While Ferrari has been coy about the updates it has lined up for the inaugural Miami GP, it has some stuff in the works which could tip the balance in favour of the Italian team which had a bloodied nose on its home weekend recently. Ferrari's F1-75 is the only car on the grid which has been running largely in the configuration it was unveiled in at Barcelona for the first pre-season test. Ferrari has focused on understanding the car before bringing updates in light of the F1 budget cap.
Red Bull introduced new sidepods at the end of pre-season testing which reduced its porpoising and has given its car comparable performance. But it has also been revealed that Red Bull has a potent low drag wing which enables it devastating top speed despite Ferrari's more drivable and more powerful engine. This low drag wing allowed Verstappen to overtake Leclerc in the dying moments of the Saudi Arabian race and also in the sprint race in Imola. Red Bull also brought an update to Imola which allowed it to run a lighter car which gave it a performance benefit.
On the back of the F1-75, Leclerc has won two races and leads the world championship
Ferrari, however, has been biding its time. It hasn't unleashed the true potential of the new hybrid engine. In Australia, it unlocked an extra 5bhp but was said to be waiting for Miami to unleash more power. Ferrari had been running a reliability validation test on the engine and that process is said to be over. In fact, Carlos Sainz Jr, it introduced a new power unit at Imola which he used to great effect in the Imola sprint race to jump from P10 to P4.
Leclerc is said to get this new engine spec which unleashes more power in Miami which has a long straight. In addition to this, Ferrari is also getting a new low drag wing which could further counter what Red Bull has had in order to maximise overtaking potential when in the DRS zone.
Ferrari has also been testing a new floor that will also help reduce its weight, even though it is already lighter than the Red Bull. This new floor has been tested twice now in the previous two race weekends, but considering the massive porpoising the Ferrari is prone to - it could debut in Miami so that the F1-75 retains its edge.
The bigger undercurrent is that Ferrari has not unleashed the true potential of its new power unit which hasn't just helped it to overtake Mercedes and Red Bull but also benefited Alfa Romeo and Haas greatly.
