Ferrari double in Mexico, with Fernando Alonso too far behind
When no one expected it, Ferrari appeared at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for Charles Leclerc to sign his fourth pole of 2023, with Carlos Sainz second, just 67 thousandths behind.. In his initial attempt at Q3, the Monegasque stopped the clock at 1:17.166, already unapproachable for his opponents, including Max Verstappen, who does not seem to be bothered too much by these tickles.. Given the precedents of Leclerc, as fast on Saturdays as he is irregular in the race, Mad Max limits itself to following the news of each weekend, observing everything dispassionately..
Fernando Alonso, for his part, was swallowed up again by the melancholy of someone who cannot combine two decent weekends. Eliminated in Q2, with no real option to get among the 10 chosen, the two-time champion made Aston Martin's gloomy omens come true. And he still had to see some of his rivals rubbing shoulders with the favorites. Too tough for the Spaniard, whose first Q2 attempt, on used tyres, was hampered between turns 4, 5 and 6 by Alexander Albon.
Before, in the decisive part of Q1, he had attacked the curb of Turn 3 so vehemently that the matter ended in a spin, the second of his weekend.. The yellow flags, curiously, were an extra help for Alonso, tenth in the table and besieged by opponents, some renowned, like Lando Norris, and others more modest, like the Haas.. In the net of that first sieve, Lance Stroll would be trapped again, whose painful record against Alonso on Saturdays increases to 2-17.
“I didn't expect it at all”
The double winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will still have to wait a few more hours to find out the final decision of the FIA, which has launched an investigation for obstructing a rival in the pit lane.. Verstappen, top favorite for victory from third place on the grid, and George Russell are also in the same position.. Red Bull knows very well its options in the long runs, Ferrari's weak point: “I didn't expect it at all, but we have gained a lot with the tires,” said Leclerc, who has only been able to translate five of his 22 pole positions into victories.. Behind the '16' car, the first six were compressed into a narrow margin of 28 hundredths.
The Scuderia had gone unnoticed during the last free session of the morning, when the intense traffic cut short its chances of going for the fastest lap.. Sainz's attempts, always focused and professional, did not work in Q3 either.
One of the entertainers of the weekend, without a doubt, is Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian had been giving his body joy since Q1, confirming the tremendous evolution of the AlphaTauri. At more than 2,200 meters above sea level, the relevance of aerodynamics was reduced to its minimum, so the performance of the tires or the gross power of the engine would make the difference.. Under these parameters the presence of Guanyu Zhou, Valtteri Bottas and Albon in the top-10 must be interpreted.
Far from Alfa Romeo and Ricciardo
At the critical point on Saturday, Alonso understood, and suffered firsthand, the poor performance of his car one lap away, too far from Alfa Romeo and Ricciardo.. Without the option of repeating any of his miracles, the Oviedo fell to thirteenth place, behind Pierre Gasly's Alpine and Nico Hulkenberg's Haas. Names considered unimportant, until not so long ago, at the Silverstone factory.
In any case, we will have to wait several hours to know the official starting order, since throughout the early morning the marshals will collect the testimonies of Logan Sargeant and Yuki Tsunoda, calling for their overtaking with yellow flags.