Ferrari see ‘significant difference’ in performance levels after lacklustre time in Miami

Ferrari stated they see significant differences in the performance levels between qualifying and race sessions as the team are hoping for improvements in Imola.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen charged through the field in Miami to secure the race win from an unlikely ninth-place start on the grid, whereas the Ferrari duo had to settle for a finish amongst the Mercedes drivers.

The Scuderia had good pace over one lap on Saturday and secured a third-place start – with Carlos Sainz – ahead of the main event thanks to an untimely crash from Charles Leclerc which ended qualifying. The Monegasque’s car became unsettled into the long left-hander of turns six and seven and quickly found the barrier, bringing out the session-ending red flag.

In racing conditions, the Monegasque-Spanish pairing failed to challenge Red Bull and Aston Martin out in front and finished the race fifth and seventh beside the Mercedes duo of George Russell (fourth) and Lewis Hamilton (sixth).

Discussing the team’s difference in performance, Ferrari Team Principal, Frédéric Vasseur said:

“Once again today, the significant difference between the SF-23’s performance level in qualifying and the race was clear to see. Both Carlos and Charles found the car hard to drive and that is reflected in the result.

“Carlos was competitive in the first stint but then struggled quite a lot to run at a consistent pace after switching to the Hards, while Charles found it difficult on the Medium in the opening laps and only got into a good rhythm in the final stages.

“Therefore, finding some consistency in the car’s performance has to be our number one priority, especially in terms of tyre management, so that the confidence the drivers have in qualifying can be replicated in the race.”

While the Scuderia are good with the one-lap performance needed for a decent qualifying result, the team’s race pace is much to be desired.

According to the drivers, a couple of factors led to a lack of performance from the Ferrari duo during the first of three Grand Prix in the United States of America.

Sainz believed he pushed on too much on the hard tyres to cut his way through the traffic, in a bid to ‘undercut Fernando early, which paid the price in the latter stages of the race. Whereas Leclerc suffered from the car bottoming out at high speed and ‘had to focus on bringing the car home.’

In general, both drivers have stated they are frustrated with the lack of performance under race conditions, remaining optimistic Leclerc said:

“We have to work on understanding why we are so competitive in qualifying and off the pace in the race. We will keep pushing and hopefully, with the upgrades we have coming, we can make a step forward.”

2023 on the whole has been a relatively poor start for the Prancing Horse as they have failed to secure a race win this season, unlike their 2022 campaign where they had already secured two victories at the same point of the season.

The sport heads to Imola next week for the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Ferrari’s first of two home races in front of the Tifosi this season.

During the one-week break before another race weekend, Vassuer has stated the team will be working hard back at their factory, in Maranello, to develop updates.

“We will now be continuing to work flat out in Maranello on developing updates as well as on optimising the car package, with the aim of already getting more out of it at the next race in front of our Tifosi in Imola,” Vasseur concluded.

That’s all for the article: Ferrari see ‘significant difference’ in performance levels after lacklustre time in Miami!

What did you think of Ferrari’s performance in Miami? Let us know in the comments!

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Miami GP: Verstappen secures second win in Florida from 9th on grid
• Miami GP: Perez on pole in shocking mixed up grid
• Miami GP: Live coverage of FP3
• 2023 Miami GP: FP1 Live Coverage
• EA F1 23 to release June 16 featuring Las Vegas Circuit and return of Braking Point
• F1 Race Report: Perez becomes first two-time winner in Azerbaijan!

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.