Ferrari will not bring any new features to Miami other than those related to the celebratory livery, the suits and the new sponsor. For updates we will have to wait for the next appointment, with the Imola Grand Prix. A choice linked above all to the presence of the Sprint weekend, which makes the evaluation of updates more complicated considering the only free practice session. Ferrari also wants to understand if it is possible to improve some conditions in which the SF-24 does not excel, such as in slow corners. In China, the cold, beyond the set-up, also contributed to making the weekend difficult for the Reds. In Miami, despite the slow corners, Charles Leclerc hopes to be able to make up for it, also thanks to the heat, a friend of the SF-24.
In China the problems did not only concern the car but also the drivers, who arrived on several occasions to disturb each other. We will therefore see if Leclerc and Sainz will not spare themselves any blows in Miami too or if calm will return, as in the first races of the season.
What challenges await Ferrari in Miami
On the eve of the weekend in Miami, Charles Leclerc commented on the work done by Ferrari, which postponed any update until the next round. A choice that goes against the trend of that of other teams such as Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes. Red Bull has in fact brought a first package of updates to Suzuka. McLaren and Mercedes will instead use the Sprint weekend in Miami to bring the first news. The objective for these teams is to get closer to the Maranello team. In China the first Ferrari, Leclerc's, was unable to keep up with Lando Norris's McLaren. However, with the heat the situation could be restored again, with Ferrari comfortably in the role of second force. What happened in China, says Leclerc, was analyzed to try to exploit the maximum potential in Miami.
“Miami is another weekend with Sprint, we can test for a few laps before qualifying. In China we struggled more in the slow corners. There are more here and it's an aspect we worked on after China to try to do better here on this track. We'll see if this work will bear fruit or if we will need to rely more on developments to improve this weak point of the car."
A main issue for the Red team concerned above all the warming of the tires in qualifying, and this compromised the result on several occasions.
“Miami is a track where it is particularly difficult to bring the tires up to temperature on the qualifying lap, mostly due to the asphalt but I think it has changed compared to last year so everything will have to be learned with free practice, and then we'll see for qualifying ( sprint), but obviously when it's hot it helps us a little."
Leclerc on Adrian Newey's arrival at Ferrari
Another hot topic of the moment concerns the second most important news since Hamilton's announcement in Ferrari, namely the separation, after almost 20 years, of Red Bull and Adrian Newey. All the teams would obviously like such a precious element in their group but at the moment the most likely one seems to be Ferrari. Charles Leclerc has also spoken out about the possibility of Adrian Newey arriving at Ferrari, as well as Lewis Hamilton, his future partner.
"Adrian Newey in Ferrari? It would certainly be a wonderful opportunity, we are a great team, we have done very well in the last 7-8 months and we have incredibly talented people on the team, adding Adrian would be fantastic. I honestly didn't expect him to leave Red Bull. I don't know if his departure will weaken Red Bull since there are always many people involved. However, he was a really important figure for the team and everyone now wants him on the team. I think we are in a good position to attract the best people in the world but I don't know where it will go, only time will tell. "
Source statements: sky sports f1
