Charles Leclerc searching for answers after Ferrari pace disappears in Miami GP

Charles Leclerc was left frustrated after Ferrari’s competitiveness faded during the Miami Grand Prix, with the Scuderia driver unable to maintain the strong form he had displayed earlier in the weekend.

After taking third place in the sprint race and qualifying on the second row for Sunday’s main event, Leclerc initially looked capable of fighting at the front alongside Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris.

The Ferrari driver stayed involved in the lead battle during the opening laps, but his pace gradually dropped away as tyre degradation began to hurt the SF-26 more heavily than expected. As the race progressed, he started losing ground to the front-runners and came under increasing pressure from Oscar Piastri and George Russell behind.

Ferrari’s strategy was also compromised after Russell stopped earlier than expected, forcing the Italian team to react quickly. From that point onward, Leclerc’s race became increasingly difficult and eventually ended in disappointment after a dramatic final-lap battle cost him further positions and led to a post-race penalty.

Despite the chaotic finish, Leclerc suggested the key issue had already appeared much earlier in the race, as Ferrari simply lacked the pace it had shown during Saturday’s sprint.

Reflecting on the situation after the race, Leclerc explained, as quoted by RacingNews365.com:

“Medium [tyre], we weren't strong; we were degrading a massive amount. On the hard, it wasn't great at the beginning, then it picked up, and then it was a little bit better. But it was never at the level of the sprint.”

The eight-time grand prix winner stressed that Ferrari now needs to fully analyse why the car behaved so differently between Saturday and Sunday.

“We need to look at it. We've lost a lot of performance compared to then. And I would like to understand exactly what happened there,” the Ferrari driver added.