Ferrari improvement not yet done in Miami: ‘The most important thing is to have a good starting position’

It was the first time since the start of the season that we did not see a Ferrari driver on the podium. In the Chinese Grand Prix, the team from Maranello could not overtake the two cars from Red Bull Racing and Lando Norris’ McLaren. According to many, Ferrari should come up with improvements in Miami to avoid a disappointing result, but according to the Italian. form1a.uno there is no rush in the Italian racetrack.

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fourth and fifth after the race at the Shanghai International Circuit. “We didn’t use the car’s potential this weekend,” Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur said after the race.

China was a different story

Contrary to the improvements that fans would like to see in Miami, there are also rumors that SF-24’s dismal performance was not entirely due to a lack of improvements. Last weekend Formula 1 returned to China for the first time in five years and that brought uncertainty. No team had previously driven a new generation of Formula 1 cars on the circuit. In addition, the circuit in Shanghai also served as the stage for the first race of the 2024 season.

After the race in China, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella also said that his team is expecting the first MCL38 upgrade package in Miami. The British racing team managed to get Norris to the podium in Shanghai. Vasseur has previously expressed his belief that Ferrari, second in the constructors’ championship, is closer to McLaren than Red Bull. The results that McLaren achieved with Norris in China show that the problem with the car is not only due to a lack of refinement. For example, Ferrari was surprised by the asphalt at the Shanghai circuit, which caused the data obtained to differ greatly from the simulations. So Ferrari had a lot of problems with the hard tire.

Improvements in Imola

According to Italy form1a.uno the Miami track will not provide the right conditions for Ferrari to start the upgrades. There have long been rumors about the improvements that Ferrari will make. The upgrade package would be called ‘Round07’ and would make the SF-24 ‘version 2.0’. Especially after the introduction of four RB20 upgrades at Suzuka, the pressure is mounting on the Italian team to improve its car significantly.

The team in Miami could implement a few minor updates. Similar minor changes have also been used during race weekends in Australia and Japan. Vasseur doesn’t reveal too much about what the Italian racing team’s plan is. According to the boss of the team, the priorities of the Ferrari team are mainly in improving the performance in qualifying for the race. ‘Imola updates? Every penny pays off, as is also evident from the gaps in qualification. This means that any innovation we bring can make a difference. The most important thing for us is to start from a good position on the grid.’