
Leclerc leads Miami FP1 as Ferrari upgrade debuts
Charles Leclerc topped the 90-minute FP1 in Miami with a lap of 1:29.310, 0.297 seconds clear of Max Verstappen. Oscar Piastri was third in McLaren’s revised MCL40.
The FIA granted an extra 30 minutes to Friday’s FP1 under the new sprint regulations, and teams used the extended running to debut major upgrade packages ahead of the compressed weekend. Red Bull brought multiple changes including the ‘Macarena’ wing plus floor and rear-brake work. McLaren ran a heavily revised MCL40 and Piastri used flo-vis paint to gather aero data. Ferrari introduced a substantial update that proved quickest in the session.
Mercedes fitted only minor upgrades and suffered power-unit concerns. George Russell reported a noisy turbo, pitted with a suspected turbo issue and was late to run, leaving the team down the timesheets. Aston Martin experienced early power-unit and electrical teething problems that initially kept Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso in the garage before both cars later collected data. The issues raised reliability questions for some Honda-powered runners. Friday’s sprint qualifying will further test the upgrades and any fixes.
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