'Miami proves that even Verstappen is still in contention for the world title'

With five weeks between the last Grand Prix and the one in Miami, teams had plenty of time to work on updates for Miami. The Grand Prix in America had already been earmarked as an important race for new upgrade packages, but with the cancellation of the races in the Middle East, the focus intensified even more.

It’s not as if update packages can be created in five weeks. From an idea to the final part on the car takes months to half a year in Formula 1. That entire process from concept to finished product simply takes a lot of time. So it’s not the case that all these updates came about because of the weeks off.

What it did do was make the final phase of these updates more intensive. Teams had data from three Grands Prix and could now really dive into improving the car. Most teams therefore chose to bring the updates to Miami already.

Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull Racing in particular brought a substantial update package. During a sprint weekend there is always less time to test new parts, but after Miami there’s another three-week break and yet another sprint weekend in Canada. Bringing the updates now already made more sense for many.

The updates seem to be paying off for the three teams. Normally it takes some time to understand and maximize an upgrade package of this size, but all three teams have already made a big step forward. Pole position went to Lando Norris, while both Ferraris were also found at the front. Max Verstappen ended up P5, but after trailing by 1-1.5 seconds in the last few qualifying sessions, the gap to pole was down to just half a second.

And so there is excitement in the Miami paddock. After it seemed for three Grands Prix that things were clearly tilting Mercedes’ way, it’s now becoming clear how important in-season development will be. In addition, a weak spot has surfaced again at Mercedes: reliability. Just like in China, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli repeatedly struggled with power unit issues. For both, that meant lost time in practice.

Still, an important caveat must be made: Mercedes brought hardly any updates to Miami. The German team chose to postpone the upgrade package, likely until Canada. If Mercedes brings the next package there, the pecking order could easily look different again.

But above all, the sprint qualifying brings hope. Hope for a championship in which multiple teams can mix it up in the fight and in which possibly even Max Verstappen can make a push for wins. 2026 will be a battle of development. Mercedes had the best car at the start of the season, but whereas in other years that might have been a guarantee for a title, this year you may need to have the best car towards the end of the season.