The Monegasque, with impressive speed, has surprised three-time champion Verstappen, who will start sixth on Sunday
Aston Martin’s improvements have not been effective and Alonso and Stroll have fallen in Q1 of the United States GP
Charles Leclerc broke Max Verstappen’s streak and was awarded the pole for Sunday’s race at the United States Grand Prix, the eighteenth round of the 2023 calendar. The Monegasque, very competitive with the Ferrari, surprised the Red Bull champion, who will start sixth on the grid on Sunday after seeing an annulled his best lap. Carlos Sainz placed fourth, while FFernando Alonso suffered a hard blow and after being in all the Q3 sessions of the year, this time he couldn’t get past Q1.
The session was held in quite extreme conditions, with 42º on the track, and on very bumpy asphalt as is usual at the Circuit of the Americas. Haas, one of the cars that has introduced the most improvements on the Texan track, was seen in free practice with Magnussen in the top five and also at the start of Q1, with Hulkenberg provisionally leading ahead of Verstappen.
Carlos Sainz, author of the pole in Austin a year agoset the best time on his first lap (1.35.824), ahead of his teammate Leclercto two tenths. Verstappen has ‘flew’ in his second round to beat the time of Sainz by almost half a second (1.35.346), but Hamilton (1.35.091) and also Norris surpassed the Dutchman, less forceful than usual.
Alonso, for the first time in 18 classifications this season, was eliminated at the first opportunity. The disappointment was total at Aston Martin, with Stroll also in the group of those who did not pass the Q1 screening along with Hulkenberg, Albon and Sargeant.
The Ferraris fought in Q2, which ended with Leclerc in front (1.35.004)although with the three-time champion Verstappen just four thousandths and hamilton as third in contention ahead of Sainz. Tsunoda, Zhou, Bottas, Magnussen and Ricciardo They were left out of the decisive round, to which Checo Pérez entered ‘in extremis’ and with the worst time of those classified.
The fight for pole had a less predictable outcome than on other occasions, with Leclerc surprising with his speed in all sectors and forcing Verstappen to speed up to the millimeter to try to beat the Monegasque, suffering in the second set with the RB19.
The Ferrari driver was the first to break the 1.35 barrier (1.34.829) and took provisional pole. two tenths faster than Max. Hamilton joined the fight and placed second, ahead of the three-time Red Bull champion, with Sainz in fourth place.
Leclerc returned to improve (1,34,723) and although Max He made a best lap (1.34.718), it was canceled due to track limits and the Dutchman dropped to sixth position. For the second consecutive year, pole for Ferrari and 21st in the Monegasque’s personal tally. On Sunday, he will open the grid ahead of Norris, Hamilton and Sainz.
Coup for Aston Martin
Aston Martin has been presented in Austin with an important package of improvements that includes four major updates. The team of Fernando Alonso wants to stop the ‘bleed’ of points that has been left in the last races against McLaren and avoid the ‘sorpasso’ of those from Woking, fifth in the constructors’ championship. It remained to be seen if the news would be enough to stop the streak of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, that in the last four appointments they have cut 93 points and are now only 11 (230 by 219).
The AMR23 this weekend features a new floor and an updated beam spoiler. For the Circuit of the Americas, the edge of the floor has been adjusted and a longitudinal groove and an external fin have been added. The diffuser has been modified with a revised expansion on the side. The engine cover and diffuser are also new. Aston Martin has made one last effort to address the five races remaining in 2023 with guarantees. “We want to say goodbye to the season with a good taste in our mouths” , Alonso said on Thursday.
However, this Friday the Asturian driver and his team had a hectic debut that ended in ‘drama’. As soon as they hit the track in the first free practice, the only ones since it was a grand prix in sprint format, the brake cooling system of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso’s cars overheated and the team had to call both drivers to the pits. . All the alarms went off when a fire was seen on the left front axle of Alonso’s car. The ‘stick’ was greater for Stroll, who missed the rest of the session, while Fernando finally came back out after fifteen minutes and was able to complete the training without further incidents. He did not get to ride the soft one to make the fastest lap, placing 18th. And from there, almost without references, he went directly to the battle for pole, where he received his worst result of the year, being eliminated in Q1, like his teammate.