Leclerc marvels with the 'pole' and Alonso falls off the cliff in Q1

• Starting grid Classification and times

• Tension between Alonso and the FIA ​​From the reprimand to a conversation in front of the entire 'paddock'

• Free practice 3 Leclerc, again the fastest

• Fernando Alonso "In Miami, the stewards were not very professional"

• World Cup 2022 The pulse between Leclerc and Verstappen

On the descent towards the

, precisely the most favorable sector for Ferrari,

tripped over a curb, losing his first bullet, exposing himself to an extreme situation.

Without a time trial to his credit, the Monegasque faced a great dilemma.

Clench your teeth in search of

or put your furniture away, thinking about the fight for the World Cup with

?

Anyone would have hesitated, but not him, author of a prodigious lap in Montmeló (1:18.750), three tenths better than the reigning champion, and four ahead of

.

Not even at home can the man from Madrid contain his garage partner, a great dominator of Saturdays.

Even Sainz Sr. had to bow to the evidence, giving Leclerc the badge of his fourth

in six races.

And his offspring had enough of him to keep his cool against Verstappen, who warned of a loss of power when he launched his last attack.

The top speed of the Red Bull was not going to be enough on this occasion.

Because the balance of the SF-75 in the slow zones and the aggressiveness of a pilot with nerves as tempered as steel, were an essential advantage.

The immediate challenge for Ferrari will be to keep the degradation of its tires at bay and not lose Verstappen, who showed great pace in the long runs on Friday, on the radar.

should join

the fight for the podium between Sainz and

, at the wheel of a Mercedes that is beginning to show signs of improvement.

The British, fourth on the grid, with 12 hundredths of an advantage against

, will not bluff .

Now that they can keep that infernal

at bay, there's reason for hope in

's garage .

Two Haas in Q3

As many or more as uneasiness in Alpine, which saw

fall down the humiliating seventeenth step.

Nothing could be saved in Q1 for the French team, unable to find solutions in critical moments, when the asphalt conditions had improved exponentially.

The first to leave the record was

, cutting the Alpine time by almost four tenths.

His example was followed by

and

, while Alonso saw his last attempt aborted, with new tires.

In that first sector, the hope of an entire hobby, which had been fighting the dog days since before noon, had been extinguished.

Explanations could be demanded from

for his decision to launch Alonso in the middle of traffic or for keeping

in the garage, exposed to attack from his rivals.

Although he saved the ballot, by 74 thousandths against

, nothing could oppose the Frenchman in Q2.

Those two tenths lost against the last Haas speak very poorly of the progression of the A522, also slower than

' Alfa Romeo .

It is not about the discreet performance of the rear wing, the novelty for this weekend, but something of a larger nature.

Alpine has to do a thorough examination of conscience.

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• Fernando Alonso

• Carlos Sainz Jr.

• Max Verstappen

• Red Bull Racing