Fernando Alonso engaged in two separate discussions with the FIA president before the Miami Grand Prix.

On the day before the race, the Spanish driver had expressed his intentions to discuss his concerns with Mohammed Ben Sulayem regarding how "nationality" might be influencing the severity of penalties issued to drivers.

Following the race, Carlos Sainz, another Spanish driver, expressed his bemusement at receiving a penalty rather than Australian racer Oscar Piastri following their wheel-to-wheel contest.

"I don't think about nationalities, I think about consistency and inconsistency," stated the Ferrari driver.

"Today I was surprised that Piastri did something similar to what (Kevin) Magnussen did yesterday and today he didn't get any penalty. I said to myself 'if we are all going to race like this, let's go for it'."

Spanish broadcaster DAZN reported that Alonso, captured in images speaking with Ben Sulayem in the Miami paddock, also had a private meeting with the FIA president.

Alonso acknowledged the challenges faced over the weekend, both personally and for his team, Aston Martin.

"We started the year as the fifth best team, but here in Miami we were struggling even more, fighting with Alpine and Racing Bulls," he noted.

"In Imola we will bring some improvements, so let's see if it brings us closer to Mercedes. But I haven't felt very good either in terms of performance here."

"We have to take a step forward, everyone else is taking it and in Imola we need to do it too."

Meanwhile, Alpine's Esteban Ocon finished just ahead of Alonso, advancing the beleaguered Enstone-based team past the still-pointsless Williams and Sauber.

"I really feel progress," admitted Pierre Gasly, Ocon's teammate. "Our developments on the car are clearly working in line with our expectations."