Fred Vasseur, the head of the Ferrari Formula 1 outfit, anticipates that the Miami Grand Prix in May will mark the commencement of a “fresh championship,” with teams intensely working to introduce significant enhancements.
While certain teams had gradually implemented improvements during the recent Japanese Grand Prix, the majority of leading competitors are holding back their primary developments until the initial weekend of May in Miami. This strategy was partly influenced by the postponement of April’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races, attributed to the conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran.
Vasseur had consistently highlighted that the season’s initial race in Australia merely served as the beginning of an extended and challenging contest, advising the team’s enthusiastic supporters to avoid excessive elation or despondency based on the early performance metrics for 2026.
Ferrari, having already demonstrated inventive strategies through its initial aerodynamic components—such as a widely discussed rotating rear wing—is among the teams anticipated to debut a substantial set of modifications at the event in Florida.
“Every competitor will introduce enhancements in Miami, as there will be an opportunity to refine software, which is why I stated a new championship would commence,” Vasseur conveyed to Sky Italy while in Japan. “We will not be the sole entity making progress between the Japanese Grand Prix and Miami, necessitating our vigilance. Nevertheless, it is accurate that we have a full month at our disposal, which is uncommon in Formula 1. All teams across the grid are working relentlessly to advance, and universal progress is expected – the resulting landscape remains to be seen.”
“Our objective is to consistently accumulate numerous points, achieve podium finishes, and maintain proximity to Mercedes. We must stay competitive in the overall rankings. The pace of advancement throughout the season will be exceptionally rapid, thus requiring us to persist with intense effort in the coming months to gather points and achieve strong outcomes.”
Toto Wolff, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
When Autosport inquired whether he shared this perspective on the Miami weekend, Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, responded: “Indeed, it’s an exciting prospect. Perhaps we would have preferred the momentum to carry into the two Middle Eastern events, allowing us to accrue additional points, but I concur with the assessment.”
“Teams have acquired knowledge, and drivers are progressively mastering the optimization of these systems to their advantage; we witnessed the initial signs of this today [during the Suzuka race]. What appeared to be a straightforward victory for us in the initial two races is no longer the reality, and we consistently issued warnings that this outcome was likely.”
“From my perspective, Miami will likewise serve as a fresh beginning. The effectiveness of the enhancements introduced by various teams will be observed. Furthermore, the extent to which we have fine-tuned all other systems will become apparent. It promises to be a thrilling period.”
The current world champion, McLaren, is also preparing its initial set of improvements, a strategy that was consistently scheduled for Miami irrespective of the developments in the Middle East.
The team has a track record of leveraging the Miami race weekend as a platform for advancement, with the 2023 event notably marking a significant shift as McLaren progressively ascended to a leading position on the grid.
However, in contrast to 2023, all of McLaren’s direct competitors will now be pursuing similar upgrade strategies, leading team principal Andrea Stella to not anticipate a sudden, significant surge in performance for the papaya-colored team relative to Mercedes and Ferrari.
The 2023 Miami Grand Prix was the starting point of McLaren’s journey to the front of the field.
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
“Considerable progress is being made in development, leading me to anticipate a notable enhancement of the vehicle in the forthcoming races, particularly commencing with Miami,” Stella stated in China. “However, it is evident that we must observe the pace of development among other teams, as all cars will undergo improvements. Therefore, our aim is to achieve a superior development rate compared to our rivals, mirroring our performance in 2023.”
The leading team most in need of modifications is Red Bull, which appeared utterly disoriented in Japan with an unmanageable RB22, seemingly plagued by inherent defects that impede its setup and ability to generate optimal traction.
What is the team’s assurance that it can utilize April to overcome its difficulties? Team principal Laurent Mekies responded: “We are certain that we will leverage that hiatus to achieve substantial progress.”
“We require the duration to thoroughly analyze our data. We need the period to integrate our data observations back into wind tunnel testing and our simulator. Experimenting with various sensitivities is also crucial, all of which can be accomplished without active racing.”
“Does this imply a miraculous resolution of all issues upon arrival in Miami? No. However, do I have confidence that the teams will fully comprehend the underlying problems and begin introducing enhancements as early as Miami? I believe that will be the case. Nevertheless, only the circuit performance and lap times will truly indicate if we are heading in the correct trajectory.”
“I do not believe we should anticipate an extraordinary turnaround, given the considerable performance deficit. Our aspiration, however, is to possess a vehicle that allows our drivers to exert maximum effort once more, enabling us to assess our standing against competitors under optimal conditions, and subsequently, the remainder of the year will focus purely on development.”
