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<\/a><\/p>\nBy Steve Keating<\/p>\n
MIAMI (Reuters) – Fernando Alonso will start the Miami Grand Prix on the front row alongside pole sitter Sergio Perez, providing Aston Martin the chance for a win, believes team principal Mike Krack.<\/p>\n
Alonso, however, does not quite see the same opportunity and expects to have a hard-charging Max Verstappen’s Red Bull filling his mirrors by the midway point of the 57-lap race on the 3.36 mile (5.41km) temporary street circuit around Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.<\/p>\n
The Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez have been in a league of their own this season winning every grand prix, with three of the four races one-two finishes.<\/p>\n
While the Aston Martins have shown plenty of pace as well, Alonso’s appearance on the front row has as much to do with a bit of good fortune for the Spaniard combined with bad luck for Verstappen.<\/p>\n
The Dutchman, who had dominated practice in Miami, looked almost certain to take pole but was unable to complete his final flying lap after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed with a minute and 36 seconds remaining bringing an end to the qualifying.<\/p>\n
“The opportunity is there if you start from the front row,” assured Krack after Saturday’s qualifying. ” If you start from the first row your aim has to be to win the race.<\/p>\n
“We have strong competitors who didn’t get it all together today except Sergio but we will try and give it our best.”<\/p>\n
Verstappen, last year’s winner in Miami, will start ninth but Alonso guessed that he will see him on his exhaust by lap 25.<\/p>\n
With a slim six-point lead over Perez in the drivers standings Verstappen was clear he will be on the charge from lights out on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Asked what result he was expecting the double world champion set the target at, “Minimum is P2.”<\/p>\n
Alonso’s team mate Lance Stroll will also have to come back if he is to fight for a podium.<\/p>\n
The Canadian failed to make it out of the first phase qualifying only 18th after the team gambled on running on a single set of soft tyres in an attempt to save a set for the second session.<\/p>\n
“We were in discussion with Lance and we should have just called him in there was no need to take this much of a risk that we did,” said Krack. “We wanted to get both cars in Q3 and there was no need to take that risk.<\/p>\n
“As a team you have some statistics to gauge what the cutoff will be and in these things we were not good enough.<\/p>\n
“I think maybe we were a bit greedy but we have to take our lesson from it and do better next time.”<\/p>\n
\n(Reporting by Steve Keating in Miami. Editing by Kim Coghill)<\/p>\n
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