Charles Leclerc: Ferrari upgrades to make no difference against Mercedes at F1 Miami GP

TL;DR

Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari's upgrades won't close the gap to Mercedes at the Miami GP. Despite having 11 updates, he thinks Mercedes will still outperform them.

Key points

Charles Leclerc doubts Ferrari's upgrades will close the gap to Mercedes
Ferrari has 11 updates, the most of any team
Mercedes has only two upgrades for the Miami GP
Mercedes has won all three races in 2026 so far
Miami is ideal for upgrades due to previous race cancellations

FerrariMercedesCharles LeclercMiami Grand Prix

Motorsport photo

Charles Leclerc reckons Mercedes will still be a step ahead of Ferrari at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, despite the Scuderia bringing several updates to its 2026 Formula 1 car.

The Italian outfit has 11 updated components across its SF-26, which is the most of any team, as Miami is the ideal place for upgrades due to the April rounds in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain being cancelled.

Mercedes on the contrary has only brought two upgrades this weekend, but Leclerc still thinks the Silver Arrows will remain the dominant force after winning all three grands prix so far in 2026.

Ferrari is instead facing pressure from third-placed McLaren, which was ahead on pace last time out in Japan and had Oscar Piastri on course for the win until an untimely safety car.

It has nevertheless applied seven upgrades to its MCL40 this weekend, meaning McLaren is one of seven teams to have brought more than five car updates to Miami.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Leclerc said: “It's going to be pretty unusual to see so many upgrades on so many different teams. Also for the way the season has been with the five-week break, so I'm pretty sure most of the people will have kind of new cars from here.