The Formula One pecking order for 2024 quickly emerged following the pre-season testing in Bahrain revealed McLaren and Ferrari were fighting to be the best of the rest behind Red Bull. Currently sitting fifty five points behind the Scuderia, McLaren lead the way in Miami in terms of upgrades they’ve brought for the MCL38.
The FIA reveal each race weekend, which teams have made changes to their car and what those changes are and for Miami, McLaren are looking to push on ahead Ferrari.
Upgrades listed for Miami
The team have brought a “completely revised “ new front wing design, new front suspension geometry, revised front and rear brake ducts, a revised sidepod inlet, new bodywork and a new engine cover with an updated louvre range and updated rear suspension together with a beam wing designed for the characteristics of the Miami circuit layout.
Mercedes too have detailed a minor floor upgrade, front suspension tweaks along with two circuit specific changes for Miami. Toto Wolff confirmed earlier in the week that the team would bring regular but small upgrades over the next few races.
Red Bull’s FIA submission reveals few changes to the RB20 car which won last time out in China with just an updated floor to reduce overall weight and performance.
Aston Martin have added extra cooling for drivers’ in the Florida heat along with Miami specific changes to the front and rear wing, beam wing and engine cover.
Ferrari and Alpine no upgrades
Williams are trialing a different front wing, while RB have a new floor and diffuser.
Sauber soon to become Audi have brought a Miami specific front and rear wings to the first round of the F1 2024 season in the USA. Hamas F1 add a small Gurney flap to their floor in the never ending search for more downforce.
Meanwhile the hapless Alpine have brought nothing to their car along with Ferrari who also choose to run the package they had last time out.
Lando Norris claimed a pole position in the Chinese Sprint and notched up his first P2 of the year on Sunday in the Grand Prix. Yet Oscar Piastri struggled with his tyre management and fell through the field finishing down in P8 with the Ferrari pair claiming P3 and P4.
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McLaren target same improvement trajectory
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella has been talking since the winter about the commitment of the McLaren F1 team to continue their upward trajectory from last season. This is an impressive objective given since the team’s big upgrade in Austria 2023 they scored more points over the remaining sixteen rounds than another team except Red Bull.
Lando Norris in that time scored more points than another driver, with the exception of Max Verstappen. Yet after the opening five rounds pot 2024, Stella appears to be hitting his goals and the new huge upgrade should see them comfortably ahead of Ferrari for the coming weekend.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc while ahead of team mate Carlos Sainz, has not been in the best form this season and were it not for the Spaniard missing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis, the pair would have scored a similar number of points for the year.
Charles Leclerc arrived in the Miami International Autodrome paddock decked out in the special Azzuro La Plata team clothing introduced for this weekend. The Monegasque said he was very proud to be wearing these blue colours that have not been seen on a Ferrari nor one of its drivers for quite some time.
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Ferrari retro blue livery
“This is one of my favourite colours and so I’m very happy to wear it,” he said. “Sure, when you walk past a mirror and see yourself in blue, for a moment you think you made a mistake getting dressed,” he joked.
“Once in a while you can have a change, even if a Ferrari can only be red and as you see the red has stayed on the SF-24, even if we’ve added a bit of light blue here and there, as well as the logo of HP, our new title partner.”
Carlos Sainz was candid about the team’s performance in China and believes that despite no upgrades they can improve this weekend. “The aim is to do better than in China, where we finished outside the top three,” he said.
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“I think the characteristics of this track could suit our car better, although we have to consider that nearly all our competitors have brought updates for their cars here and we haven’t done so yet. But I’m still reasonably optimistic although we will only know more tomorrow after the one free practice session.”
The circuit layout in Shanghai means the grip the cars fid is limited at the rear more than the front. This is a characteristic that has suited the Ferrari cars in the past few seasons. Yet it was McLaren who managed their race better than Ferrari, bringing home Lando Norris with a first P2 of the season for the British driver.
The Mercedes pair are battling with Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin for points and to date it has taken both the silver arrows drivers to keep Fernando at bay, while Lance Stroll as always has contributed only around a quarter of the Silverstone’s points accrued this year.
Newey departure: Marko breaks silence
Last Wednesday, Formula 1 racing team Red Bull confirmed the imminent departure of technical director Adrian Newey – much to the chagrin of motorsport director Dr. Helmut Marko. His departure comes at a time of change within Red Bull.
He is no longer involved in Formula 1, but his career is far from over. He is now focusing on the final development stages of the ambitious RB17 hypercar project under the Red Bull Technology Group. This new direction allows Red Bull to navigate Formula 1’s stringent financial regulations more effectively, redistributing resources while continuing to leverage Newey’s unparalleled expertise. Newey himself is enthusiastic about his new role, viewing it as an opportunity to pass the torch in Formula 1 and tackle new challenges…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
Hamas??? Hope that really is a typo? You mean Haas I imagine? God help us if the Spell checker went on strike!