Antonelli hits PU trouble as Ferrari leads Mercedes in Miami practice

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in the extended Miami GP practice session, while Mercedes' young star Kimi Antonelli was hampered by a late power unit issue that prevented a soft-tyre run. The session hinted at a close battle between Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull, with Mercedes appearing to hold back on major updates for this weekend.

Why it matters:

For Mercedes, the power unit problem for their championship leader is an untimely setback, limiting his ability to gather crucial data on the soft compound ahead of a Sprint weekend. Ferrari's pace at the front, however, signals a potential challenge to Mercedes' recent dominance and sets the stage for a competitive fight in Miami's unique format.

The details:

• The sole practice session was extended to 90 minutes by the FIA due to the long gap since the last race, recent technical regulation changes, and the Sprint weekend format.
• Antonelli's Issue: Mercedes confirmed a power unit problem late in the session. The team attempted to troubleshoot but could not fix it in time, leaving Antonelli stuck in P5 on his earlier hard-tyre time.
• Leclerc's Pace: Charles Leclerc was ultimately fastest with a 1:29.310s on soft tyres, beating Max Verstappen by 0.297 seconds. Lewis Hamilton showed promising sector times but finished P4 after traffic compromised his lap.
• Update Packages: McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull all ran a number of new aerodynamic parts. In contrast, Mercedes brought only minor updates, saving a larger package for the Canadian Grand Prix in three weeks.
• Session Flow: Most teams focused on the hard tyre for the majority of the 90 minutes. A late switch to softs saw Verstappen briefly go fastest before Leclerc responded decisively.

What's next:

The compressed Sprint format now moves quickly to the all-important qualifying session for the Sprint race. Antonelli's lost soft-tyre running could prove costly in such a tight schedule. All eyes will be on whether Ferrari can convert its practice pace into a genuine threat for pole position and if Mercedes can overcome its early reliability scare to fight at the front.