In a nod to the prolific Hispanic community that is concentrated in Miami, Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz will lead the starting grid for the fifth stop on the calendar (9:30 p.m., Dazn);
a test that is presented explosive after a timed session that remixed the natural order that had been seen in the rehearsal sessions.
Free practice reinforced the feeling of dominance of Max Verstappen, who seems to have something more than the rest in Florida.
That margin will be great for the current champion, forced to start ninth, from the fifth row, by the work and grace of Charles Leclerc.
The Monegasque from Ferrari went off the track in his last fast lap attempt in the final heat (Q3), and rammed his car into the protection barriers.
Leclerc goes spinning off into the barriers!
🚩 RED FLAG 🚩 #MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/tabpI1bSnm
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 6, 2023
Leclerc's spin left things as they were at that moment to the luck of Pérez, Alonso and Sainz, the first three, and to the despair of Verstappen.
The Dutchman went wide in his first attempt and that left him ninth at the worst possible moment, in full duel with his neighbor from his workshop, who scored the second 'pole position' of the course.
Alonso, for his part, starts again on the front line in the United States, something that he has not achieved since 2007, when he raced in McLaren overalls.
The Asturian started with more problems than expected on a circuit embraced by walls, which does not forgive the slightest mistake and whose asphalt, very adherent, evolves a lot with the rolling of the cars.
However, Aston Martin's waistline led to the Silverstone (Great Britain) structure undoing the path it had traveled on Friday, and taking a step back in the AMR23 configuration, a complete success.
“I have always been motivated;
I have always worked hard.
But maybe I didn't have a team behind me that believed so much in my performance;
in my ability to calibrate the car”, acknowledged Alonso.
“And also, in recent years I have not had a car as fast as the current one.
I haven't changed anything, but Aston Martin has completely changed me," agreed the man from Oviedo.
“Until qualifying it was my worst weekend.
But we did a 'reset' before leaving, and there I began to remove everything.
It was being one of those weekends in which it is difficult for me to maintain my balance on this asphalt, which is unique", summed up the Mexican, who will start the first for the third time in a row, after doing so in the two races in Baku, the sprint and conventional.
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