MIAMI · MAY 2026 · ROUND 4 · AFTER THE FIVE-WEEK GAP
2026 Miami Grand Prix · Round 4
THE STORY
Antonelli, Verstappen, and Leclerc went three-wide into Turn 1. Two of them had a difficult Sunday. Antonelli did not.
Gary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
Verstappen's points tally through four rounds: 3. His pre-season championship probability was 18% in my model. His current championship probability, updated for actual results: 2.4%. I would like to formally apologise to anyone who followed the 2.4% and had it as a structural position in their portfolio. The Red Bull-Ford combination has not found the performance the pre-season testing suggested was possible, and Miami did not help.
Norris second, Piastri third — McLaren's first double podium of the season, which matters for the constructors'. After Miami, McLaren were 48 points behind Mercedes in the constructors' championship, with Ferrari in between at 23 points down. The constructors' fight is genuinely three-way, which means my Fantasy F1 team — which has three Mercedes drivers — is exactly as exposed as you'd expect.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
The regulation changes that came into effect in Miami — the software-level ERS deployment caps in defined racing zones — had a visible effect in qualifying and early race laps. The closing speed differential between charging and deploying cars dropped from around 30mph to between 8 and 12mph in the zones where the limiter applies. It doesn't eliminate the problem, but it brings it within a range that experienced drivers can manage as a variable rather than a hazard. The FIA called it an interim measure. That's accurate. The underlying architecture issue remains.
Leclerc's final lap implosion deserves a technical footnote. Ferrari's rear brake-by-wire calibration in the 2026 car behaves differently to the McLaren or Mercedes in lower-fuel, high-degradation scenarios. When Leclerc lost positions late in the race, the pedal feel he was working with at 95% fuel consumption was not the same as it had been in the opening stint — and his braking points were set for the opening stint. This is a known issue with the SF-26 that Ferrari are managing race by race.
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