McLaren proves upgrade quality beats Ferrari quantity in Miami showdown
Lando Norris is the first non-Mercedes driver to secure pole this season.
McLaren may have brought fewer upgrades to Miami than Ferrari, but the reigning champions once again proved that quality matters more than quantity.
Formula 1’s unscheduled spring break allowed Mercedes’ rivals to focus solely on developing their cars in the factory after the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races were cancelled.
Why McLaren’s upgrades outperform Ferrari in Miami
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It meant several teams, notably Ferrari, introduced a host of new parts when the championship resumed with the Miami Grand Prix.
Ferrari brought 11 new parts, including a new floor and a revised Macarena wing, while McLaren and Red Bull both introduced seven updates.
All but one of McLaren’s upgrades were the result of the completely new floor that the team introduced, with the reigning world champions stating that it would bring “an increase in aerodynamic load and efficiency across all conditions”.
McLaren overhauled Ferrari as Mercedes’ closest challenger at the Miami Grand Prix, not only claiming the 1-2 in the Sprint but also joining Kimi Antonelli on the grand prix podium.
McLaren not only ended Ferrari’s podium run, but it became the first time this season to outscore Mercedes – 48 to 45 points.
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It’s not the first time McLaren has won a development war, doing so in 2024 when its Miami upgrades propelled Lando Norris to his first win of that season, and again last year when Oscar Piastri and Norris took the chequered flag half a minute ahead of third-placed George Russell.
“That’s always the theme,” former F1 driver Timo Glock told Sky Deutschland.
“Everything you try in the wind tunnel, you need to implement one-to-one on the track. You have to work very efficiently and that’s definitely the case at McLaren.
“No matter what new parts they bring to the car, it works.
“They understand it immediately, they can immediately translate it into lap time.
“That’s what McLaren has done very, very convincingly and very well in recent years.”
But while McLaren was 1-2 in the Sprint, the drivers lost out to championship leader Kimi Antonelli in the grand prix.
The Italian claimed pole position on the Saturday and followed that up with a three-second winning margin over Norris, with Piastri joining them on the podium.
Glock, though, was impressed with how Norris was able to keep the pressure on Antonelli all the way to the chequered flag whereas in previous races, Mercedes had stormed into the distance.
“You definitely had to extend your elbows clearly,” said the German. “It was McLaren’s turn, especially Lando Norris, who looked very, very strong over the race distance.
“In between, we heard Antonelli complain about too high tyre temperatures. This shows that he really had to go to the maximum.
“With Lando Norris, it looked a little more controlled. Now, of course, we have to wait and see.”
Mercedes could yet regain its dominance at the next race in Canada as that is when the Brackley squad will bring its big update to the track, having only introduced two new parts in Miami.
“Mercedes is one race cycle behind in terms of upgrades,” Glock continued. “Mercedes will now come with the big package, and they can of course extend their lead again.
“But at the moment it’s clearly come together much more, even with Max Verstappen.”
Mercedes leads the Constructors’ Championship with 180 points, 70 ahead of Ferrari and a further 16 up on McLaren.
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