Ferrari full of news in Miami, but Frederic Vasseur speaks out
After more than a month’s break, Formula 1 will return to the track for the Miami Grand Prix scheduled for Sunday, May 3. A stop that has inevitably given the various teams time and opportunity to work on the development of their single-seaters, Ferrari included. But although there will be no shortage of news about the SF-26 in the United States, Frederic Vasseur is preaching calm about the ambitions of the Rosse. Which, by the way, will bring to the track the long-awaited rear wing long since renamed “Macarena”.
“Such a long break in the middle of the season is strange,” Vasseur commented. “However, we took advantage of it to work intensively in Maranello. We have analyzed the data from the first races to prepare ourselves as best we can, and we will see a Ferrari on track with some updates especially from the aerodynamic point of view. However, we know that our opponents will also do the same, so we have to remain humble, focused and aware that we have to maximize the work.”
For those who may have missed the origins of the curious nickname of the highly anticipated aerodynamic appendage, it is worth remembering that it was Vasseur himself who coined it during winter testing in Bahrain, explaining to French journalists from ‘Canal+’ how the SF-26’s new rear wing works: a brand-new solution that does not just open up as required by the regulations, but performs an additional movement that allows it to “tip” backwards. “We call it the Macarena. Because it makes a movement where it looks like it lifts its arms and brings them backwards,” the team principal had revealed to the laughter of the press. It was a technical gimmick that had immediately attracted the attention of the competition.
The break thus represented a valuable opportunity for Ferrari, which showed encouraging signs in the first races of the season even though it was accusing a significant gap to the dominant Mercedes. Already after the Australian Grand Prix, Vasseur had framed the situation lucidly: “Overall they are half a second faster than us. We are going to bring some new things on the chassis soon, so then we will see what it will entail. Mercedes will also improve, it’s obvious.” A gap that the Maranello team is also aiming to close through the ADUO – Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities – the mechanism provided by the new rules that, based on the on-track performance of power units, can grant less competitive teams important development opportunities on the test benches.
In Ferrari’s house, however, optimism is not lacking. Lewis Hamilton, who has already scored a podium in the first races in China, had come into the season with great determination: “I know what to do. This is going to be a damn good season,” he had written on social media after winter testing. Charles Leclerc is also keeping his concentration high, aware that every detail can make a difference in such a balanced championship behind Mercedes.
The Miami Grand Prix thus promises to be a key appointment to understand whether the work done in Maranello during the long break has really allowed the Rossa to reduce the gap to the top. In the background, Florida will also host other illustrious players: according to reports, FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be present in the Miami paddock, where he will meet Paolo Zampolli, special envoy of the Trump administration, to discuss – among other things – Italy’s possible repechage to the 2026 World Cup. The Formula 1 circus, once again, confirms itself as a stage far beyond the boundaries of motor sports.
