Despite the many upgrades brought by Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton failed to turn the promises into solid results during the Sprint qualifying in Miami.
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However, Ferrari had invested heavily in Miami with a particularly ambitious series of upgrades, presented as one of the biggest developments on the grid. On paper, everything suggested that the Scuderia could get closer to the leaders, or even play a leading role in a particularly short and demanding Sprint format.
In free practice, the signals were encouraging, with a competitive car and a generally solid pace. Charles Leclerc notably dominated the session, hinting at a potentially promising weekend for the Italian team.
An encouraging SQ2… before the collapse in SQ3
The start of the Sprint qualifying seemed to confirm this trend. In SQ2, Ferrari placed its two drivers at the top of the standings, with Charles Leclerc leading the segment and Lewis Hamilton in third position, suggesting a possible fight for the front row.
But SQ3 completely reversed the dynamic. As track conditions evolved and the final settings made the difference, Ferrari lost pure performance. Leclerc dropped back to fourth place, while Hamilton could do no better than seventh, behind the McLarens and Mercedes, and far from the current benchmarks.
Hamilton without a clear explanation after the session
Questioned after the session, the British driver did not try to hide his frustration, while acknowledging that he did not yet have all the answers about this unexpected setback.
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“We didn’t really know what to expect, explained Hamilton, referring to the arrival of upgrades on the car. I hoped we would be better, but the car didn’t feel particularly good.”
The seven-time world champion also emphasized the need for in-depth analysis on the Maranello side, with work planned from the next day to understand the limits that appeared in SQ3.
“I thought we would be more competitive. I came in with a positive mindset thinking we could aim much higher, but that was not the case” he added.
Ferrari facing an equation still far from solved
This setback comes despite a massive development program and illustrates Ferrari’s difficulties in converting its technical progress into consistent performance gains. While the foundations seem more solid, exploiting the potential remains irregular on a fast lap.
In Miami, the Scuderia will now have to react quickly to hope to bounce back during the Sprint and especially avoid this first setback becoming long-lasting.
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