Ferrari to use April ‘mini pre-season’ ahead of Miami reset

Apr.1 (GMM) Ferrari is set to treat the unexpected April break as a mini pre-season as it looks to close the gap to dominant Mercedes.

With the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races cancelled, the Maranello team has scheduled an intensive run of testing and development work throughout the month.

It begins immediately, with a TPC (Testing of a Previous Car) program at Mugello on April 1-2 featuring Antonio Giovinazzi, Arthur Leclerc and Antonio Fuoco.

Ferrari will then assist Pirelli at Fiorano on April 9-10, testing prototype wet and intermediate tyres for 2027 – even artificially watering the track if needed.

A key date follows on April 22, when Ferrari will use a filming day at Monza to run new parts ahead of the Miami round, within the 200km limit on demo tyres.

Team boss Frederic Vasseur has made clear how crucial the period is, describing Miami as the start of a “new championship”.

“Everyone will bring innovations to Miami,” he said. “The engine manufacturers will have time to work on software updates. A new championship will start there,” he said.

“In qualifying, Mercedes has a lead of five to seven tenths of a second, while in the race this advantage is obviously smaller.

“But we won’t be the only ones working hard between Japan and Miami. All the teams in the field are giving their all to improve, and there will be a step forward for everyone. We need to work on every aspect this month.”

Ferrari’s biggest deficit remains engine performance, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton noting a clear shortfall compared to Mercedes.

However, the team cannot yet address that directly.

“Obviously, we can’t bring anything new to Miami regarding the engine. We’ll focus on other aspects,” Leclerc said.

Instead, Ferrari is pinning hopes further down the track on the ADUO system, expected to come into play around mid-season, which would allow trailing manufacturers to make targeted power unit improvements.

Off track, Hamilton’s integration continues to evolve.

After working with a temporary race engineer in the opening rounds, Cedric Michel-Grosjean – recruited from McLaren – is expected to take over officially from Miami.

Former driver Christijan Albers, however, questioned Hamilton’s public tone after Suzuka.

“I don’t think it was a smart move on Hamilton’s part,” he said, referring to the seven time world champion’s lamentations about a power deficit versus Leclerc’s car.

“He was happy with everything in China, and then we arrive in Japan, and Hamilton comes out for an interview looking like he’s at a funeral.”

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