F1 – Abu Dhabi GP: THE POINT

Another season has just been archived with a grand prix that stressed the currunet powers at play, Mercedes-Ferrari-Williams. A year along which Ferrari has managed to recover and get back the second place in the standings at the expense of Williams itself, even if the technical gap with Germans remains wide.

The chronometer is a good gauge. Sebastian Vettel signed his best lap in 1.44.550 with the Super Soft tires while Hamilton grasped the fastest lap of the race (1.44.517) with the Soft ones.

This end of season was also favorable to Nico Rosberg who brought home the pole position (the sixth consecutive one) and the victory. These results will relaunch him next season. What a pity he woken up too late, otherwise we would have had fun. Mercedes has been very good at managing tensions between the two standard barer, continuing on their way, using the same strategies and leaving them free to fight on track. 

Force India deserves a plaudit, and particularly Sergio Perez who placed two car in points, proving himself in fifth at the back of Red Bull and ahead of Lotus which has an uncertain future. The sixth place is an important breath of fresh air for Entone’s “cash counter”.

Although they fell outside the points, I appreciate the performance of Toro Rosso with a determined but unlucky Vestappen who once again received a penalization from too severe commissioners.I can sincerely decipher the challenge with Button as a positive sign for this sport. Luckily today we experienced different fighting and overtaking. We are fortunate to have “racetracks with eternal and asphalted escape routes that should let us to see a lot of overtakings and give drivers the possibility to fight freely.Let us hope winter can bring some advice to improve our sporting rules and also to built F1 on “sideswipes”.

After Vettel’s hash in qualifying, also Ferrari made a good job with excellent pit stops and a good recover by the German driver.

From Tuesday, December 1 it will be already 2016 with the test of Pirelli behind closed doors. The Ultra soft tires will go into action. They are an extra variable for next season.

F1 – Brazilian GP: THE POINT

Nico Rosberg has surprisingly woken up. In the last two grand prix he hasn’t made any mistakes succeeding in coping with Lewis Hamilton who is determined to keep winning, despite his world title. Once again it has been a family fight between Nico and Lewis. Vettel tried to keep the Mercedes pace, but he closed the race with a gap of 17”.

Mercedes superiority is really disarming. It is a technical matter and you can see it looking at the characteristics of the circuit which is short and positioned on a high ground with few brakings to recharge the kers. Nevertheless, they vanquished their competitors. The standings shows only four cars with a slow laps. Mercedes drivers can manage their PU to the best making the most of every single component also against their clients.

The comparison on fast laps is another alarm bell. Lewis Hamilton with the Medium tires signs the best lap of the race in 1.14.832, Vettel with the Soft ones stops at 1.15.056. For their competitors it will not be easy to put a patch on these results for the upcoming season.

Surely, Sebastian Vettel did well trying to keep their pace, highlighting his Ferrari, and giving 30” to Raikkonen. The German is closing his best season ever thanks to his 13th podium. Now, Rosberg is mathematically the vice-champion, while the challenge between the two Finns at Williams and at Ferrari for the fourth place is still open; Bottas has a point more than Kimi.With Grosjean’s ninth place, Lotus earns a point more than Toro Rosso that is in tenth with Max Verstappen who once again is maker of an excellent race. He gave us ancient emotions with excellent over-takings. What a pity for Sainz who once again has been stopped by a technical complication.

F1 – Mexican GP: THE POINT

The Mexican GP slipped away without strong emotions characterized only by a bad day at Ferrari where both drivers made several mistakes.Talking about the choreography, it was a beautiful grand prix thanks to 300.000 spectators gathered at the circuit with a very scenographic “stadium sector” even if the original big bend remains unique. Instead, there is nothing to report about the show on track. The lack of rain was felt.

Once again, Mercedes dominated the scene with its drivers. After the pole, Nico Rosberg brought the victory home winning his challenge with the new world champion by faster laps; also, he won his battle for the second place with Sebastian Vettel. “Seb” tryed to resist pushing over limit, but he payed the consequences heavily. Surely, the two standard-bearers at Maranello had a stressful day. Once again, Bottas and Raikkonen shown a contact. This time, the Ferrari driver had to retreat and clear out the way to Bottas’ podium. 

On the Red Bull front, the Russian driver proved his qualifying result and dominated Ricciardo. Maybe, If he had hastened his pit stop he would have worried Williams.With Verstappen’s ninth place, Toro Rosso succeeds in nibbling a point in the challenge with Lotus for the sixth place in constructors’ general standings. Once again, the Dutch driver was protagonist of a laudable race. Before dropping the curtain, there are only two scheduled events on the calendar. By now, the whole general standings is clear, only the challenge between Lotus and Toro Rosso, that will become money coming from TV royalties at the end of the year, is in the running.

Therefore, all the efforts will be focused towards 2016. McLaren itself has been using racing weekends with the intention to develop itself and to run kilometers in view of the next season when Haas team will debut with Grosjean-Guttierez as standard-bearers.

                                                                                                                                                          

F1 – Us Gp: THE POINT

The Grand Prix of Austin offered us the most beautiful week-end of the season thanks to the hard weather conditions that affected the supremacy of Mercedes and gave us an amazing show.

Among over-takings, recoveries, and over-turnings at the top positions, Mercedes has brought another double-victory home. Once again Lewis Hamilton won the race claiming his third world title and closing the championship. Nico Rosberg attempted to win but he could not do anything, his season has surely been under expectations.With the wet track Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat had hoped. The Australian driver, before dropping to rear positions and closing in tenth overpowered by Alonso on final, has led the race for some laps.

Now all the attention will focus towards the challenge between Rosberg-Vettel for the second place in the world championship where Nico has everything to loose: closing behind a Ferrari driver would be a great defeat to him. Masterful race for Vettel who springing from the 13th place was able to recover till the podium closing a few tenths of a second from Nico. Also Sainz’s recover was amazing. From the last place he has recovered till the sixth place closing the last week-end of Toro Rosso which has almost reached the podium with Verstappen. Essential points for STR from the point of view of the World Championship because it has approached the sixth place of Lotus. Jenson Button’s sixth place with his McLaren ahead of Maldonado’s Lotus proves how this race has been odd and affected by the heavy rain in the morning.

With all the titles already assigned we’ll be back on track in a week for the Mexican GP, the new calendar event. Congratulations to 2015 World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

F1 – Russian Gp – THE POINT

The spectacular nature of this Grand Prix has surprised us. In a way this Russian week-end has been one of the best of the entire season thanks to all the vicissitudes that have occurred, starting from the fuel on track during free practice and bad weather till the extraordinary crash of Sainz during FP3 (luckily without consequences). The race itself has been rich in overtakings, coup de théatre till the last lap with the contact between Raikkonen and Bottas who were fighting for the third place along with Perez.

Dismissed from hospital, Carlos Sainz Jr, has came back in the cockpit of his Toro Rosso in time for the race becoming the protagonist of an unbelievable race as long as his car has worked. Unfortunately the brake system has failed. What a pity Max Verstappen’s race that has been affected by a collision (inculpable) during the first lap that has forced him to close the race outside zone points.

It has been a very unlucky day for Nico Rosberg who could have kept open the final result of the World Championship. After his good pole position he has been forced to retire because of the breakdown of the accelerator pedal just few laps from the start.Once again, Hamilton has managed the race to his liking achieving a new victory, but he did not seem at his best as the better lap signed by Vettel (his 51th lap) demonstrates.

Thanks to his second place, the German at Ferrari oversteps the other German at Mercedes in overall standings and opens a good challenge in view of the upcoming four events.Ferrari confirms itself as the second power of the World Championship, at ease with Soft and Supersoft tyres despite quite low temperatures. A good race also for Kimi Raikonnen, maker of numerous over-takings, also at the limit of rules.

What a pity the collision that has annihilated his compatriot at Williams delivering the third place directly to Sergio Perez. This accident has been under investigation. After having questioned both drivers, Commissioners have inflicted a penalization of 30” to the driver of Ferrari who has fallen in eighth.

Excellent performance for the Mexican driver and Force India with their risky strategy that consisted in a sole change of tyre at the 13th lap. Perez has been great in managing his car despite tyre complications donating an important podium to his team after his team-mate Hulkenberg had been forced to leave the track due to a contact with Ericsson’s Sauber. The Swiss team, anyway, has gained some points thanks to the sixth place of Nasz who closed behind Kvyat and ahead of Maldonado, Raikonen and the couple of McLaren Button-Alosno who close the top ten and the point zone.

With the penalty to Kimi, Mercedes mathematically wins his scond Constructors’ World Championship. In fifteen days we’ll come back on track with the Us Gp.

F1- Japan Gp: THE POINT

Everything went back to normal. After the negative pause in Singapore, here in Japan Mercedes exhibited again all its excessive power with Hamilton that couldn’t be caught. Being able to do what he wants, he proved to be in the saddle to his rivals. Nico Rosberg, failing his start, compromised not only his race but also his iridescent chances.

W06 Hybrid is on another planet, beyond mistakes or complications. After a win, the third place is always a “bitter pill”. Nevertheless, for Ferrari the third and fourth places are a good booty. Vettel brings home the tenth seasonal podium gained on a track that is demanding for “The Red” which reinforces its second place on the Constructors’ World Championship standings to the detriment of William already oriented towards 2016.

Anyway, this grand prix gave us beautiful duels and over-takings, like that made by Nico to the detriment of Bottas, or that made by Verstappen against his team-mate Sainz. Luckily direction changed its policy giving space to half group battles. Once again the two young “bulls” reanimated the race, giving three important points to Toro Rosso despite some mistakes like that made by Sainz Jr. at the entrance of the pit-lane that damaged the spoiler of his car. Congratulations to Force India, and especially Lotus. Vijay Mallya’s team which reconfirmed Hulkenberg and Perez for the next season proves that the fifth place in the World Championship is well-earned. The response of Lotus was amazing. Despite hard times, It greets Suzuka in eight and seventh. This is an award for all its staff who keeps working despite strong pressure. I hope a transfer of property will be announced in the next few days.

A thought also goes to Fernando Alonso’s race. Surely, I do not agree with the radio outburst of the Spanish team that after suffering another overtaking hasn’t spared heavy criticism to its McLaren-Honda. Anyway, I can understand Alonso’s frustration. Despite having continually struggle, he closed only eleventh, ahead his team-mate stopped sixteenth. It is really a hard moment for him and especially for Honda. I am worried about what Japaneses can do in this critical situation.
The technical gap is substantial and we don’t see any Power-Unit improvements. At date I can’t see their future in F1 beyond 2016.

However, the Circus is correctly facing such a hard moment. Some entity are “fire-walking”. Along with Honda, whose complications affect the financial condition of its team, we haveRed Bull (RBR and TR) without an engine, and Lotus that is nervously waiting Renault. Time is running out and, according to rumors, some complicated situations should unlock during this week. Also Mercedes could have a change of mind about Red Bull. The fact is that we have a clear regulations: each team must have an engine. We’ll see how all this will develop. As an excellent orchestra leader as he is, Mr. E. won’t stand watching.

F1 – Singapore Gp: THE POINT

We  moved from the podium at Monza to the pole position and victory in Singapore. Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari scored an almost perfect week-end, also spiced with Kimi Raikkonen’s third place. The German missed just the fastest lap of the race  signed by Daniel Ricciardo, in second place at the finish line.

Maker of a perfect lap in qualifying, Sebastian run its race to his liking pushing hard and managing the speed when it was necessary. Not even the (real and virtual) safety car ruined the “red party”.Vettel was great at every departures in keeping his ex team-mate behind. He responded to the Australian’s attacks placing a safety gap between his Ferrari and Red Bull Racing. In my opinion, Race Director’s choice about SC has been really unreasonable: he decided to keep the safety car on track for even 5 laps due to an invasion which lasted less than 30”.This kind of events can make you fail the victory. Therefore Ferrari has its third seasonal success. Earlier this year the goal was two “seals”. It was a week-end to forget for Mercedes and its two color-barer Hamilton and Rosberg. They has never been “at stake” and it is the first time in the last two years. Even in qualifying they had to settle in the third row. Now it is critical to understand why it happened because such an overturning is quite crazy. It could have been a complication due to the pressure of tires or to hot temperatures. After dominating far and wide, Hamilton was forced to retire because he was short on power with Nico in fourth at the finish line. Thanks to his team-mate’s zero points, Rosberg has decreased his gap in standing (41 points), but he will have to pay attention to Vettel ( just 8 points behind). Ferrari strengthened its second place in the Constructors’  standing, also thanks to Raikkonen’s third place, even if he was unremarkable and slower than his team-mate.

As I have predicted, Red Bull regenerated in this city circuit. It is very likely that Renault Power-Unit works well at low speed letting its light shine. Complications arise when you need the maximum power as it usually happens in tracks at low loan. An approval also goes to Toro Rosso which is again in points with both its drivers. Marx Vestappen has been excellent. After his mistake at the start he recovered till eighth making us enjoy amazing overtakings once again. On final he didn’t succeed in overtaking Perez. Sainz Jr. was good too, he finished in nineth, ahead of Nasr’s Sauber.

                                                                     

F1, Italian Gp – The Point

The fast and demanding layout of the Monza’s track has stressed the only real Achilles heel of that technological jewel that Mercedes is: reliability. We have especially perceived this weakness watching the dissimilarities on the timetable.During Friday’s long run, Ferrari payed a 1-1,2”’s penalty to the Germans. Then, during Saturday’s qualifying, the time gap unbelievably descended to 3 dec.

Meanwhile we learned that Nico Rosberg had been forced to qualifying using a dated Power-Unit with 5 Gps and 4,000 km on the shoulders due to a malfunction in that super engine specially taken to Monza.
This also forced Hamilton to run in a softer mode. Despite this sword of Damocles, Vettel was constantly paying a 5”’s delay per round to the leader. Then this gap went back to over 1”in the very final when the engineers asked Lewis to push.

The mistake at the start by Kimi Raikkoner, maker of a wonderful recover, makes me think to a change in the strategy of “The Red” which had counted on the opportunity to put more pressure to the silver arrows.
This second place is certainly important both for Ferrari and fans who have celebrated Hamilton-Vettel-Massa under the podium inciting the circuit. A podium which confirms Maranello as the second force in the world championship, exactly ahead of Williams which has completed the podium with Felipe Massa in third places before his team-mate Bottas. The Brasilian has shown what he is made of.

Sergio Perez’s Force Indias have came back on top 10 looking for their validation and for the newly confirmed Niko Hulkenberg. Also the drivers of Toro Rosso have been excellent with Verstappen maker of amazing over-takings. Instead it has been a day to forget for Lotus which had been fighting in stormy waters, even if important communications about their are expected in the coming days.

But let’s talk about the “mystery” that has surrounded the race. Ater the checkered flag has been waved, rumors started about a possible penalty to Mercedes which would’t have followed tire pressure suggested by Pirelli. From this circumstance we can undestand to what the misterious communication to Hamilton in the final phases was due. Once again we are in front of a F1-caos event. For a change nothing is undestood. We talk about possible penalizations, but on what bases? FIA should demostrate that the use of a pressure lower than that suggested by Pirelli could have been Dangerous…

This week-end a lot of meeting about the post-2017 of Italian Gp at Monza have taken places. These meetings raise our hopes about a renewal even if talking about success rates is a bit premature.
Also Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has been present at the circuit in honor of the occasion.
I think we should defent this Italian stage, because it isn’t just a Lombardy Region’s event but an Italian know-how.

F1, Belgian Gp – The Point

We watched a fascinating Belgian Gp in its 60th edition, 48 of which raced at Spa. At the same time we celebrated the 900th Ferrari’s Gp, a really important goal for the family from Maranello who has deeply contaminated the racing world and particularly F1’s world with its Dna.

After an amazing Qualifying, Hamilton gained the pole position and outstripped his mate-driver by 0”458 with a perfect lap. The Mercedes World Champion did not miss anything starting ahead and managing the race to his liking without being troubled by Rosberg who instead failed the start and was committed to regain the second place which has been occupied by an excellent Perez.
After a good start from the eight place, Vettel achieved a difficult third place thanks to a brave strategy based on just a pit-stop at the 15th lap. Unluckily this strategy has been frustrated by the bursting of the right rear tire that put him KO two laps from the end.
So an excellent Grosjean reached the third place of the podium with his Lotus making his box smile in a difficult W.E. distressed by the financial complications his Team is facing.

Surely Ferrari’s strategy has been a bit risky. I think, anyway, that Pirelli should better investigate what happened also as a result of a comparable problem spotted by Rosberg (however Pirelli underlines that Mercedes case was caused by debrises). Yet, in both events it happens to a tire not resting and surely the excellent Pirelli Technicians could tell us if it was about a technical construction problem or it was a problem of structure tiredness considering that in Vettel’s case any drop of performance ascribable to a tire compound wear wasn’t displayed. Indeed Ferrari Champion’s lap times has been stable till the moment of the burst.

Once again we have some problems at Williams’ with mistakes at the box that frustrated Bottas’s great performance in qualifying with the third time. We have to observe, anyway, that during the race both Bottas and Massa had a car which had erroneously stressed the tires. An optimistic note about this Gp comes from the two young Kvyat (4th) and Verstappen (8th) who juiced up the race with their grit and overtakings demonstrating in this way that bet on young sometimes is good.
There is not much to say about the unlucky Kimi in practice, capable for a 7th final place in spite of a start from the 15th place, but the ’55 seconds gap from the first and the lack of competitiviness of his car compared with Pérez and Massa who preceded him, didn’t permit the Finnish to celebrate in the best possible way the contract renewal for 2016.

As usual, the next fifteen days are going to be caracterized by a strong work in view of the next Gp at Monza, that is one of the historical F1’s showcase.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

F.1 – British Gp: THE POINT… BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI

The race started changing the cards on the table, with the two Williams who get immediately the lead in front of Hamilton and Rosberg, authors of a bad start, as well as at Ferrari and that was able to until to keep up with Mercedes right from the first pit-stop.

With tyres changing,Lewis cleared his supremacy up, going to lead the group. With the arrival of rain in the final stages of the race, Williams missed the podium, in favor of Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari. Ferrari guessed the strategy, even if the work to do is a lot, considering the gap accused in Qualifying. A third very important place them back on the podium, but they will have to beware of Williams, which is growing steadily.

Lewis Hamilton showed on track all his British experience, guessing the exact moment to switch to Intermediate compounds, while in this race Nico was not 100% perfect. Very good Felipe Massa, author of an excellent time lap in Qualifying and of a solid race, closed in front of Bottas. Until the pit-stop, he had led the race, and then “give up” to Mercedes and to the rain, in favor of Maranello. It was positive the sixth and seventh positions of Kvyat and Hulkenberg, who led the Red Bull (orphan Ricciardo forced to retire) and Force India to the top. Force India completed the Gran Prix with the ninth position of Perez, behind the SF-15T of Kimi Raikkonen. A small point went to Fernando Alonso, who ended the British weekend of McLaren with the tenth position, after a difficult start, because of Jenson Button’s difficult retirement.

Mercedes has, once again, proved its dominance in terms of Power-Unit, with six cars in the top-ten while Ferrari will have to watch its backs by Williams’ return.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F.1 – Austrian Gp: THE POINT… by Gian Carlo Minardi

The Austrian Grand Prix ends quickly with the new Mercedes’ double. This time, Nico Rosberg win over his teammate that closes in second position, before Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel.

Nico Rosberg was perfect throughout the weekend, taking the lead of the race a few meters away from the start, leaving behind Lewis and the Ferrari driver, maintaining the first position until the end. As we expected, the two Mercedes were the focus of the whole race, with Vettel trying to keep up the pace, racing constantly with interesting chronometric results, just a few tenths behind Hamilton.

The pit stops of the top-four were opened by Nico Rosberg at the 34th lap, followed by Massa, Hamilton and Vettel, who stopped to switch to the yellow-Soft compound at the 37th lap. He slipped the change of the podium because of a problem with the right rear tyre, which is repeated for the second time this year, finishing behind the former Ferrari driver. It was not a perfect stop also for the World Champion, who touched the white line getting back on track. As on Saturday in Q3, Hamilton committed some imprecisions under pression, but they were just painless mistakes, because the 5” penalty guaranteed a second place, given the good lead over Williams. Thanks to the soft tires, Rosberg also signed the fastest lap in the race, with a 1.11.235.

Sebastian Vettel, with the only Ferrari remained in the race after Raikkonen and Alonso’s crash in the early stages, tried to go for broke to close at 6 dec from Massa, ahead of Bottas, Hulkenberg, Maldonado, Verstappen, Perez and Ricciardo.

We experienced a very exciting comeback with Sergio Perez that recovered till the ninth position. Hulkenberg’s sixth placement completed the great weekend of Force India. Toro Rosso gained again important points through Max Verstappen, the author of an amazing overtaking against Kvyat’s Red Bull, which closed the race in the eighth position, with Daniel Ricciardo who gave up also to Pastor Maldonado’s Lotus in the long straights of the Ring.

This will be a grand Prix to be remembered for the record of penalties (70 positions in total) given to the drivers of McLaren, Toro Rosso and Red Bull for Power Unit’s replacement. Some of them turned into drive-through and stop&go of 10 seconds. A record that could be beaten again and let us understand the problems of Honda and Renault, making race’s results difficult to read for all fans.

Also this year the Legends Parade took place, dedicated to the 80’s turbo cars. I experienced wonderful moments of my past, reviewing some cars that have colored the 80’s with the drivers who made history, such as Lauda, Piquet, Prost, Alesi, Patrese and our Pierluigi Martini, at the wheel of the Minardi M186. Together with them, there were also the actors of motorsport history as Brenda, the Secretary of Mr. Enzo Ferrari and the “father” of BMW engines, Paul Roche. Congratulations and thank to Red Bull for making the public relive these incredible emotions.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F.1 – Canada GP – THE POINT… BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI

It was a truly anonymous Grand Prix , with an embarrassing supremacy (once again) of Mercedes that win another double, leaving Bottas behind – the first of others – with 40″ of lead.

After scoring a new record of resistance by completing six grand prix with the same power unit, the Germans presented themselves in Montreal with an updated unit, whose results are seen even at Williams and Force India.

Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa moved last Sunday, with two nice comebacks that led the German driver to the fifth place (behind his teammate, who started in third position) and the Brazilian, who was in sixth. Seeing this comeback, Seb was missing and he could have worried (or at least try to) the duo Hamilton-Rosberg, giving Ferrari that podium missed by Raikkonen because of a failure on exiting the pit-box – greatly angering the Team Principal, Maurizio Arrivabene. It was a Grand Prix, which has passed quickly, even when the Safety Car was a frequent spectator (on track almost always).

Perfect race for Hamilton, after starting the weekend very nervous, with different errors between Friday and Saturday. Raikkonen did not used his Ferrari 100%, while, after the critical early season, Daniil Kvyat was ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who was not at ease. Red Bull has taken steps forward, considering the chassis, while Renault is still in difficulty, as shown by the results of Toro Rosso.

The situation at McLaren was incomprehensible. It will be difficult for the Honda staff to justify a debacle like this at the top. We see no improvements. Indeed, the reliability is worsening, as evidenced by the double retirement.

Without any doubt (and as I support since too long time) this Formula 1 should “have a face-lift”, to regain its “appeal”. Maybe something starts to move. Meetings at McLaren may have opened to interesting solutions and the same Marchionne was in talks with Ecclestone.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F.1 – Gp Monaco: THE POINT

In Montecarlo the unknown element and the mistake are always around the corner and the last ten laps have not lived up to expectations. A Grand Prix driven by external factors, thanks to the contact of Grosjean-Verstappen and the “suicide” tactics that Mercedes has put in the hands of Nico Rosberg’s success, tearing from Lewis Hamilton, who until then had dominated the Monegasque weekend.

Beyond the undisputed supremacy of Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid, as evidenced by the advantage gained by Hamilton before the entrance of the Safety Car, the pit denied a well-deserved victory for the English because of superficiality and too much pride. A praise to Nico, also for his sportsmanship when he claimed to have been particularly fortunate in this circumstance. Certainly the “C” factor has its weight, even in races. Mercedes has completed the sixth Grand Prix with the same power-unit, synonymous with strength and competitiveness.

All others have a great work to do although I have seen a good compaction performance. Big step forward by Red Bull, McLaren-Honda and Force India. Rumours did not forget to have won four World Championships and now they are advancing. First points for Button who brought McLaren to the eighth position, racing on interesting chronometric results, as well as Sergio Perez, who finished behind Raikkonen, in seventh place. Weekend undertone for the Finn who, in my opinion, raced short of its possibilities, in addition to having made some mistakes too. He had to be in front of the RB. Commissioners’ decision was correct to not penalized Daniel Ricciardo for the contact with Kimi, but I don’t find correct the decision against Alonso, who was forced to retirement because of reliability problems. We are in Montecarlo and the essence of F1 should be also these contacts.

The results has been decided, however, thanks to Grosjean-Verstappen’s contact (the Dutch driver will pay with five penalty positions in Canada GP). The 17-year-old of TR gave us the only overtakings and was recovering in spite of the problem at the pit stop. Beyond the impetuousness, he was the author of a great weekend. Without defending him, I’d like to see Grojean’s telemetries, because I had the impression that the French have greatly anticipated the braking.

Now we go to Canada.