Karun Chandhok left stunned by Ferrari announcement ahead of the Miami Grand Prix

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It was a disappointing weekend for Ferrari in China. Rather than challenging Red Bull, they slipped back to third in the pecking order.

McLaren were worried about how they’d fare coming into the weekend. They didn’t expect it to be a circuit that suited their car.

Even when Lando Norris out-qualified both of the Ferraris, he predicted that they would finish a long way ahead on race day. But as it turned out, he ended up splitting the Red Bulls on the podium.

Charles Leclerc was the lead car for the Prancing Horse in fourth, with Carlos Sainz immediately behind. They each gained two places from their starting spots.

Leclerc had threatened to finish on the podium for the third time this year when he leapfrogged Sergio Perez in the safety car window. But Perez ultimately proved too fast.

Red Bull have now increased their lead at the top of the constructors’ standings to 44 points. With Oscar Piastri down in eighth, Ferrari matched McLaren’s points haul to maintain their 55-point buffer.

Speaking after the race, team boss Fred Vasseur called for perspective. He pointed out that they are ‘way’ ahead (99 points to be precise) of Mercedes, who were Red Bull’s nearest challengers last season.

Karun Chandhok questions Ferrari after livery news

Ferrari have announced that they will run a revised livery with elements of blue at the next race in Miami. This is to mark the 70th anniversary of their presence in North America.

The exact livery is still to be revealed, but the announcement itself is significant. Ferrari are, after all, synonymous with their scarlet red livery.

• READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Writing on X (formerly Twitter), F1TV presenter Will Buxton pointed out that this wasn’t entirely unprecedented. Back in 1964, the Ferrari cars ran in the blue and white of the North American Racing Team for the last two rounds of the championship amid a dispute with the FIA.

But that wasn’t enough to diminish Chandhok’s surprise. In reply, he wrote: “Err – are you joking?? Literally no sports team / brand on the planet is more linked to a single colour!”

Ferrari set for title sponsorship with HP

This isn’t the only big news coming out of Ferrari before F1’s first American race of the season. According to Sport Business, they’ve struck a title sponsorship deal with California computing giants Hewlett-Packard.

The value of the deal is apparently comparable to Red Bull’s partnership with Oracle, the largest of its kind in Formula 1 right now. It means Ferrari will have both a new name and a new driver line-up in 2025.

Lewis Hamilton is, of course, joining the team to race alongside Leclerc. All things considered, it’s probably the biggest transfer in F1 history.

As such, it’s bound to have huge commercial ramifications. Mercedes are losing two sponsors close to Hamilton, and it remains to be seen whether they jump ship to Ferrari.

On the track, Vasseur and co. will hope that their blockbuster move delivers their first title since 2008. For a team of their stature, it’s an unconscionable drought.