The 2024 Formula 1 season commenced with Red Bull leading the pack, while Ferrari emerged as their closest competitor. Meanwhile, McLaren found themselves engaged in a battle with Mercedes for the third spot on the podium.
However, during the sixth race in Miami, McLaren introduced a significant upgrade to their MCL38 car. This upgrade package, which was fully implemented in Norris’ car and partially in Piastri’s, reminded us of the mid-season package that turned their 2023 campaign around in Austria last year.
It is still premature to claim that Red Bull has lost their top position. McLaren’s impressive pace, coupled with a Safety Car intervention and Verstappen’s discomfort with his RB20 throughout the weekend, contributed to Norris defeating the reigning F1 champion in Miami on Sunday.
Nevertheless, Ferrari now finds themselves playing catch-up with McLaren. Despite this, Leclerc remains undeterred after securing a third-place finish in the Miami GP.
In Ferrari’s post-race report, Leclerc remarked, “It was a challenging race today [Sunday]. The first lap was a close call, and fortunately, we escaped without any damage, thanks to Sergio Perez’s daring move into Turn one that narrowly avoided wiping out Verstappen and both Ferraris.”
“We held on to second place, focusing on tire management. Unfortunately, we made an early pit stop, which ultimately cost us after the deployment of the Virtual Safety Car and Safety Car, allowing others to pit. We struggled with older tires and had to fight to maintain our pace.”
“We have upcoming upgrades, so hopefully, we can soon join the fight for victories. Congratulations to Lando Norris on his first victory; I hope he thoroughly enjoys it,” Leclerc concluded.
Sainz crossed the finish line in fourth place after engaging in a fierce battle with McLaren’s Piastri. He expressed his congratulations to Norris, stating, “I’m genuinely thrilled for him! He has deserved a win for quite some time, and today was his day.”
“Regarding my race, I would say the opposite; it wasn’t my day. The start was excellent, but I went from second place at turn one to fourth after having to avoid Perez. From there, I found myself in a DRS train for a few laps and decided to create a gap, take care of my tires, and extend my first stint to try a different strategy. Unfortunately, the Safety Car was deployed right after I pitted, and we missed an opportunity to lead the race. It is what it is.”
“However, I’m quite satisfied with my race because our pace was very strong, and at the end of the day, we earned valuable points for the team. Onward to the next one,” concluded the Spaniard.
However, following the race, Sainz was penalized with a five-second time penalty for contact with Piastri during an overtaking maneuver. As a result, he was classified in fifth place, with Perez being promoted to fourth.
At the time of writing this report, Sainz had not commented on his penalty. Ferrari simply announced the penalty without providing any additional remarks.
Carlos has been handed a 5-second penalty for his contact with Piastri during the race, causing him to drop to fifth place. #MiamiGP 🇺🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/pFdGi9D95D
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 6, 2024
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur expressed his congratulations to Lando Norris and McLaren for their victory, acknowledging Norris’ popularity in the paddock. Vasseur also highlighted the positive outcome for Formula 1 as a whole. He went on to discuss Ferrari’s performance, noting that they were able to keep up with Max Verstappen throughout the race. Vasseur admitted that they were unfortunate with the Safety Car incident involving Carlos Sainz, but emphasized the importance of focusing on the positives, particularly the strong pace displayed throughout the weekend. He mentioned that Charles Leclerc had a relatively straightforward race, while Sainz faced challenges at the start due to Sergio Perez’s mistake. Despite losing positions in the first two corners, Sainz showcased impressive pace and managed to recover towards the end. Vasseur concluded by looking ahead to the next Grand Prix in Imola and expressing the team’s determination to achieve a better result.