Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle said Ferrari will be one of the teams likely to take a “huge step” in performance at the Miami Grand Prix as they aim to close the gap on Mercedes as the race for the top spot in 2026 remains “wide open”.
Brundle believes F1’s return to action in the US will be “something of a restart of the season” after the sport’s forced break in April, with teams given extra time to work on “drastically changed and hopefully improved cars” that could change places.
Mercedes restart the campaign as the clear winner, having won all three races so far with Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli and teammate George Russell.
Ferrari and its drivers were closest to Mercedes in the standings, with teammates Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finishing third and fourth in the drivers’ championship, eight points behind, in an entertaining wheel-to-wheel battle in both China and Japan.
“Lewis is clearly enjoying these cars more,” Brundle said of Hamilton, who beat Ferrari’s Grand Prix podium at the second race of the season in Shanghai, ahead of an even tougher weekend in which he finished sixth at Suzuka and Leclerc third.
“I think again that Ferrari is more competitive and can be a big step for Miami.
“Lewis obviously prefers this type of car to the season he spent in ground-effect cars, which crashed into the ground and was very brutal, but it didn’t seem to suit his style.
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As F1 resumes this weekend in Miami after a long break, we take a look back at what happened in the first three races of the season.
“But if you just look at his mood and the way he’s doing, he seems much happier because Ferrari is more competitive.
“To win the world championship with another Ferrari or something like that, he has to beat Charles Leclerc.
“Let’s see if he can keep it up. I think Lewis is still more than capable of taking it if there’s a whiff of victory in the air.”
Hamilton and Leclerc last won a race in 2024, while Ferrari’s own victories date back to October of the same year, when Carlos Sainz won in Mexico City.
The season resumes with the second sprint weekend of the year in Miami, a race won by McLaren in the past two seasons, but Mercedes remains favorites to win after having a 100% winning start heading into the new F1 regulation era in 2026.
But with 19 races remaining this season, Brundle believes it is still too early to make a definitive decision on the new ruleset and car development.
“I think it’s completely open,” Brundle said.
“We have sprint week in Miami, so we have sprint points and grand prix points to earn.
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Martin Brundle thinks Miami will feel like a restart of the season after rule update and F1 forced suspension
“This is going to ebb and flow. There’s so much upside potential with these cars that I see them leapfrogging other teams with some upgrades.
“Anyone of the top four teams, that is, any of the eight drivers, has a chance of winning this year’s world championship.”
Sky Sports F1 Miami GP Schedule
Thursday, April 30th
7pm: Drivers press conference
10pm: Paddock Uncut
Friday, May 1st
2:35pm: F2 practice
4:30pm: Miami GP Practice 1 (session starts at 5pm)*
7:25pm: F2 Qualifying
8:10pm: Team boss press conference
8:40pm: Miami GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 9:30pm)
Saturday, May 2nd
2:55pm: F2 Sprint
4pm: Miami GP sprint build-up
5pm: Miami GP Sprint
6:30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook
8pm: Miami GP qualifying build-up*
9pm: Miami GP Qualifying*
11pm: Ted’s Qualification Notes*
Sunday, May 3rd
5:25pm: F2 Feature Race
7pm: Miami GP Build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
9pm: Miami Grand Prix*
11pm: Miami Grand Prix reaction: Checkered flag*
12am: Ted’s Notes*
*Also held at Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 resumes on Friday with the Miami Grand Prix, the second sprint weekend of the season, being broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
