F1 Miami FP1 results: Ferrari on top with Charles Leclerc ahead of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. Charles Leclerc tops FP1 at the Miami Grand Prix with Ferrari’s upgraded SF-26.

Ferrari emerged as the fastest team at the conclusion of the sole free practice session for the Miami GP. Charles Leclerc appeared particularly comfortable behind the wheel of the SF-26, which featured a significant update package that seemed to deliver immediate results. The Monegasque driver clocked a 1’29″310 on soft tires—a time just over two seconds slower than last year’s benchmark. There is a growing sense that the new energy management regulations introduced by the FIA are producing positive outcomes.

While the Scuderia clearly made the most of the forced one-month break, it is perhaps too early to declare the “Rossa” as the absolute class of the field. One reason for caution is that championship leader Kimi Antonelli had to abandon his qualifying simulation due to an apparent battery issue. Consequently, the Bologna native had to settle for the fifth-fastest time, set on hard tires, seven-tenths off the lead. Despite the setback, Antonelli remained satisfied with his setup and finished ahead of his title rival, George Russell. The Englishman did utilize the soft compound but failed to find performance, spending much of the session making numerous setup adjustments.

Slotting in behind Leclerc was a Max Verstappen who appeared more upbeat than usual. The Dutchman is driving an RB22 that has been heavily modified throughout, most notably featuring a unique “reverse” rear wing that opens in the opposite direction of Ferrari’s “Macarena” wing. Max split his session to evaluate every available tire compound, whereas his main rivals focused primarily on the hards and softs.

The Milton Keynes-based car finished 297 thousandths behind the Ferrari and was followed by Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, though the Australian was nearly half a second off the lead pace. The “Papaya” team focused heavily on aerodynamic correlation for their highly innovative new package. Lando Norris ended the session in seventh, but the World Champion’s flying lap was compromised by a slow-moving Alexander Albon in the Williams.

Pierre Gasly was the “best of the rest,” showing strong performance in the Alpine to finish ahead of Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull. It appeared the Frenchman was used as a test subject, running a different program than Verstappen: while the four-time World Champion focused on Sprint race prep, Gasly dedicated his time to the main Grand Prix setup.

Lewis Hamilton followed a similar path in the second SF-26, finishing over four-tenths behind his teammate Leclerc. The seven-time World Champion didn’t seem to find the same level of confidence as the Monegasque. His flying lap was marred by a few small errors, though his ultimate potential is undoubtedly higher than the timesheet suggests.

The top 10 was rounded out by Carlos Sainz in an improved Williams, with teammate Albon sitting 12th in the FW48. Sandwiched between the Grove cars was Franco Colapinto in the second Alpine A526. The Argentine driver appeared energized following a home demonstration run in front of half a million fans.

Haas failed to impress with a car that brought virtually no updates: Oliver Bearman finished 13th, while Esteban Ocon was down in 16th. The Frenchman’s performance was disappointing, as he trailed his teammate by six-tenths—a gap that is starting to draw significant attention.

Audi showed little sign of progress, with Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg finishing 14th and 15th respectively. Racing Bulls stood out more for their special yellow livery than their pace: Liam Lawson finished 17th, while Arvid Lindblad struggled to adapt to the street circuit, ending the session in 21st.

Sergio Perez moved the Cadillac-Ferrari up to 18th, finally lifting the team away from the very back of the grid. The American squad brought a major update package to their first home race. The Mexican driver will take some satisfaction in being six-tenths quicker than a struggling Valtteri Bottas.

Aston Martin missed the first 25 minutes due to a hybrid system issue that affected both cars. Fernando Alonso managed a lap on softs to put himself 19th, while a demotivated-looking Lance Stroll finished last. The “Green” car has not changed a single bolt, as development has been temporarily frozen to prioritize Honda’s growth—though that progress has yet to materialize on track.

Miami GP – FP1 Results

In summary, Charles Leclerc’s chart-topping performance in the extended Miami GP practice session sends a strong signal for Ferrari’s weekend prospects, even as technical issues for competitors like Kimi Antonelli suggest the competitive order remains fluid heading into Sprint Qualifying.