In a nod to the prolific Hispanic community centered in Miami, Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz will headline the starting lineup for the fifth stop on the calendar (9:30 p.m., Dazn); a test explosively presented after a timed session that reshuffled the natural order seen in the rehearsal sessions. Free practice reinforced Max Verstappen’s sense of dominance, who seems to have a little more than the rest in Florida. That lead will be great for the current champion, who is being forced from the fifth row as a result of the work and grace of Charles Leclerc Ninth to start. Ferrari’s Monegasque went off the track on his last fast lap attempt in the final heat (Q3) and rammed his car into the guard rails. The stewards neutralized track activity with 1:36 seconds to go, an insufficient window for the cars to get out of their garages and complete a starting lap before having to face one last try.
Leclerc’s spin left things as they were at the moment, to the luck of Pérez, Alonso and Sainz, the top three, and to the despair of Verstappen. The Dutchman went wide on his first attempt and that left him at the worst possible moment in ninth place, in full duel with his workshop neighbour, who took the circuit’s second ‘pole position’. For his part, Alonso is back at the forefront in the US, something he hasn’t done since 2007 when he drove in McLaren overalls.
The Asturian started with more problems than expected on a walled track that doesn’t forgive the slightest mistake and whose very sticky asphalt changes a lot as the cars roll. However, Aston Martin’s waistline saw the structure at Silverstone (UK) reverse the path it had traveled on Friday and take a step back in the AMR23 configuration, a resounding success. “I was always motivated; I’ve always worked hard. But maybe I didn’t have a team behind me that believed in my performance that much; in my ability to calibrate the car,” confirmed Alonso. “Furthermore, I haven’t had a car as fast as this one in recent years. I haven’t changed anything, but Aston Martin has completely changed me,” agreed the man from Oviedo.
“Up until qualifying, it was my worst weekend. But we did a “reset” before leaving, and there I started to remove everything. It was one of those weekends when I find it difficult to keep my balance on this tarmac, it’s unique,” summarized the Mexican, who started first for the third time in a row after the season’s two races in Baku , the sprint and conventional.
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