Ferrari’s disappointing performance at the Miami Grand Prix saw their drivers finish in seventh and eighth place, trailing the winner Oscar Piastri by over a minute. Telemetry data from Lewis Hamilton’s race helped reveal how Ferrari’s SF-25 struggled throughout the weekend, highlighting critical setup flaws and questionable strategic decisions that left the Italian team far from the front. The telemetry analysis shows how better timing in driver swaps and tire management might have improved Ferrari’s chances, but ultimately, deep-rooted issues with the car’s balance were impossible to overcome.
The weekend began poorly for Ferrari as their qualifying results showed. Lewis Hamilton failed to reach Q3, ending up 12th, while teammate Charles Leclerc managed only eighth, behind the two Williams drivers. This clear gap of more than half a second from pole position was an early indicator that the SF-25 lacked the performance needed to fight at the front. Telemetry showed significant time losses in braking zones and corner exits, where an unstable rear end compromised traction and acceleration.
In the first sector of the track, telemetry revealed that Leclerc lost over 0.4 seconds compared to Max Verstappen, mostly through Turn 1 and the fast corners from Turns 4 to 6. The rear instability became even more pronounced in the slower second sector, where Verstappen extended his lead significantly. Between Turns 11 and 16, Leclerc struggled with severe oversteer and poor rear grip, conditions exacerbated by overheating tires that made the SF-25 difficult to control. By Saturday, it was painfully clear that Ferrari would be slow in Miami, although perhaps not to this extreme.
Race day brought more frustration as both Williams cars demonstrated better pace than Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton was nearly a second slower on average than Oscar Piastri, underlining the severity of Ferrari’s deficit. This left the Italian team languishing as roughly the fifth fastest on the grid, a startling contrast to expectations heading into the season.
Starting on hard tires while Leclerc opted for mediums, Hamilton managed to overtake Hadjar off the line but soon found himself stuck behind Ocon’s Haas, unable to pass until lap 23. Meanwhile, Leclerc was held up at eighth place behind both Williams drivers. By that point, both Ferraris had already lost valuable time to their competition, making any recovery difficult. Albon and Sainz, by contrast, focused their strategy around managing Mercedes, a tactic that ultimately benefited Ferrari by comparison.
The race was briefly interrupted by a virtual safety car following Bearman’s mechanical failure. This offered Ferrari an opportunity to pit their drivers with reduced time loss as pit stops under VSC conditions cost roughly 11 seconds compared to 20 seconds under normal racing speeds. While luck was on Ferrari’s side here, with Albon and Sainz having pitted just a few laps prior, the team still failed to capitalize fully on this strategic window.
After the safety car period, Leclerc found himself sandwiched between the two Williams cars, and Hamilton was ahead of Tsunoda, who had also pitted shortly before the caution. On lap 31, Sainz overtook Leclerc, sparking a struggle involving both Ferrari drivers closely pursuing the Spaniard. Sainz’s pace seemed good enough to hold off the Ferraris initially, but another virtual safety car soon altered the dynamics again.
Leclerc exploited the restart to immediately reclaim the position from Sainz, with Lewis Hamilton also benefiting by gaining a spot. Their next target was Antonelli in sixth place, who had extended his lead to more than two seconds as the Ferraris battled with Sainz. Here, telemetry insight revealed an important difference: Hamilton, running on medium tires, was clearly faster than Leclerc, who was struggling with tire degradation and poor grip. Hamilton voiced his frustration about driving in his teammate’s dirty air, warning that continuing this way risked burning out his tires prematurely.
The telemetry suggests Ferrari missed a critical opportunity by not swapping Hamilton and Leclerc’s positions earlier. The exchange finally occurred on lap 39 but ideally should have happened sooner, as Sainz was already 1.6 seconds behind, well outside DRS range. While it’s difficult to quantify exactly how much Hamilton’s tires suffered from following in dirty air, after the switch, both drivers demonstrated nearly identical pace and slowly began closing in on Antonelli, though not quickly enough to mount a serious attack.
As the race neared its conclusion, tire wear forced Hamilton to lose pace, prompting another position swap on lap 53. This time, Leclerc showed improved speed, cutting the gap to Antonelli to under two seconds by the finish. Both Ferraris struggled to optimize tire usage during the race, with Hamilton faltering early and Leclerc late in their stints. The telemetric evidence underscores a lack of effective communication and coordination from the team, elements that could have made a crucial difference in challenging their rivals.
Ultimately, Ferrari’s main problem lies in the SF-25’s demanding setup, which is highly sensitive to ride height changes and difficult to dial in consistently. The performance window of the car is narrow, and engineers are still fighting to find a configuration that delivers stability and pace. This technical challenge, compounded by suboptimal race strategy, was evident throughout Miami and demands urgent attention before the season progresses.
Looking ahead, the Formula 1 circus now shifts to Europe, marking a critical phase for Ferrari’s campaign. The telemetry data from Hamilton’s race serves not only as a precise diagnosis of Miami’s failures but also as a call to action for the team. Closing the gap to frontrunners like McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes requires both mechanical improvements and smarter race management. Without swift progress, Ferrari risks falling further behind in what promises to be a fiercely competitive season.
As one expert put it,
Ferrari’s struggles in Miami highlight the harsh reality of modern F1 where small flaws in setup and strategy can translate to massive losses on track.
Lewis Hamilton’s telemetry analysis has been invaluable, shedding light on where Ferrari must improve if they hope to return to their past glory and contend seriously for victories and championships.
