Miami’s extended free practice session gave the sprint weekend a much clearer shape. Mercedes still looks strongest on long runs, but Red Bull has made a noticeable step forward after using the break to develop its car.
Long runs finally gave a proper read on the field
This sprint-format weekend offered something teams rarely get in a rush to qualify: enough time to gather meaningful data. With 90 minutes of free practice, the cars could run longer stints, carry more fuel and work in conditions much closer to race trim. In other words, this was less about one quick lap and more about the sort of pace that matters once the tyres begin to warm up, the car loads up and the rear wing starts doing the heavy lifting for real.
On that evidence, Mercedes has edged back into the role of benchmark. Qualifying has not been particularly flattering, especially for George
