Ferrari teased to trigger major F1 surprise in crucial McLaren fight

Former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe has teased that Ferrari could surprise everyone by introducing the biggest upgrade package at the Miami Grand Prix.

The Scuderia is known to be taking a significant upgrade package to the Miami International Autodrome this weekend; however, much of the focus has been on McLaren's new parts.

McLaren has already revealed that across the upcoming rounds in Miami and Canada, it will effectively introduce almost an entirely new MCL40.

As a result, big things are expected from the Woking-based team, with former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer calling Miami an "upgrade-off" between McLaren and Ferrari.

Discussing Ferrari being at least third quickest in Miami, Palmer said on the F1 Nation podcast: "Minimum third. 

"The gap behind is just too big at the moment, and I guess the question is: how good is McLaren's upgrade package versus Ferrari's? 

"Because they're basically just in an upgrade-off heading into Miami."

Ferrari's 2026 trend

While it is McLaren who are gaining lots of attention ahead of Miami, Ferrari has been the most innovative outfit when it comes to upgrades.

It famously introduced its upside-down rear wing in testing, a concept which its rivals are now exploring, with Red Bull having developed a version of its own.

With that in mind, Hinchcliffe believes Ferrari could surprise everyone and have the biggest and most innovative new parts in Miami.

Adding onto Palmer's comments, Hinchcliffe highlighted: "And remember, Ferrari has been the team that's had some of the cooler innovations so far, heading into pre-season and throughout the first few races. 

"Maybe we're all kind of sleeping on them as a team that could bring out actually the biggest and most impressive upgrades, because they have sort of had that trend so far this year, right?"