MIAMI — Scuderia Ferrari showed signs of promise at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix sprint weekend despite being outpaced in qualifying, with Charles Leclerc delivering an upbeat message to the tifosi after a tricky day in the Florida heat.
Mixed Weekend for Ferrari
After topping the timesheets in practice — setting the fastest lap in the sole session with a strong 1:29.310 — Leclerc appeared to have the pace to challenge the frontrunners. However, qualifying told a different story: the Monegasque finished fourth in the sprint qualifying session, behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ young championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Leclerc was candid about the team’s shortfall: “We struggled with tyres today in the heat. On mediums we were working very well, but it was not such a nice feeling on the softs, so we have to look at that.”
Despite the result, Leclerc expressed confidence in Ferrari’s race pace, insisting that the upgraded SF-26 package gives them a chance to fight back on Sunday: “We know that we’re stronger in race pace but we have work to do in qualifying. I’m sure we have the pace to get back to the front in the race and we just have to see if we can find a way to overtake.”
Upgrades, Heat and Competition
Ferrari brought significant upgrades to Miami — the most substantial of any team this weekend — but so did several rivals. McLaren in particular made a notable leap forward, improving their competitiveness markedly. “Our upgrades are fine, but it’s just that everybody has brought upgrades here,” Leclerc added.
He also acknowledged Mercedes still appears strong and that McLaren has made a major step forward since early races this season.
Leclerc’s message to Ferrari supporters was one of realistic optimism: while qualifying was disappointing, the team’s race pace and improvements provide a platform to score points and potentially climb through the field during Sunday’s main race.
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