F1 | DUTCH GP, GIAN CARLO MINARDI “PUSHING FOR TWO PIT STOPS! MCLAREN FAVOURITE BUT KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER”

As we await the 9th edition of the Historic Minardi Day scheduled to take place on 13 and 14 September at Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit, we look ahead at the fifteenth round of the Formula 1 World Championship which will be held in Holland, at the Zandvoort Circuit, home of world champion Verstappen.
There are several factors that could make this Grand Prix interesting, starting with Pirelli’s choice to bring softer compounds than 12 months ago, aiming at C2, C3 and C4. The impression is that everything is being done to push the teams towards two pit stops, as demonstrated by FIA’s decision to increase the speed limit in pit lane to 80km/hour (compared to the previous 60 km/hour). I find this last choice quite questionable.
As far as the weather is concerned, temperatures are not expected to be particularly high, ranging between 15° and 19°C, with the chance of intermittent rain and rather strong winds over the weekend. It is needless to say that McLaren will be the car to beat but with all these unknown factors it is hard to make predictions.
The battle in the second half of the ladder is always interesting, with four teams very close together. This is very exciting for a fan like me.
In recent days the anticipation of the GP has been heightened by Cadillac’s press release that announced Bottas and Perez as its official drivers. Since this is a new reality, I would have expected a more forward-looking choice, perhaps with a young driver paired with an expert one.
There have also been rumours about the future of Colapinto. The young man must be left to work in peace, and I hope that these weeks off have helped him to regain his composure and to put the mistakes he made during the first part of the season behind him, the last one during a test. Let us not forget that Alpine also has several internal problems to resolve since it is currently the team at the bottom of the table.
Gian Carlo Minardi



At the Hungaroring McLaren scored its seventh one-two finish of the season, the fourth in a row, demonstrating its overwhelming domination. So far both Norris and Piastri have been the protagonists of a very fair duel, the likes of which we have rarely seen. They knew how to manage any type of strategy in the best way possible, changing them (rightly so) between the two drivers, with Norris earning the win on the track.
For the fourteenth round of the World Championship, Formula 1 arrives at the Hungaroring in Budapest to cross the line of the 40th edition – just like the years since the Minardi Team’s debut in the F1 World Championship – with eleven rounds still to go.

After a three-week break and a few shake ups – see Red Bull –, Formula 1 is getting ready to switch on the engines for the halfway point of the season. Spa-Francorchamps promises to be a very important race in many ways. As already stated, it will be the first without Horner on the pit wall for Red Bull, while Mercedes should have reached a definitive solution on the drivers’ front.
Silverstone gave us a race that was as crazy as it was spectacular, marked by many mistakes by teams and drivers, with Ferrari and Mercedes among the protagonists in the negative way.
McLaren put on show all its technical supremacy, giving us a battle between Norris and Piastri that was as good as it was fair, especially in the first 20 laps. Luckily, they were there to entertain us, otherwise there was little to see behind them, except for a few good battles. Their technical advantage is such that the two drivers can battle it out cleanly, and now it seems that they can only lose the races.


Kimi Antonelli’s podium finish in the Canadian Grand Prix represents a moment that is as wonderful as it is important for Italian motor racing. This podium came after three hard grands prix for the driver from Bologna, mainly due to reliability problems.
Barcelona gave us some important surprises. Such as Sauber’s fifth place with Hulkenberg, as well as the confirmation of Racing Bulls again in the points zone with the excellent Hadjar, seventh across the finish line.
Monte Carlo is a race that is run on Saturday with qualifying. You can put all the pit stops you want, but the only variables that can possibly change the result are accidents and safety-cars.
The Grand Prix concluded three fantastic days at Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit for both the excellent weather conditions and the 242,000 people who invaded not only the circuit, but also the city of Imola. As Formula Imola we are very satisfied with this excellent result that rewards nine months of intense work. The invasion of the track at the end was an indescribable spectacle.
We are now a week away from the Formula Grand Prix in Imola, the seventh round of the World Championship and the first stop in Europe, scheduled from May 16 to May 18 at Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit.