Antonelli makes it three out of three and gives another victory to Mercedes in the weekend when the competition puts the most pressure on them. McLaren believed in it with Lando Norris, who nevertheless leaves Miami with the awareness of having made an important step forward. Ferrari shows good consistency in pace in the second half of the race, but the power unit shortcomings are felt and now Red Bull can also be a problem.
Read more Official: Leclerc penalized by 20 seconds, drops to eighth position
Antonelli increasingly leader
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is simply superb, with a Mercedes that could soon become so again. This time the Italian manages the start well, only to then lock up, perhaps betrayed by Leclerc’s sudden closing and cold tires, after a longer than usual wait on the grid. The Italian then asserts himself in close battles, but above all capitalizes on Mercedes’ winning undercut strategy, taking the position from Norris with an excellent out-lap from the pits.
After the stop, the Italian manages everything perfectly, resisting the pressure from the world champion. His main concerns come from issues with downshifting and a momentary drop in tire performance 20 laps from the end, but he manages to control the overheating. Antonelli makes the difference precisely in tire care, with a clean driving style that avoids sending temperatures through the roof. The same cannot be said for Russell, over 40 seconds behind, never in sync with the W17 and often forced to make corrections on the steering wheel, both cause and effect of his tire overheating.
Antonelli thus consolidates the lead in the championship, also thanking Mercedes. In the race, the W17 is a different car compared to the Sprint, revitalized by setup corrections and lower temperatures, with the asphalt 20°C cooler. Despite the step forward, in Miami the Silver Arrows never show the superiority expressed in the first three races, but still compete on equal terms in the very top positions, albeit without updates. Mercedes shows it has a package advantage over everyone, developments that the competition took three months to achieve and to which the Brackley team will respond in Canada.
McLaren is there
An interesting fact from the Miami Grand Prix is the presence in the points zone of all seven Mercedes-powered cars that finished. Alpine had already shown interesting qualities, while Williams made a leap forward with updates, but this does not take away from the fact that the Brixworth power unit plays a fundamental role. So the most credible challenger for the title could be McLaren, provided they continue to improve energy delivery logic. The MCL40’s strategies do not yet seem as reactive as those of the Silver Arrows, failing to promptly adapt to various conditions. This was seen in Saturday qualifying, when, by Andrea Stella’s own admission, gusts of wind ‘confused’ the management software.
McLaren can still rejoice in the big leap made with the updates, with more novelties to follow in Canada, hoping that Mercedes does not run away again when it receives its own developments. Meanwhile, in Miami the MCL40 seems to have something more than the silver rival in absolute performance, although not the same consistency in tire management. Certainly, Norris suffers from many laps spent in dirty air behind Antonelli, but already at the end of the first stint with a clear track he experienced a drop in times. At least, McLaren seems to retain a preference for heat, a quality that will come in handy with the arrival of summer.
Read more Verstappen admits fault: “Spin at the start? I lost the rear. In the end, I had no more tires left”
Ferrari is third force
The Maranello team comes close to maximizing the result, but Leclerc wastes precious points right at the end. After deliberately letting Piastri pass to enjoy the overtaking mode on the last lap, the Monegasque makes a mistake in the first sector, crashing into the wall and damaging the suspension. Charles thus finishes eighth in a race in which the SF-26 shows ups and downs. After yet another good start, Ferrari fades at the end of the first stint on the Safety Car restart, suffering from rear tire overheating. In hindsight, Leclerc’s stop was premature. Not only does the slow pit stop cost him position to Russell, but the early return forces him to fight through traffic, stressing the tires and accumulating delay from the leaders.
Once back in clean air, however, the SF-26 posts interesting times on the hards. Despite Antonelli and Norris having fresher tires, Ferrari’s lap deficit remains constant, even tending to decrease towards the end. The image is of a car moderately skilled at managing tires and simply paying for a lack of pace, largely attributable to a deficient engine. However, Leclerc’s statements do not go unnoticed, as he talks about some phases where the car is fast and others where some things need to be better managed behind the scenes. The Monegasque’s comment could be a simple note on strategic decisions, also heard over the radio, or a hint that there is work to be done in Maranello to improve energy management logic, another area where they can try to reduce the gap to Mercedes-powered cars.
Red Bull returns
Max Verstappen is seen again in fifth position, author of a certainly not flawless race, between the spin at the start and an alleged flirtation with the pit exit line. The decision to change tires on lap six using the Safety Car prevents the Dutchman from keeping up with rivals at the end, equipped with much fresher tires, but this does not stop him from showing his usual fighting spirit. Finding himself in the middle of the leading group goes beyond any rosy pre-race expectations. With updates to the floor and bodywork, Red Bull has improved in every aspect, from balance to aerodynamic load, also benefiting from a weight reduction effort. They hope Aston Martin will soon improve as well, again able to finish the race. Ambitions are undoubtedly much higher, but regaining reliability is a starting point to gather data and work on performance.
Positive news also comes for FIA and Formula 1. It is not yet clear how much the regulation changes have helped, but what is certain is that when the track is not too harsh on energy management, the new cars can provide some spectacle, at least in the race. Position is often contested in braking and cornering, in a way not too different from how it was with DRS, with the difference that now following closely is much easier. It will be worth enjoying the moment, since the inevitable development of the cars will increasingly increase aerodynamic disturbance. Perhaps it would be appropriate for the FIA to try to counter this regression, avoiding banning other seemingly harmless solutions.
Read more Vasseur: “Everything was under control, then the Safety Car arrived”
