The leak at Aston Martin is still not uncovered, as proven by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll during the sprint qualifying for the Miami GP. The latter braked too late in the last sector and therefore could not set a time in SQ1. Alonso did get a lap on the board, but finished dead last. He would also have ended up at the back with this time in the Formula 2 qualifying – which took place earlier on Friday.
Read more Laurens van Hoepen smart second after thrilling sprint duel in Miami
Both Aston Martin cars struggled with locking front wheels on Friday, causing both Stroll and Alonso to fail to set a competitive time. The Canadian ran straight off into the runoff area of turn sixteen and returned to the pits with brake problems. Fernando Alonso was able to complete his fast lap, but it was invalidated due to exceeding track limits. He was left with a time of 1:41.311, good for last place. The two-time world champion was almost ten seconds slower than Valtteri Bottas, the next driver eliminated.
F2 speeds
Perhaps even more painful: Alonso was even slower than the entire F2 field. Kush Maini was the fastest in the junior class for ART Grand Prix with a lap of 1:39.888. Cian Shields was the slowest F2 driver, but still recorded a time of 1:41.157, almost two tenths faster than Alonso. The only bright spot for the Spanish veteran? The vibration problems that plagued Aston Martin in the opening races were significantly reduced.
Read more Defending champion Lando Norris bounces back in Miami: ‘Feels like last year again’
“There were fewer vibrations than in Japan and during the first races,” he explained afterwards. “Some adjustments have been made to the engine. However, regarding our performance, we have not changed anything, so we are probably still far behind the rest.” The gap is only threatening to grow, now that other teams have come to Miami with extensive upgrade packages. “They have improved their car since Japan, while we have mainly focused on reliability,” Alonso sighed. “In terms of pure speed, we are still lacking.”
Read more Starting lineup sprint race Miami: Norris strikes, Aston Martin in free fall
Read everything about the Miami GP here
