'Sunday is usually our day': Fernando Alonso aiming for 'difficult' podium at the 2023 F1 Miami GP

Fernando Alonso is aiming for what he categorised as a 'difficult' podium at the 2023 F1 Miami GP. The Spaniard will start the race on the front row in what would be the second time he's done that this season (after Jeddah). The session was not as straightforward as it looked on first glance as Aston Martin had struggled for pace early in the weekend.

However, as the weekend progressed and things got better, Fernando Alonso improved bit by bit and his first lap in Q3 was good enough for P2. Looking ahead to the race, the Spaniard was excited as Aston Martin tends to do better in the races.

In the team briefing shared by Alpine, Alonso said:

"It was a very good qualifying session. Things have been a bit up and down for the last few events – Baku was very difficult – but, over a regular weekend format, we’ve been able to experiment with a few different options on the car."

"We put it all together for qualifying – the car felt good. And there was still a lot more pace in the car because my Q3 lap was done on used Softs."

He added:

"On my second run, on fresh rubber, I was already a few tenths up – but then the yellow flags came out. The result gives us a lot of confidence for tomorrow – Sunday is usually our day; we take care of the tyres and have good race pace."

"Plus, starting further up the grid always makes things a little easier. Getting on the podium will still be difficult but we’ll just do our race – it’s going to be tough but we’ll enjoy it.”

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Typical fiery spirit of Fernando Alonso draws praise

Fernando Alonso's typical fiery spirit drew praise from Mike Krack as the Aston Martin team principal commended the Spaniard on his qualifying performance.

Looking back at qualifying, Krack admitted that it was a marginal call to use only one set of soft ties in Q1. Krack said:

All credit to Fernando, who drove with typical fiery spirit to qualify second – it was a great effort. But we were too aggressive with our tyre strategy in Q1, choosing to keep both drivers on used Softs for their second runs. It was a marginal call, and it didn’t work out: the track ramped up and drivers on fresh rubber found a lot of lap-time.

Fernando Alonso will be starting the 2023 F1 Miami GP on the front row and will be hoping for a strong result in the race.