Miami GP: Fernando Alonso reveals wily drivers' parade move that helped set up great start

Fernando Alonso has revealed how he closely studied the surface conditions at turn one of the Miami circuit during the drivers’ parade, to allow him to make a great start to the Grand Prix.

The Spaniard had an eventful Grand Prix weekend with him showing great pace on Friday in practice before only be able to qualify 11th fastest for the race itself.

Lance Stroll’s issue in the Aston Martin meant he’d actually start the Grand Prix from 10th, though, and a typically mega launch off of the line and attacking turn one meant that he was soon in 7th place in the Alpine.

Ultimately, points would not be achieved by the Spaniard as a time penalty was applied to his final race time to drop him down to 11th but he still showed his race-craft is as strong as ever, and post-race he revealed the wily move he made during the drivers’ parade to help set him up for his opening lap salvo:

“I had a good start, but then I chose to go on the outside on Turn 1,” Alonso said, as quoted by Autosport.

“I saw [it] on the drivers’ parade. It was the slowest drivers’ parade ever today.

“And thanks to that, we stopped on the outside of Turn 1, so I looked on the outside of Turn 1 for like 20 seconds, and I felt that it was very grippy, and there were no marbles, no stones, no nothing, and it was very clean.

“So I said I will go on the outside on Turn 1. They were all braking very carefully on the inside, and I made a couple of places there.”

This reveal from the Spaniard is about as Alonso as it gets, and shows just how he is always looking for any sort of advantage over his competitors.