11 F1 Teams Bring Miami Upgrades as Aston Martin Stands Alone — F1 News
f1 news from Miami starts with a near-grid-wide upgrade push: 10 of the 11 Formula 1 teams arrived for the 1 May 2026 race with changes, leaving Aston Martin as the only holdout. The timing matters because Miami is the first event in five weeks and comes with high humidity and peak temperatures of around 33C.
Mercedes W17 Revision
Championship leaders Mercedes kept its update modest on the W17, but the team still altered the reshaped exhaust tailpipes and front brake drums for minor gains in downforce. In a field where almost everyone has brought something, even small revisions can separate a team from the pack at a track that punishes inefficiency.
That contrast is sharper because Mercedes did not join the more aggressive approach taken by McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari. Those three declared extensive revisions for Miami, and Ferrari’s list was the longest of the group.
Ferrari And Red Bull Moves
Ferrari listed 11 different changes to the SF-26, including revisions to the floor, suspension, rear wing and other surface bodywork. Its package is aimed at generating more downforce and making the car more efficient in Straight Mode.
Red Bull brought a version of Ferrari’s novel rotating rear wing to Miami and reshaped the sidepods of the RB22. The team also changed the front wing and floor to improve airflow around the car, another sign that the front-runners are chasing clean performance rather than waiting for the weekend to reveal problems.
McLaren’s Heat Focus
McLaren’s revisions were mostly aimed at aerodynamic performance on the MCL40, with extensive changes to the floor leading the package. It also revised the cooling louvres for a race where heat rejection is a bigger job than it is at many stops on the calendar, and McLaren described the aim as improving the car “across all conditions”.
Williams brought one of the most extensive upgrades among the midfield teams, with part of the package aimed at cutting the FW48’s weight. Cadillac is trying to trim down its MAC-26, while Racing Bulls made many aerodynamic revisions. Audi and Haas listed only a few minor changes, which leaves Aston Martin as the lone team not to add anything for Miami.
For a reader tracking who has put real performance into the weekend, the split is clear: the top names arrived with larger packages, the midfield brought mixed-size updates, and Aston Martin stayed still while the rest of the grid searched for lap time before the Miami Grand Prix takes on the heat.
