The Miami Grand Prix is set to look like a “different championship” this year, according to Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur.
The race is even more anticipated this year, as it is the first race back after the unprecedented April break.
To make things more exciting, McLaren are rumoured to bring a significant upgrade package to this year’s race, according to Sky Sports’ David Croft.
Season story so far
The 2026 season has been a rocky start for McLaren so far, placing the reigning champions around the third fastest car.
McLaren have only made slight adjustments to the car so far this season, with rear wing, floor, and rear suspension revisions in Australia and a new rear brake winglet in China.
Yet, as we move towards the Miami Grand Prix, Croft announced on the Sky Sports F1 podcast that McLaren “have a big, big upgrade coming”.
“They’re already very pleased with it in terms of the numbers it’s given them from the simulator,” he said.
McLaren aren’t alone, as Ferrari have also confirmed a Miami upgrade package in Japan, and others will likely do the same.
What is so significant about McLaren’s upgrade package stems from its history.
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McLaren’s Miami history
McLaren won the Miami Grand Prix back-to-back in 2024 and 2025.
However, McLaren’s Miami success story started in 2023.
At the beginning of the 2023 season, McLaren looked to be a back-marker team, far from where the historic team should be.
When Miami came around, the team brought a huge upgrade package, and soon after that, they started claiming podiums consistently.
The 2024 season started as the Red Bull vs Ferrari story until Miami.
Yet again, McLaren brought a significant upgrade package, and this delivered Lando Norris’ maiden F1 win.
Following the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren were consistently challenging for wins and became the fastest car, delivering the team its first constructors’ championship since 1998.
McLaren carried this success into the 2025 season, dominating the competition and securing another constructors’ championship title.
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So what will happen this year?
The truth is, no one knows yet.
However, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is confident that this upgrade package will bring a mirrored story to that of 2023.
“Hopefully, like we were able to do in 2023, we are going to have a faster development rate than our competitors”, he said to the media in China.
Whilst other teams will all be making improvements for Miami over this five-week break, McLaren have been known as the king of mid-season development in recent years.
As the paddock heads to Miami, all eyes will be on whether McLaren can once again turn Miami into the moment their season truly ignites, or if this time, the rest of the grid is finally ready to fight back.
