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As Ferrari look to catch up with Mercedes and now, McLaren, Lewis Hamilton will have to wait beyond the Miami Grand Prix for a much-needed upgrade
Lewis Hamilton missed out on a podium finish at Suzuka, as Charles Leclerc managed to earn P3 behind Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri.
After the race, Hamilton blasted Ferrari over power unit issues, especially after seeing Leclerc not struggle with the same issue.
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Despite a tense exchange between the two, Fred Vasseur welcomed Hamilton and Leclerc’s battles, noting that both of them are professionals who can handle the tension that comes with a fight.
But while Lewis Hamilton has the chance to get a new Ferrari race engineer ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Ferrari won’t be able to address one of the problems he desperately wants solved.
READ MORE: Timo Glock urges Ferrari to ‘intervene’ into Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s battles
Ferrari unlikely to make power unit upgrades ahead of Miami Grand Prix
According to Franco Nugnes of Motorsport Italy, Ferrari are not expected to replace the power unit, or make significant physical upgrades to the SF-26.
Hamilton seems to want an energy software that can better guide the race engineers on how and where to harvest energy during races, to avoid the issue he faced at Suzuka.
“It is clear that the PU will not be replaced in the fourth race, but the seven-time world champion perhaps wanted to hint at something else.
“A new energy management software could debut in the United States to exploit the full potential of the engine, waiting for the FIA to authorise the ADUO and Ferrari to be able to develop the internal combustion engine in an attempt to at least partially recover the 25 HP missing to challenge Mercedes.
“One of the difficult aspects is that of energy charging. Ferrari has a working group made up of about ten people who mostly operate at the Remote Garage on race weekends.
“The algorithm that collects all the information of the laps already completed should ‘advise’ technicians on the harvesting strategies to adopt for the best exploitation of charging.”
“It is reasonable to assume that the Scuderia still has room for growth in this area, since Ferrari, unlike Mercedes, has not been able to draw on the experiences of Formula E or the product to develop very complex systems that are still in full swing.”
READ MORE: Guenther Steiner says Lewis Hamilton is trying to ‘stir things up’ with latest comments on F1 rules
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Ferrari unlikely to debut Macarena wing at Miami Grand Prix
Nugnes further reported that Ferrari are working tirelessly to improve their aerodynamic issues during the season hiatus, but the Macarena wing isn’t expected to be ready in time for the Miami Grand Prix.
“At Maranello, they’re looking for efficiency, while their tyre performance seems good, demonstrating that the chassis is doing its part.
“It seems clear that in the Miami package, it will not be enough to revise the Macarena wing, however correct and developed, to be faster in the closing phase of the moving elements.”
Ferrari seem to have more questions than answers right now. Fortunately for them, the upcoming hiatus will allow them to work on as many of the issues as they can.
The hope within Maranello will be that the car takes a massive leap ahead of the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May.
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