Alonso provides two important keys before qualifying

Fernando Alonso finished in 5th position on the first day of free practice for the Miami GP, after the debate in the second session. The Oviedo he was 0″730 behind the best time set by Verstappen, the first after the big favorite in one lap in ‘qualy’, the Red Bull and the Ferrari. However, aware that single-lap speed is one of the weaknesses of his car this year compared to his excellent race pace and how much he takes care of his car’s tires, the Spaniard made an important assessment in his subsequent statements. in the second free session of the appointment in North America.

Qualifying is important, but normally our strength is on Sunday, so we’ll see what we can do”, he commented. The Asturian already warned on Thursday of a possible key to this Grand Prix: the high temperature. “This will probably be the strong point of our car,” he said on Thursday. about 50 degrees or more track temperatures could be on the tarmac on Sunday in the race if it doesn’t rain. This will make the thermal degradation of tires an important aspect that can mark the race and its result.

To optimize the ‘worthy’ thinking about the podium

Aston Martin, along with Red Bull, is the car that takes better care of the tires and this is something that has allowed Alonso to enjoy the second best car in race speed in the first two rounds of the year, and last weekend in Baku. In Azerbaijan, Alonso’s return was complicated by his 6th starting position and, above all, a ‘Safety Car’ that appeared at the moment Charles Leclerc had to suffer a lot from the fall of his medium tire . There, Alonso had to take advantage of that strong point to secure the podium place, but the safety car allowed the Monegasque to mount the hard tyres. In addition, a lower temperature of the track due to some clouds, as Alonso himself said, could favor the Monegasque at the end because he suffered less damage.

This weekend, with very high temperatures, if it doesn’t rain during the race, the Spaniard can take advantage of that trick again. Leclerc already said yesterday: “We still lack race pace compared to our rivals”. And Hamilton is even clearer: “In Free Practice 2 the real rhythm comes out… and it’s a kick in the stomach”. Hamilton made it clear that his Mercedes was better in Melbourne, and slightly better in Baku too.

Aston Martin, a priori, starts with better weapons for Sunday compared to Ferrari and Mercedes. But to make the most of it without major complications, Alonso will have to start fighting for the podium from Saturday.

At one time, Red Bull and Ferrari seemed superior. The Asturian has to secure his position against Mercedes on ‘deserving’ to promote work before a Sunday where in the race, with his speed and tire management, he could have a great chance to achieve his fourth podium in 5 races.

So far, the man from Oviedo has been satisfied with the performance and balance of his car from the start of the first session and the Aston Martin only played at the height to increase the grip in the free seconds. For others, Alonso, like all drivers, focused on understanding the performance of the tires on very fine asphalt, too ‘green’, with very little grip, something that made everything difficult .

“Overtaking can be difficult”

“It was a pretty routine Friday practice for us after the different formats in Baku. We had more track time to learn about the car and tires this weekend, despite some red flags interrupting the sessions. So far I think the new tarmac seems better, but now we are basically clearing the line. It seems when you get away from it it’s very slippery, so overtaking can be difficult.” added.

That is another very important nuance added by the Oviedo player. Overtaking can be more complicated and risky because to do it, on a very dirty track, anyone who wants to attack must do so in an area of ​​the track with little grip. Maximizing his position of ‘worth’ is key in this sense. In one turn, choose the Top-5. More if a Ferrari or Red Bull fell asleep. No matter where he ends up, he’ll be on the podium on Sunday.