An AutoRacer article from 13 May presenting a comparison of the SF-26 front wing against the Mercedes W17, McLaren MCL40 and Red Bull Racing RB22. The article is in Italian but the browser translation in English (or native language) easy to understand the descriptions.

 

This article provides an in-depth look at the Miami GP, expect a 15-17 minute read, covering the race review, technical insights and the latest news. Sources: AutoRacer.it, Autosport.com. The-Race.com and so on. Trustworthy YouTube channels (F1 Official, MotorsportCast, Peter Windsor, etc) and technical pages. If you’d like to collaborate or contribute in any way, feel free to reach out.

TL;DR: Ferrari's early promise in the Miami GP slipped back due to tyres, slow pit stops, a late penalty for Leclerc and Hamilton surviving with a damaged car. The article covers the race review, technical deep upgrades analysis for top teams and the rule changes impacting the season.

The photos: Scuderia Ferrari Official Facebook Page. And the F1 Official Facebook Page.

 

Circuit configuration

 

-The 2026 Miami Grand Prix- Miami International Autodrome:

-Length: 5.412m.

-Number of turns: 19.

-Number of laps: 57.

-Circuit type: Rear limited track.

-Traction: important.

-Track evolution: High. On sector three, the long straight. It increases the importance of the aero efficiency.

-The 250 kW limit was increased to 350 kW, but for Miami, only in selected sections of the track.

-For qualifying, the MJ limit was decreased from 9 to 7 MJ per lap. Still in Miami, like in Suzuka, the limit was upped to 8 MJ.

-Active aero zones: from T8 to T11 flat out zone, T16 to T17 straight and T19 to T1 line. Overtake Mode detection: T18.

-Pit duration: around 20s on normal speed and around 10-11s under SC/VSC.

-Pirelli tyres: C3-Hard. C4-Medium. C5-Soft.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari SF-26 negotiating T1 at the Miami Autodrome.

Weekend schedule

-Free Practice summary (60 minutes each session) *lengthened by 30 minutes to check the rules and cars: 54°C track and a green surface for the sole practice, both drivers started on C3 hards, briefly tried C5 softs, returned to C3, before finishing with C5s for qualiyfing simulations. Given the major SF-26 upgrades, full understanding will take time. Charles and Lewis took new power units for the Miami GP.

-Sprint Qualy 1-12 minute length: Mandatory C4 tyres in use. 52°C asphalt and a 1:29.2 for Leclerc and a 1:29.6 for Hamilton after the first push laps. Second laps saw the two improve their times to 1:28.7 and 1:29.2 respectively, with Leclerc the benchmark on S2.

-Sprint Qualy 2-10 minute length: Mandatory C4 tyres in use. Continuing the solid effort from SQ1, the Ferrari pair produced two initial 1:29 laps, improving Charles with a 1:28.4 and Lewis a 1:28.9. On the second run, only Leclerc improved to a 1:28.3 lap, good enough for P4, and Hamilton stayed P7.

-Sprint Qualy 3-8 minute length: Mandatory C5 Pirelli in use. Only one fast lap from both drivers in the final segment. Charles qualified on P4 with a 1:28.2 and Lewis on P7 with a 1:28.8, and they had errors on T11 and T17, respectively. The two suffered again because the ERS (Energy Recovery System) was not fully working.

-Sprint Race 19 laps: On a 53°C circuit, both Ferraris started on C4S. Leclerc jumped to P3 past Antonelli, while Hamilton battled Verstappen but remained P7. Charles defended against Kimi, as Lewis set the fastest lap and overtook Verstappen, only to swap places again after an off-track moment, with Max finally taking the position on lap 10. Leclerc shadowed Piastri in P2 throughout, using OT (Overtake Mode), but a late mistake at T11 ended his challenge. Leclerc finished P3, Hamilton P7.

-Qualifying 1-18 min(six drivers eliminated): 52°C and a used set of C5 for both drivers for the first fast lap, Charles did a 1:29.4, Lewis a 1:29.5. The two remained on the same set of tyres for the second lap, Leclerc set a 1:28.9, Hamilton a 1:29.4.

-Qualifying 2-15 min(six drivers eliminated): Wind picked up and changed its direction during the session. On a new set of soft Pirelli, Lewis upped his game and set a solid 1:28.477 on the first push lap; Leclerc did a 1:28.542. Second run for the two saw Charles improve his initial effort to a 1:28.315; Lewis didn’t better his banker lap. Both were comfortably into Q3.

-Qualifying 3-13 min(10 drivers battle for pole position): 51°C track and windy conditions, both Ferraris ran new C5s. The first flying laps were crucial as the track evolved. Leclerc set the fastest S1 and posted a 1:28.143 for P2, but was demoted to P3 by Verstappen’s late lap. Hamilton qualified P6 with a 1:38.191, saying he couldn’t extract the car’s maximum and remained P6 after minimal improvement.

Charles Lerclerc P3: “It was on the limit. We are not fast enough yet. The significant package helped us, but here and there we need to improve a little bit. It was a tricky qualifying; the wind was changing from run to run, so the car was behaving differently. Especially in T12, there was a massive difference between laps; it made it tricky to put a lap together. P3 is a good starting position, and I am looking forward to tomorrow. It was quite a big hit when I ran over the kerb on the exit of T8, but I don’t think it affected the end result (possible floor damage). It looks like a wet race; how much and when it’s still to be defined”. Completing the analysis on another interview: “Unfortunately, it’s a little bit worse than yesterday (Friday). I don’t think we anticipated the grip would get high. Our race pace is strong, and we start one place ahead of the Sprint start. Hopefully, we can look ahead in the race”.

Lewis Hamilton P6: “We changed the car going into Qualifying. It was a much, much better day-to-night difference. In hindsight, I wish we had started the weekend like that. That’s how Charles started. I was learning through the session. Q2 was solid, then in Q3 I struggled, I didn’t extract the most out of it”.

-Race 57 laps: 34 °C track temperature and a high risk of rain. All starters opted for the C4 medium compound.

• Start & Early laps: With a brilliant launch from P3 and a measured approach into T1, Leclerc jumped into P1, narrowly avoiding Verstappen’s spin. Hamilton had to take avoiding action into T3, due to Max spinning and losing a position. Lewis reclaimed P6 before T17, despite damage from earlier contact with Colapinto. Charles battled with Antonelli and Norris, swapping the lead with the Italian before settling back as the Safety Car was deployed on lap six. After the restart, Lando took control, Leclerc struggled with tyre degradation, dropping to third, behind Antonelli.
• Middle-Race: By lap 20, the order was Norris, Antonelli +2.6s, Leclerc +4.5s, Piastri +0.8s, Hamilton +3.0s. Leclerc's slow pit stop, changing the C4 to C3 compound (right front going off), cost him track position, rejoining in P12 behind Russell. He was unsatisfied with the decision, as the threat of rain could have been a costly act: “Why did we stop? When is the rain?” The  discomfort continued on lap 23: “Next time you make a decision, please speak with me. I am here as well”. He fought back through the field, reaching P4 after overtaking George Russell. Hamilton, limited by the damage, maintained P6, while Leclerc couldn’t match the leading duo's speed.
• Final laps: By lap 40, Charles reduced the gap to Verstappen. Lap 45, Charles caught the Dutch and took the position into T1, but Max responded through the quick T4-T5 turns. Leclerc saved energy to deploy it successfully into T11, for good and pulled 2s clear from Verstappen. Hamilton ran in P7 in no man’s land, yet he wasn’t that much adrift of Russell’s Mercedes in P6 at +6s. With three laps to go, Oscar, now in P4, was closing on Leclerc. Charles’s tyres were gone and he couldn’t hold on the faster McLaren dropping to P4. On the last lap, forcing the exit of T3, with the rears worn, he spun and touched the wall with the left side, damaging the car. He limped home and did his best to stay P4, but with damaged steering, Leclerc lost two more positions to the finish line, down to P6 with Hamilton in P7. After the race, Leclerc received a 20-second time penalty for corner-cutting and contact while defending, dropping him to P8. Lewis Hamilton jumps a position into P6.
• Lewis Hamilton P6: “I think if the car was in one piece, on the way to grid, I felt the car pretty good, we could have been more competitive, and I felt optimistic for today. But I was held up at the beginning when Max spun; I was in the wrong position. And then the damage that I’ve got after I had nothing”.
• Charles Leclerc P8: “I am disappointed with myself. The last lap mistake is all on me. It costs us a P3 or P4; more likely, it would’ve been a P4. But the P3 was still right there. I am so disappointed with myself; mistakes happen. But when it’s on the last lap, it is frustrating, and I am not at the level where I should be. It’s been a very strong start to the season, not many mistakes. This one luckily doesn’t cost us too many points, but it could have ended on the wall, and that’s it”.

Regardless of the result, Ferrari's upgrades made Miami an encouraging weekend; telemetry showed the straight-line deficit to Mercedes was reduced by 0.2s.

Charles Leclerc at the start of the race heading into T1, with Hamilton in the background.

Technical analysis of the cars

After the long April break, the return to action in Miami gave teams the chance to improve their racecars, bringing major upgrade packages.

-Scuderia Ferrari: SF-26. On April 22nd, the team had a filming day at Monza, an occasion to test new items on SF-26. 11 new elements were officially presented to FIA, and among those components are:

• Front wing: with a more curved endplate and a vertical element at the outer footplate, creating a visible otuswash effect.
• Front suspension: upper wishbone rear linkage now has a multipoint link for improved handling.
• Front brakes: redesigned inboard front brake element for better cooling.
• Wakeboard/bargeboard: the main element is longer and now a three-piece design to work with the front brake duct trailing edge element.
• HALO: Two carbon fibre winglets on the central pylon, now legal.
• Difusser: The exit was lengthened to increase downforce.
• Floor: heavily revised mouse hole, updated floor edges and diffuser.
• Rear wing: The “Macarena” now has two supports instead of one for structural rigidity, squared-off endplates, new wing supports and elements. The activation mechanism was revised, and a new thin vertical element was added at the centre of the top plane.
• Rear wing Opening: at 270°, to reduce the drag.
• Straightline Speed: This rear wing version aims to offer a +8 km/h on straights and aid in recovering 6-7 kW.
• FTM (flick-tail-mode) wing 2.0: Works close to a blown diffuser (previously used in the 2010-2011 seasons), creating an upwash effect to support the rear wing.
• Rear Impact Structure: an array of minuscule winglets appeared.
• ERS (Energy Recovery System): various mappings tested to optimise the recharge/deployment, especially in qualifying.
• Weight reduction: Lighter components with a mass decrease of around 4kg, estimated to boost the pace by 0.15s.
• All these changes helped the SF-26 take another step forward, especially in corner entry and mid-phase grip, leading to generally improved downforce. These visible advancements in the car’s behaviour on track inspired optimism that the team is closing the gap to the front—each upgrade a sign that Maranello is pushing relentlessly.

-Mercedes: W17. Had a filming day at Silverstone, like other rivals. But didn’t bring any significant components to the Miami GP. Two track-specific components.

• FTM and front brakes: An exhaust bracket (own version of the flick-tail-mode wing) in two elements and an adjustment to the front brake ducts.
• Chassis and Power Unit: It has a strong chassis integrated excellently with the best power unit on the field.
• Acceleration: Delivers the most linear acceleration of all motorists.
• Cornering and straights: Out of the medium and high-speed corners is the best vehicle, and on the 2nd part of the straights, it maintains a steadier speed, unlike others.
• Race start: During the filming day at Silverstone, the focus was mainly on the race start procedure. It conducted hundreds of simulations to improve the matter. McLaren and Red Bull Racing did the same, but to a lesser extent.

At the Miami GP, the W17’s rear suspension was set too rigid for Friday and the Sprint, limiting both drivers' performance. Before the qualifying, Mercedes adjusted the set-up by resolving the issue. Antonelli overcame an ERS problem (batteries discharged at the start of the lap) in Friday’s SQ3, but not so in Saturday’s qualifying.

-McLaren Mercedes: MCL40. McLaren brought several updates to Miami. Seven components in total, six for performance and one for reliability.

• Front wing: mainplane and changed endplates, designed to improve airflow and front-end grip.
• Front brake: ducts altered the cooling system.
• Wing mirror: New mirror support housing displaying a curved shape instead of the square version.
• Wakeboard: main elements were revised. A remote vertical forward section and a sculpted trailing edge element. The two low-position elements were addressed, and the forward support element was split into two for aerodynamic aid.
• Sidepods: Subtle shape revisions.
• Floor: At the front of the floor, a series of strakes has appeared. Similar to what Ferrari or Audi had since the start of the season.
• Rear suspension: Minor geometry adjustments to preserve tyres and improve the traction.
• Cooling: The engine cover presents six tiny cooling louvres and no gills on the laterals. But at the back, it has a huge opening to cool the internal components.
• Flick-tail-mode wing and diffuser modifications: A tiny blockage element to the exhaust tail pipe, and underneath, a minuscule winglet. This was possible to achieve because the team said it’s a supporting device, not an aerodynamic element.
• ERS: updated software mappings for increased efficiency harvesting and deployment, mainly out of the slow corners.
• Weight Saving: MCL40 earned another weight reduction package by using lighter materials in some of the non-structural components.

For the first time in 2026, the MCL40 received a considerable upgrade, with Norris noting the rear felt much more planted through corners. The improvement was evident in his Sprint win on Saturday, and matching pace with Mercedes’ Antonelli in the race.

-RedBullRacing: RB22. The Austrian outfit had a filming (testing) day at Silverstone, trying new elements on its racer. Like McLaren, the same number of new parts.

• A new front wing.
• Front suspension: corrected upper wishbone and pushrod geometry to enlarge the tyre contact patch and steering input.
• Front brakes: The brake linlet scoop is part of a bigger upgrade. Interestingly, the brake duct is blanked off, but from the rear, it has enormous cooling outlets. It helps for more mass flow between the tyre and the inner plate, which is the only way to cool the brakes.
• Wakeboard: Like McLaren, it has a two-element support with an extra linked element to the central one, with two pick-up points in the chassis.
• Sidepods: Spotted reshaped sidepods displaying a more dramatic downwash effect. Inspired by the 2022 RB18 with its “waterslide” shaped sidepods. The aim of this direction is to help feed the diffuser better. With a closer look, the inside zone of the sidepods displays like a gulley section along the body to the rear, feeding the so-called “mouse” hole in the diffuser.
• Side Impact Structure: The front and rear SIS components are bulged into the front edge of the sidepod, tightening that area.
• A new engine cover.
• HALO: Two winglets on the central HALO pylon (Ferrari-inspired).
• Floor: At the rear edge, in front of the rear wheel, three distinctive aero elements try to direct airflow into the diffuser. Another new detail appeared behind the three diverters with the same goal.
• FTM wing: At the rear, the flick-tail-mode wing sports the closest version to that of SF-26. A visible plate that blocks the exhaust gases with two small winglets lower on its sides.
• Rear wing: The component that took eyes, some called it a rotary wing. It was believed to be inspired by the Ferrari version, but sources suggested that Red Bull presented its own version to the FIA in the summer of 2025.
• Rear wing opening: at 160° in the opposite direction to that of Ferrari.
• Drag: It further reduces the already low drag of the RB22.
• Weight reduction: Still overweight, but received a 7kg diet in Miami.

During February’s Barcelona shakedown, Verstappen reported issues with the RB22’s steering input. Red Bull addressed this by introducing a new steering system at the Silverstone filming day, solving the problem. The upgrade contributed to closing the gap to the leading pack in Miami.

All top teams introduced a new Power Unit at the Miami GP, marking the start of this season’s engine rotation strategy. For the next round in Canada in three weeks' time, more upgrades are expected. It’s Mercedes’ turn to bring a substantial package; Ferrari, McLaren and RBR are continuing to add other components to the current packages.

Drivers and Team

Analysis of the important sessions of the race weekend with numbers and insights.

-Sprint Qualifying, Sprint, Qualifying and Race debrief: Sprint Qualifying. On C4, both drivers performed as expected. Switching to C5S, ERS issues limited improvement; Leclerc gained just 0.1s from SQ2 to SQ3 and was 6km/h slower on straights, losing 0.3s.

-Sprint Race. Leclerc kept pace with the leading McLaren and pulled clear of the Mercedes duo, but the power unit and ERS limitations in S1 prevented further progress.

• Sprint - Teams pace: McLaren fastest, Ferrari +0.24s, Mercedes +0.35s and RBR +0.52s adrift, others +1s.
• Sprint - Drivers' pace: Lando Norris quickest, Oscar Piastri +0.15s, Charles Leclerc +0.24s, Kimi Antonelli +0.35s, Max Verstappen +0.52s, George Russell +0.54s and Lewis Hamilton +0.97s behind.
• Qualifying: Through Q1 and Q2, both drivers were on par with rivals. Lewis was learning the set-up changes made after the Sprint, and in Q2, he set a solid lap. But in Q3, he couldn’t replicate the effort. Leclerc suffered once more from the ERS deployment, costing him lap time.
• Race: After the solid first part of the race, the pace dropped drastically the moment the tyres were going off. On medium C4, Leclerc could stay in contact with the leading duo, Norris and Antonelli. On the C3 Pirelli, the rhythm was adrift and collapsed in the last few laps before Charles spun. For Lewis, the comparison is tougher to account due to the damage sustained on his car, hurting his speed. The damaged bargeboard and floor lost 10-15 points of downforce, translating into around a 0.5s deficit per lap.
• Race: Drivers pace: Antonelli quickest, Norris +0.006s, Piastri +0.44s, Leclerc +0.54s, Russell +0.80s, Hamilton +0.98s (damage) and Verstappen +1.03s. All drivers were on the medium-hard strategy.
• Race: Teams pace: Mercedes fastest, McLaren +0.006, Ferrari +0.54s, RBR +1.03s.

-GP Fastest laps: 1. Lando Norris 1:31.869 on lap 35. 2. Oscar Piastri 1:31.949 +0.080s on lap 30. 3. Kimi Antonelli 1:31.968 +0.099 on lap 34. 4. George Russell 1:32.446 +0.577 on lap 53. 5. Charles Leclerc 1:32.515 +0.646 on lap 44. 6. Lewis Hamilton 1:32.676 on lap 29 +0.807.

-Pit stops: Not the standard work from the Ferrari pit crew at the Miami GP, as the two pit stops for Leclerc and Hamilton were quite slow. On lap 21, Charles' pit was 3.41s, costing time and rejoining in traffic. Lewis' pit on lap 27 was even slower, at 3.60s, with him rejoining in P9. Ferrari pit stops were 16th and 19th, respectively.

The best pit stops during the GP were:

• Racing Bulls fastest on lap 25 for Lindblad, a 2.08s pit stop.
• Mercedes 2nd on lap 26 for Antonelli, a 2.16s stop.
• Mercedes 3rd for Russell on lap 20, a 2.17s pit stop.

"It's more crucial that Ferrari wins. It doesn't matter who's driving it. As long as Ferrari wins".Enzo Anselmo Ferrari.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-26 through T17 at the Miami GP.

General News

-The 2026 Miami Grand Prix takeaways: The April break didn’t stop Kimi Antonelli's excellent form, and the 19-year-old Italian continued to impress. Kimi won the Miami GP, but he had to work for it as his slow start dropped him to 3rd. But Antonelli was up to speed, and the quick pit stop helped him to exit right behind Norris, overtaking him and controlling the rhythm. The Mercedes driver didn’t put a single foot wrong and took his 3rd consecutive win of the season and of his career, extending the championship lead over his teammate. Only Mika Hakkinen and Damon Hill managed to win their first three race consecutively, but Antonelli is the first one in F1 history to win three GPs from pole position.

Rules Impact and Future Changes (Expected)

Following the three meetings during the April break between the FIA, FOM and teams to modify the regulations for safety and better racing, the following agreement has been reached. For approval, the vote was required to have a majority, not unanimity, and on 20 April, the vote was for:

Super Clipping Power Increase

• The maximum power allowed for Super Clipping (extra energy deployment) was increased from 250 kW to 350 kW. Improving the speed drop and delivering more consistent power throughout the lap.

Super Clipping Duration Reduced

• However, the duration of Super Clipping was cut from 190m to 50m per straight (only 2-3 seconds used). Teams have to use the boost more strategically as the window narrows.

ERS (Energy Recovery System) Harvest reduction

• The allowed ERS recharge per lap was reduced. This was believed to favour Mercedes, as their Power Unit is the best. Ferrari and Honda were against these implementations.

ECU (Engine Control Unit)

• The FIA standard component was addressed to not react when a driver lifts the throttle by more than 98% to prevent issues that impacted Leclerc and Russell in Japan’s qualifying. It gives the driver more control in his push lap, preventing power cuts.

Qualifying Harvesting Limit

• The energy harvest limit for qualifying was reduced from 9 MJ to 7 MJ per lap, allowing drivers to push harder on the fast laps.

Start Procedure Safety modification.

• For safety If a car is inert or starts slowly, a FIA-controlled boost from the MGU-K will help get the car in motion. Any abuse of this rule will be penalised, as the FIA announced.

2027 expected power split

• Discussions are ongoing for a 60/40 power split between the V6 engine and the MGU-K (~650 HP from the Internal Combustion Engine) for 2027.

As teams reveal their latest technical innovation, the ever-evolving F1 rulebook adds new layers of complexity. The following changes and proposals are shaping the 2026 season and beyond.

Other rule proposals (not approved)

Other rules were discussed during those meetings, but weren’t approved. Also, some of the talked-about topics were covered. Among those are:

• Increasing the fuel flow energy/h from 2500  to 3300 or 3500, according to the Red Bull Racing proposal, but others and the entities opposed. Due to reliability concerns, as presented in a previous article.
• Despite many voices indicating that the ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunites) for Power Unit manufacturers will be applied from Miami, it wasn’t the case. The Index of Performance (a classified document, not presented publicly) will be first adopted after the Canadian GP and will evaluate each Power Unit supplier, allowing for work on improvements starting from the Monaco GP.
• As Mercedes has the strongest power unit in 2026, the competition understood what needed to be done to reach a similar level of performance. All manufacturers aim for a stable compression ratio (16.1) during the cold and hot sequences that the V6 engine goes through during its functioning period. Thus would increase the efficiency, improve power output for longer intervals, and require less fuel.
• Nikols Tombazis, the FIA Single-Seat director, informed the teams that Miami, Canada and Monaco aren’t suited for more notable rule changes. And that these GPs will be considered as a test bench for further modifications, in Barcelona at the earliest.

The podium finishers at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.

Power Unit Performance Target

A bit of a debate during the April hiatus, between Mercedes and Ferrari, over each other's power units. The Italian team said the German rival doesn’t run its motor at maximum capacity, while Mercedes suggests that Ferrari hides its real performance of the power unit. While the top leading power unit Mercedes possibly uses less power to block rivals of using a larger amount of ADUO. Ferrari tries (paddock talk) to further limit the power of its engine to be within a wider margin of ADUO. The latest estimations indicate that Mercedes and Red Bull Racing PowerTrains won’t qualify for any of the ADUO programme. While Ferrari and Audi will benefit from the 4%-6% margin, Honda is likely to get the last one beyond 8% off the best engine on the grid.

Future Engine Formula

The FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, confirmed during the Miami GP that the long-term goal is the return of the V8 engines with minimal hybrid power by 2030. Some teams want this even earlier (2028 or 2029). But Audi and Honda strongly opposed, saying that their heavy investments were to develop the current Power Units.