Fernando Alonso expected a more difficult F1 Miami GP as he now targets finishing second as the next step having been third four times.
After a bit of low-key Baku, Aston Martin were back on pace in F1 Miami GP, at least on the side of Alonso who started well in the Top 10. Teammate Lance Stroll was knocked out of Q1 after a one-lap strategy that cost them dearly eventually.
For Alonso, he put in a good fight especially clearing Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz which enabled him to get on the podium after Red Bull secured two places on it. After Charles Leclerc’s run in Baku, the Spaniard was back on podium for the fourth time.
He expected a much difficult race than what it was, so much so that he was watching teammate Stroll make up places. “I think this circuit we have big TV screens out of some of the slow-speed corners so it was very easy to follow the race on TV,” said Alonso.
“I saw one overtake to the Alpines, or to the Alfa Romeo and I was just curious which position it was. It was a little bit of an unexpected lonely race for us. We were thinking to have a more difficult race,” summed up Alonso.
After the Baku radio of aiding Stroll, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen noted him to be a ‘life coach’. “You’re like a life coach! The last race you’re like ‘try my brake balance,” he said. Amid the laughs, Alonso set his next target of finishing second on the road.
With four third places and one fourth, Alonso sees a second place now. Considering the pace of Red Bull, it will be difficult to penetrate them unless they have some reliability issue, but the Spaniard reckons they might get a chance in the long calendar.
“Obviously, we want to step on step higher on the podium for P2 and eventually one day we have an opportunity to win a race – but at the moment it didn’t happen because Red Bull is better than us,” said Alonso.
“It’s stronger, it’s faster and the reliability has been always outstanding for them as well, finishing both cars in every race. So, yeah, if one day there is a crack there, if there is an opportunity, we need to make sure we are in that position and we’re still not making mistakes at any point in the weekend.”
Here’s how F1 Miami GP panned out