Ferrari plans to utilize the mini pre-season in April to prepare for a fresh start in Miami.

      "Everyone will introduce innovations in Miami"

      Ferrari plans to treat the upcoming April break as a brief pre-season opportunity to reduce the gap to the dominant Mercedes. With the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races cancelled, the Maranello team has organized a rigorous schedule of testing and development for the entire month.

      The process starts immediately with a Testing of a Previous Car (TPC) program at Mugello on April 1-2, featuring drivers Antonio Giovinazzi, Arthur Leclerc, and Antonio Fuoco. Following that, Ferrari will assist Pirelli at Fiorano on April 9-10 by testing prototype wet and intermediate tyres for 2027, even using artificial watering on the track if necessary.

      A significant date is April 22, when Ferrari will utilize a filming day at Monza to test new components in preparation for the Miami race, staying within the 200km limit on demo tyres. Team principal Frederic Vasseur emphasized the importance of this period, referring to Miami as the beginning of a "new championship."

      "Everyone will bring innovations to Miami," he stated. "The engine manufacturers will have the opportunity to work on software updates. A new championship will commence there," he noted.

      "In qualifying, Mercedes has a lead of five to seven tenths of a second, although this advantage is comparatively less during the race. However, we won’t be the only ones putting in hard work between Japan and Miami. All teams are striving to improve, and there will be advancements for everyone. We must focus on every aspect this month."

      Ferrari’s biggest challenge remains engine performance, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton recognizing a significant difference compared to Mercedes. However, the team is not in a position to address this directly at the moment.

      "Clearly, we can’t bring anything new to Miami concerning the engine. We’ll concentrate on other areas," Leclerc commented. Instead, Ferrari is pinning its hopes on the ADUO system, which is expected to be implemented around mid-season and would enable trailing manufacturers to make specific improvements to their power units.

      Off the track, Hamilton's integration continues to progress. After working with a temporary race engineer in the initial rounds, Cedric Michel-Grosjean — brought in from McLaren — is anticipated to officially take over from Miami. However, former driver Christijan Albers questioned Hamilton’s public comments following Suzuka.

      "I don’t think it was a wise move on Hamilton’s part," he remarked, referencing the seven-time world champion’s complaints about a power deficit compared to Leclerc’s car. "He was satisfied with everything in China, and then we arrive in Japan, and Hamilton comes out for an interview looking as if he’s at a funeral."