Third in qualifying, Charles Leclerc does not fool himself. Despite the developments, Ferrari remains behind the competition.
Read more The start of the Miami Grand Prix moved forward by several hours due to storms
Third on the grid for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc achieved his best qualifying result this season. A relative reason for satisfaction for the Ferrari driver, who nevertheless believes that the Scuderia is not yet at the expected level.
Despite a significant package of upgrades introduced this weekend, the Monegasque remains clear-eyed about the current situation.
“It was on the edge, in the end we were not fast enough today” he admits frankly.
A statement that perfectly sums up the feeling on the Ferrari side: visible progress, but still insufficient to fully compete with the best teams.
Upgrades, but still too many imperfections
Ferrari has not been idle during the break and has brought many improvements to its SF-26. Adjustments that have allowed a step forward, without however closing the gap with its direct rivals.
“We brought a big package of upgrades that helped us this weekend, but there are things here and there that we need to improve” explains Leclerc.
Against McLaren during the Sprint, then Mercedes and Red Bull in qualifying, the Scuderia showed that it remains slightly behind in pure performance. A frustrating observation, while the potential seems clearly present.
Read more Thunderbolt: Isack Hadjar facing disqualification in Miami!
A tricky and difficult session to master
Beyond raw performance, the conditions also complicated the drivers’ task. The wind, particularly unstable, made reading the track very delicate.
“It was a very tricky qualifying, the wind changed from one run to another, the car behaved very differently” emphasizes Leclerc.
The sector including turns 11 and 12 notably caused problems, with unpredictable behavior of the car.
“It was different every lap and it was difficult to put everything together” he adds.
A scare without consequence in Q3
During his last effort in Q3, Leclerc also experienced a tense moment after violently crossing a kerb. An impact strong enough to raise concerns.
“I haven’t heard from the team so I think not. It was quite a big hit but I don’t think it affected the performance” he reassures.
While third place remains a solid base, Leclerc knows that Ferrari will still have to improve to hope to fight for victory. The challenge will now be to maximize race pace and exploit every opportunity. In an always very tight hierarchy, the Scuderia is not out of the running… but it can no longer afford mistakes.
Read more Twist in Miami: Kimi Antonelli penalized and demoted after the finish