regulatory changes anticipated for the 2026 season.
A break in the schedule before and after the Miami Grand Prix provides an opportunity for the team to regroup. However, a demanding sequence of six races over eight weeks, starting with a European triple-header, will quickly bring the season to its halfway mark.
As the sixth round of the season kicks off at the Miami International Autodrome with Sprint Qualifying on Friday evening, Ferrari is in urgent need of a significant performance improvement.
Is There Hope for Ferrari, Still Trailing?
Heading into the Miami event, Ferrari remains in fourth place in the Constructors` Championship, trailing their key rivals. Despite this, they have slightly closed the gap to third-placed Red Bull and second-placed Mercedes by narrowly outscoring both teams in the most recent two races held in the Middle East.
The 18 points they lost due to the disqualification of both cars from the Chinese GP would have seen them leading Red Bull – a team for whom Max Verstappen has earned all but two of their 89 points – by seven points, rather than trailing by 11.
A more considerable concern for the Scuderia is McLaren, who are currently a massive 110 points ahead. Ferrari finished only 14 points behind McLaren at the end of last season after a strong late push for the constructors` title and had aimed to surpass them this year.
Much discussion has revolved around the reasons for Ferrari`s lack of pace early in the season. Following Leclerc`s podium in Jeddah, Team Principal Frederic Vasseur maintained that the “potential” to compete with the front-runners is present within the team.
“The most crucial factor for us is the difference between qualifying speed and race speed,” Vasseur commented after the Saudi race.
“I believe the race… the second stint was exceptionally strong. I think we were faster than [Oscar] Piastri and Verstappen over the final 35 or 40 laps of the race.
“We must concentrate on achieving much greater consistency throughout the entire weekend. But I think we can view [Saudi Arabia] positively because we definitely made progress in our race pace. It was very strong, and I believe the potential exists, but we just need to perform better overall.”
What About Hamilton`s Performance?
As the seven-time world champion himself acknowledged, Leclerc`s result was the sole positive he could take from the Jeddah weekend, given the difficulties he experienced handling the SF-25 on the high-speed street circuit.
In qualifying, he was 0.531 seconds slower than his teammate. In the 50-lap race, Hamilton finished four positions and 31 seconds adrift of Leclerc.
Following the race, he described the experience as “horrible” and “not enjoyable at all,” admitting he had “no answers” to explain his struggles.
“Right now, there`s no immediate solution,” he then suggested. “So this is likely how it will continue for the remainder of the year. It`s going to be challenging.”
While such a pessimistic assessment of his prospects for the remaining 19 rounds might have been influenced by immediate post-race disappointment and frustration, his performance in Saudi Arabia suggests he is significantly struggling to find comfort or competitive pace with the car.
“My concern is that [the China Sprint] is increasingly looking like an anomaly,” observed Sky Sports F1`s Karun Chandhok on The F1 Show.
“Since the Sunday race in China, where Leclerc finished ahead even with a damaged front wing, Leclerc has consistently been quicker. The direction of this trend is what worries me.
In Australia, Lewis was 0.16 seconds behind Charles; in Japan, this gap increased to 0.30; in Bahrain, it grew to 0.59; and in Saudi Arabia, it reached 0.60.
For a driver expected to become progressively more comfortable and accustomed to life at Ferrari, that performance gap should ideally be decreasing, but it`s moving in the opposite direction.
“In Saudi, he appeared incredibly dejected. From a driver`s psychological perspective, looking at that data is like `where do I even begin?`”
Despite this widening gap to his teammate, Vasseur maintained: “Frankly, I am not overly concerned. If you consider his performance in China or the race in Bahrain, or even the initial part of the session this weekend, the potential is undoubtedly present.”
“We simply need to fine-tune the balance because, collectively, both Lewis and we are grappling with the balance of his car and how he is managing the tires.”
“It`s a challenging point, but I believe the car`s inherent potential exists, and we will work diligently to address this.”
Leclerc`s Comments: A Possible Clue to the Disparity?
Leclerc consistently outpacing Hamilton in qualifying sessions isn`t a major surprise, considering Leclerc`s well-known strength on a single lap and Hamilton being noticeably outperformed over one lap by George Russell at Mercedes last season.
Hamilton often managed to turn the tables on Russell in Sunday races, but so far, he trails Leclerc 4-0 in terms of Grand Prix race finishes.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1`s Martin Brundle before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Leclerc elaborated on his feeling of making progress with the car, a sentiment validated by his third-place finish in the race.
“At the start of the year, I recall the balance was very unsettled and unpredictable, making corner entry quite tricky, with significant mid-corner understeer. We are now beginning to find solutions to address the mid-corner understeer issue.”
“This means we have to drive a car that is trickier and less forgiving, but this is something I personally enjoy and handle well.”
“I think in terms of balance, we are pretty much operating within the car`s optimal performance window. What we are currently lacking is simply overall grip in low and medium-speed sections. In high-speed corners, we are relatively competitive.”
The challenging handling characteristics of the car, which Leclerc says he “particularly” enjoys, are clearly not suiting Hamilton`s driving style. If this specific setup is the only way to unlock sufficient pace from the SF-25 to be competitive, it could indeed prove to be a very arduous season for the British driver.
