Carlos Sainz Jr of Spain, driving for Ferrari SF-24, participated in the Formula 1 World Championship, Round 6, Miami Grand Prix in Miami, Florida, USA, on May 4, 2024. On the Sprint and Qualifying Day, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella expressed optimism about the team’s chances of competing with Ferrari and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez for a place on the podium.
Despite showing promising speed with their updated MCL38 car during the early stages of the weekend, McLaren found themselves trailing behind Ferrari and Red Bull during the crucial moments. Lando Norris, who made mistakes in the first sector, missed out on pole position for the Sprint. He also faced challenges with the Soft tires, which led him to try the Medium tires during qualifying. As a result, Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had fewer upgrades on his car, had to settle for starting on the third row of the grid for the race.
However, Stella remains positive that the McLaren team can focus on challenging the cars ahead of them to secure a podium finish, rather than solely focusing on the Mercedes cars behind them. Stella stated, “I think we can compete with Ferrari and hopefully with Perez as well. I was more optimistic yesterday as the car seemed to perform well compared to Ferrari and Red Bull. However, it seems that we have remained at a similar level today, while Ferrari and Red Bull may have gained some performance. We will have to see how this translates into the race tomorrow.”
During the Sprint, Norris suffered the consequences of being out of position on the grid. He was eliminated at Turn 1 when the two Aston Martin drivers made contact and collided with him. Piastri, on the other hand, struggled to overtake Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz due to the turbulent wake created by their cars. Stella admitted that it was challenging to assess McLaren’s potential in race conditions based on the Sprint. He explained, “It’s difficult for us to evaluate the Sprint because one car was immediately out of the race, and the other car was following Carlos, who was following Daniel. So it’s hard to determine, but I believe we are capable of racing against the cars ahead of us.”
Despite implementing a significant upgrade package for this weekend’s race in Miami, Stella has cautioned that the intense heat has not been advantageous for their 2024 package.
“Miami has historically been a challenging event for us,” Stella remarked, referring to McLaren’s poor performance last season before the upgrades were introduced.
“The extreme temperatures are not ideal for our car’s characteristics, so we acknowledge that there are some limitations.
“However, we will still participate in the race tomorrow with the aim of securing a podium finish.”
While the race is expected to involve a single pit stop, Stella believes that teams may utilize the undercut strategy to gain positions.
“The undercut can be a powerful tactic, as even though the tire degradation is relatively lower compared to races in Japan or China, fitting new rubber – even the Hard compound – provides a significant advantage on the first lap. This could result in an undercut of around one second over a span of 20 laps,” he explained.
“However, I anticipate that this race will have relatively low tire degradation, which may lead to teams extending their first stint. Starting on a certain compound, such as Medium, could allow for a longer initial stint. Therefore, the timing of the pit stop could become a tactical decision.”
Regarding tire selection, Stella mentioned the performance of the Soft compound during the Sprint race and its potential impact on the main event.
“The usage of the Soft tire could be a consideration for some teams. Although starting on Softs does not guarantee a significant grip advantage on the first lap, as we saw in the Sprint race where the Medium compound was just as fast, it may still present an opportunity for certain cars. Therefore, I would say that the Medium compound is a better choice for the start.”