Miami GP Debriefing

THE GOOD

• McLaren enjoyed a dream Saturday but a bitter Sunday. The updates introduced certainly paid off. It was a very positive weekend compared to previous ones. They showed blistering pace in the Sprint, with Norris dominating and Piastri completing the one-two. There were a few issues in qualifying for the main race: P4 for Norris and P7 for Piastri. However, they bounced back in the race with Norris 2nd and Piastri 3rd. Keep it up.

• The Mercedes' weekend got off to a difficult start with a disappointing Sprint race: Antonelli lost places at the start and received a penalty that dropped him to 6th place. The team worked
  hard to adjust the car’s set-up, and their efforts paid off. Antonelli secured a sensational pole position on Saturday evening and confirmed his form on Sunday, taking home his third consecutive victory. The head-to-head with George Russell has been just as dramatic. Whilst
  the Englishman looked the favourite at the start of the championship, he now seems to be feeling the pressure.
  He will surely show his mettle, as he is so good at doing in difficult moments.
  But for now he is trailing behind, and we are enjoying it a little.

• Perhaps Red Bull is the team that has impressed the most after McLaren. There is one striking statistic worth highlighting: they have gained a full 0.92 seconds per lap compared to the first three races. Even taking into account the fact that Miami suits them particularly well, the net improvement still
  stands at around 0.7 seconds. The steering updates have clearly made a difference. Since the start of the season, Verstappen had almost felt like a ‘passenger’ in the RB22: the car would understeer in one corner and oversteer in the next. Now that this has been resolved, we expect to see them up front more often.
  The team, however, admits there is still a lot of work to be done.

• Whilst the top teams battled it out for the podium, Alpine cemented its position as the queen of themidfield. The work that began with the sacrifice made in 2025 (when they abandoned development of the old car) is paying off. Franco Colapinto secured his best-ever result in
  his F1 career with a 7th-place finish. The French team capitalised on the early chaos and
  delivered a solid race. Despite Pierre Gasly’s retirement, caused by a spectacular rollover following contact with Lawson, the points scored by Colapinto consolidate their 5th place in the Constructors’ Championship. Remarkably, they are well on track.

• For Williams, Miami was a breath of fresh air. Both cars finished in the points. The
  strategy was spot on. They took advantage of the Safety Car period caused by the
  Gasly/Lawson crash to manage their pit stops perfectly. Particularly noteworthy was the prolonged and thrilling duel with Verstappen. Team Principal James Vowles’ comments confirmed expectations: “It’s great to see that the hard work of the last five weeks and the aerodynamic package are making us stronger. There’s a lot to do, but we’re on the right track”. The car still suffers from excessive weight, which limits its potential, but the one-two finish in Miami, boosts morale for the rest of the season.

THE BAD

• Haas took a step backwards. Their race pace wasn’t enough to finish in the points. Bearman described a car with “rear-end issues, especially at high speeds”. Team Principal Ayao Komatsu’s verdict was clear: “Many teams brought updates, we didn’t, so we knew it would be difficult”. Despite this, Komatsu saw progress in understanding the car, even if it still lacks the pace to consistently fight for points. We mustn’t give up if we want to stay close to Alpine.

• The good news for Aston Martin is that both cars saw the chequered flag for the first time in 2026. They are still a long way off the points, but it’s a start. The team has reduced the severe vibration issues that plagued the car at the start of the year. However, in terms of pure performance, the pace is dramatically slow. Alonso was eliminated in Q1 and started 18th. The Spaniard was very frank: the team will not bring any substantial updates to the car “before the 14th race of the season”.

THE UGLY

• It was a difficult weekend for Racing Bulls. The Lawson GP was marred by a collision with Gasly. Lindblad seemed a bit ‘off the game’. Pretty poor. They need to regroup because at the
  moment the Englishman isn’t performing at all. The car is certainly not easy to drive. We expect to be fighting for points. The only thing that springs to mind is that the fact Red Bull has improved bodes well for the lads at the former Alpha Tauri too.

• Finally, the long-awaited moment. Ferrari. What a disaster. Once again, it’s hard to believe what’s happened. You don’t make mistakes like that, even if you try. Yet it seems to be a common occurrence at Ferrari. The pit wall can’t formulate a race strategy and, to make matters worse, makes decisions for the drivers without consulting them. Hamilton remains something of a mystery. To be honest, we can’t wait for him to leave. The truth is, they don’t want to win. Or rather, not everyone does. Leclerc is doing what he can. Someone needs to save this lad. He gives it his all until, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, he makes a mistake and loses fourth place.
  We’ve been stuck in the Middle Ages for 15 years. We’re fed up.

• For Audi, Miami was probably the worst weekend of the season, marred by mechanical troubles, fire and disqualifications. The team showed incredible resilience, but also
  far too many problems. Hülkenberg had to miss the entire Sprint Race due to a fire breaking out on his car, with smoke and flames billowing from the exhaust. The mechanics performed a miracle in repairing the car for qualifying, literally rebuilding the engine and gearbox in record time. Bortoleto finished 11th in the Sprint, but was subsequently disqualified because his car did not comply with the technical regulations.
  The misery continued on Sunday. Hülkenberg was forced to retire. Bortoleto, after a spin and an unremarkable race, finished 12th. Team principal Allan McNish described it as “A very difficult day from start to finish”, praising the mechanics’ “courageous determination”.

• Cadillac is there, but you never see them. They’re a mystery. No one thought they’d do well from the start. Nor did anyone think they’d do this badly. There is very little to say about the American team. Despite a lacklustre weekend, Perez sees the glass as half full: “We’re heading in the right direction. We need to take this package back to the factory and make a couple of changes”.