Ferrari unveils 11-part upgrade package for the SF‑26 in Miami
- Ferrari arrived at Miami with Formula 1’s biggest upgrade haul, filing 11 SF‑26 changes as Charles Leclerc then put the revised car fastest in Friday practice. (fia.com) - The package runs from front wing to rear wing — including floor, diffuser, suspension and Ferrari’s exhaust wing — but McLaren still took Sprint pole. (the-race.com) - That matters because Mercedes led the first three races, so Miami is the first real test of whether Ferrari’s chase package works. (the-race.com)
Ferrari brought a full-car upgrade to Miami because the 2026 season has started with a problem — Mercedes has been the benchmark, and Ferrari has needed a proper reset. Th(fia.com) front-running team this weekend. Then the first on-track signal landed fast: Charles Leclerc topped the only practice session on Friday. But the first co(the-race.com)ay. (fia.com) ### Why (the-race.com) corner aero furniture, front suspension fairings, several floor elements, the floor edge, diffuser area, rear suspension fairing, beam wing and rear wing, plus detail around its unusual exhaust-wing concept. Basically, Ferrari did not come to Miami trying to find a tenth in one corner — it came trying to change the car’s overall aerodynamic map. (the-race.com) ### What is Ferrari actually chasing? Load without wrecking efficiency. Ferrari’s own descriptions in the fil(fia.com)e car. That matters in 2026 because these new-rule cars are more sensitive, and a car that works only in one ride-height or balance window can look quick in practice and then disappear when conditions shift. (the-race.com) ### Why Miami for this? The calendar handed teams an unusual gap after the first three races, and Miami became the first real development checkpoint (the-race.com)ght only minor updates. That makes this weekend less like a normal round and more like version 2.0 of the 2026 pecking order. (the-race.com) ### Did Ferrari’s package work right away? Partly, yes. Leclerc went fastest in the extended sole practice session with a lap nearly three tenths quicker than Max Verstappen, with Oscar Piastri third. For a te(the-race.com)trong first read. It suggests the car was at least in the right window immediately. (fia.com) ### So why didn’t Ferrari lock down pole? Because one fast practice does not settle the balance of power. In Sprint Qualifying, Norris took pole for McLaren with a 1:27.869. Kimi Antonelli was sec(the-race.com)d car looked better, but McLaren still converted when the laps mattered most. (fia.com) ### What are McLaren and Red Bull doing? They did not stand still. McLaren’s Miami package includes revised front-corner furniture, engine-cover bodywork, sidepod inlet, floor geometry, r(fia.com)ront wing revisions and other updates through the car. The point is simple — Ferrari is not upgrading into empty space. Everyone near the front is trying to redraw the order at once. (fia.com) ### Why does Mercedes still matter here? Because Mercedes earned the righ(fia.com)t cuts that gap for real, over a weekend, not just over one session. Norris splitting the story by taking Sprint pole also shows Ferrari may have improved into a three-team fight rather than straight to the front. (the-race.com) ### Bottom line? Ferrari’s Miami package looks serious, and the early signs are good. But the first day also delivered the catch — the SF‑26 may be bet(fia.com)nally joined the real 2026 development race, not the weekend where it ended it. (fia.com)
