Promising on Friday, the Alpine-Renault A523s confirmed their rank this Saturday during the third free practice session and then with qualifying for the Miami Grand-Prix. Ranked in fifth and sixth position in the morning, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly took advantage of the good potential of their single-seater to settle in Q3 in the afternoon, and in particular win a third row to the advantage of the second city. A very different balance sheet from that of Baku.
We find some high-performance Alpine-Renaults this weekend and that’s a pleasure! The factory structure of Groupe Renault stood out throughout the day by managing to play in front, even if Red Bull-RBPT Honda, Ferrari and Aston Martin kept a head start. At least the A523 had no trouble getting out of Q1 and Q2, and was able to have fun during the final phase – Q3 –.
During these twelve minutes, the team signed an excellent first stint. He saw Pierre Gasly take fifth time, Esteban Ocon eighth. As the drivers begin their second and final attempt, Charles Leclerc exits the track and hits the wall. If he is unharmed, the red flag is raised with less than two minutes remaining. This sounds the end of the qualifying session and freezes the positions of the top 10.
An event ” happy “ for Alpine-Renault which tomorrow will see one of its cars start from the third row. The only downside, Pierre Gasly will start just behind the Haas-Ferrari of Kevin Magnussen, fourth. On the pace of the race, the American single-seater seems less efficient on paper, but our driver will have to confirm this and above all quickly take the upper hand to implement his strategy. A beautiful duel in perspective.
In any case, for Alpine-Renault, this Miami Grand-Prix must be that of a strong harvest of points. The competition will be tough, but with good performances and an execution that we expect better, the A-arrow firm must secure a top 10 to build momentum for the rest of the season. The stakes linked to the constructors’ championship depend on it. See you this Sunday evening at 9:30 p.m. (French time).
| pos. | Pilot | Crew | Q1 time | Q2 time | Q3 time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S.Perez | Running of the red bulls | 1:27.713 | 1:27.328 | 1:26.841 |
| 2 | F.Alonso | Aston Martin F1 Team | 1:28.179 | 1:27.097 | 1:27.202 |
| 3 | C. Sainz | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:27.686 | 1:27.148 | 1:27.346 |
| 4 | K. Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | 1:27.809 | 1:27.673 | 1:27.767 |
| 5 | P. Gasly | Alpine F1 team | 1:28.061 | 1:27.612 | 1:27.786 |
| 6 | G. Russell | mercedes | 1:28.086 | 1:27.743 | 1:27.804 |
| 7 | C.Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:27.713 | 1:26.964 | 1:27.861 |
| 8 | E.Ocon | Alpine F1 Team | 1:27.872 | 1:27.444 | 1:27.935 |
| 9 | Mr Verstappen | Running of the red bulls | 1:27.363 | 1:26.814 | 9:99.999 |
| ten | V. Bottas | Alfa Romeo Racing | 1:27.864 | 1:27.564 | 9:99.999 |
| 11 | A. Albon | Williams Race | 1:28.234 | 1:27.795 | |
| 12 | N. Hulkenberg | Haas F1 Team | 1:27.945 | 1:27.903 | |
| 13 | L. Hamilton | mercedes | 1:27.846 | 1:27.975 | |
| 14 | G.Zhou | Alfa Romeo Racing | 1:28.180 | 1:28.091 | |
| 15 | N. de Vries | Scuderia Alpha Tauri | 1:28.325 | 1:28.395 | |
| 16 | L. Norris | McLaren | 1:28.394 | ||
| 17 | Y.Tsunoda | Scuderia Alpha Tauri | 1:28.429 | ||
| 18 | L.Walk | Aston Martin F1 Team | 1:28.476 | ||
| 19 | O.Piastri | McLaren | 1:28.484 | ||
| 20 | L.Sargant | Williams Race | 1:28.577 |
