Ferrari showed signs it could take the fight to Mercedes in Miami as Charles Leclerc topped practice ahead of Sprint qualifying.
The Monégasque was just under three tenths clear of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Lewis Hamilton four tenths off the pace of teammate Leclerc in fourth.
Mercedes has dominated the first three Grands Prix of the season, winning every race and comfortably clinching a one-two in every full and Sprint qualifying session.
But the Silver Arrows may have more of a fight on its hands here, as championship leader Kimi Antonelli was fifth fastest ahead of teammate George Russell -- both cars suffering engine troubles.
The sole practice session of this sprint weekend was extended to 90 minutes, in order to allow teams extra time to get to grips with their cars following tweaks to the regulations.It was the first time the cars had been on track since the Japanese Grand Prix concluded on March 29, with an enforced five-week break due to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races.Teams up and down the grid brought extensive upgrades to the sunshine state, with Ferrari and McLaren hoping significant changes has helped them close the gap to Mercedes -- who have only made minor tweaks to its package.McLaren were pleased with its progress, Oscar Piastri third fastest while Lando Norris also showed promise before ending the session seventh.Red Bull also appear to have made a step forward in performance. Four-time world champion Verstappen is only ninth in the standings amid a difficult start to the season but will be happy with his pace in Friday's opening running.- F1's 2026 rule tweaks: What's changed after driver criticism, and will it make a difference?
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