Red Bull makes gains and Ferrari updates fall flat: A deep dive into the data from Miami
Teams up and down the grid brought some major upgrades to Miami, but all eyes were on the front to see who could catch Mercedes
Motorsport photo After a five-week break, the balance of power in Formula 1 appears to have shifted significantly. Although the winner in Miami – Kimi Antonelli – was the same as in Japan, a wave of updates and possible adjustments to battery usage may have reshuffled the competitive order in a lasting way. A look at the season averages from the first three race weekends of 2026 shows that Mercedes was initially the dominant force.
In qualifying, its advantage over the nearest rival stood at 0. 56 seconds, while in race pace they were ahead by as much as 0. 53s per lap.
In Miami, however, that margin shrank considerably. Antonelli’s pole lap yielded “only” a 0. 35s advantage, and in the race Mercedes managed to outpace McLaren by a mere 0.
02s per lap. Overall, the Silver Arrows lost around two tenths over a single lap and more than half a second in race pace compared to the start of the season. The reasons behind Mercedes’ dip: Are updates the only factor?
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