F1 | GP IMOLA, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “242.000 TIMES THANK YOU”

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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.

As far as the race was concerned, I must say that the first bend was worth almost the entire GP with Verstappen’s wonderful overtake of Piastri, as well as the last ten laps with the Red Bull driver setting four fastest laps in five rounds. We saw a few overtakes with a GP played on strategies and on the Safety-car. I am sure that the public enjoyed itself and appreciated the show. It is the source of great pride and satisfaction. Now we will see if we are ready for possible future choices.

At the end we also saw Norris overtake his teammate. I believe that this was mainly an overtaking move dictated by strategies since Piastri was under investigation and risked a 5” penalty. Although this time they could do nothing against Red Bull and Verstappen, McLaren continues to exude peace of mind.

Positive signs also came from Ferrari that, as far as I am concerned, produced its best race of the season. There was a lot of talk about a disaster in qualifying but let us not forget that the gap from pole was just six tenths of a second. Currently six tenths are not a few to make up, but it is the confirmation that it only takes a nothing to be kept out of Q3. It set up a good strategy by differentiating between the two drivers, conveying an internal peace of mind that I was not ready for. A fourth and sixth place that can be read with confidence for the future.

It was also a positive weekend for Williams that took fifth place with Albon, although there was no lack of mistakes from Sainz, who was eighth nevertheless and in the points zone at the end of the race. A more than positive ninth place for Red Bulls with Hadjar. I like this young man more and more and I am sure that he will make people talk about him in the near future.

Tsunoda completes the top 10. Besides the bad accident in qualifying, he completed his “task” despite a significant gap from his teammate. I think I see Red Bull on the rise compared to the start of the season.

At Imola, Franco Colapinto made his return to Formula 1. Returning in the seventh round with a “different” car is never easy, especially with these regulations that do not allow you to train on the track in the correct way. Not even when you are called upon to replace a colleague after the start of the championship. He made a major mistake in qualifying, but in the race, he honourably took the car home. He must be left to work in peace and given time to grow. Experience cannot be bought at the supermarket.

They go back to the track in a week’s time, in Monte Carlo, and then on to Barcelona.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP SAUDI ARABIA, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “LECLERC-HAMILTON. THE GAP IS TOO HIGH”

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In Saudi Arabia we saw a weekend under the banner of McLaren, but especially under the name Oscar Piastri who forcefully took the number one spot within the team led by Andrea Stella, as well as the lead in the ladder by taking his third win of the season. He is confirming that he is a complete driver.

Always present is Verstappen, the author of an extraordinary pole position after the difficult weekend in Bahrain. However, I do not agree with the penalty. I believe that 5” are too few considering the advantage obtained by his action and also because they came at the start of the race. He had plenty of time to recover, crossing the finish line in second place, little more than 2” from the Australian. A drive-through would have been more consistent.

Leclerc’s grand prix is also to be applauded. Not only did he give Ferrari its first podium of the season in a GP, but he hid and lessened the car’s real problems which were instead very evident with Hamilton who had a pace that did not line up with a seven times world champion. At the present time it is rather inexplicable.

Antonelli’s defence right against Hamilton was excellent. Mercedes is the second force of the world championship with a pair of drivers with very little difference between them. Russell is in splendid form, as he showed with the third place in qualifying and fifth in the race.

It was a negative weekend for Norris. He is racing inconsistently, and his difficulties are obvious. The comeback in the race was certainly positive, also the result of a good strategy, but the mistake in Q3 was very heavy. Despite having the best car on the track, he could not overtake Leclerc. This makes the result achieved by the driver from Monte Carlo even more important. Norris is suffering heavily the “problem” of Piastri who exploits his McLaren to the utmost.

A positive weekend also for Carlos Sainz, who is on the upswing with his Williams, and who once again left his teammate Albon behind him, and for Hadjar, who gave the Racing Bulls the point of the top 10, with Lawson in twelfth place. Making a comparison with last season, the biggest disappointment is coming from Aston Martia, out of the points zone.

In two weeks’ time, they go to Miami, before landing in Europe at Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit on May 16-28-

It was an Easter weekend of Motorsport. If in Jeddah we saw the fifth round of the F1 World Championship, Imola hosted the second round of the WEC World Championship, attracting more than 65,000 fans. I thank them one by one for the warmth with which they welcomed me, especially at the moment of the start of the 6 hours, just as I thank the entire Formula Imola team for their excellent work. Congratulations and thanks also came from the organizer of the WEC. With the arrival of F1 in four weeks time, I hope to be able to see an even warmer and bigger crowd. The fans are our “sponsors”, and the encouragement to continue to improve. We must put those who have to make certain decisions in difficulty.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1| GP BAHRAIN, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “PIASTRI A COMPLETE DRIVER. NORRIS IN MENTAL DIFFICULTY.”

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Once again, we saw an extremely competitive race in which strategies and the safety-car were decisive for the result. A Grand Prix that entertained us with a lot of overtaking, which showed once again that just the slightest slip is enough – see some of the imperfections in the pit-stops – to lose positions.

Congratulations to Oscar Piastri, the protagonist of a perfect weekend. He marked his 50th GP with pole-position and the win. He is confirming that he is a complete driver who is maturing. He is the pretender to the title, considering Norris’ mental difficulties.  His teammate was not as predictable with some mistakes in both qualifying and at the start. A mistake that affected his race finishing behind Russell.

The forces in the field are becoming clearer with McLaren increasingly the master of this championship, ahead of a good Mercedes, and a discrete Ferrari. For the first time since the start of the season Antonelli finished the race outside the points zone. His overtaking move on the four-time world champion Max Verstappen was beautiful, but the entry of the safety car messed up Mercedes’ plans, in this way thwarting the excellent work with an imperfect strategy.

They were precisely the ones who may have been the victims of this too intense calendar. In my opinion, 24 races are too many. Teams and drivers are subject to a tight schedule and the risk of mistakes is just around the corner.  Probably, because of the turnover, some procedures did not work properly among Horner’s men.

I found the decision to not proceed in relation to Russell correct. This was a minor mistake dictated by an external management problem connected to the ECU. I do not think he had much of an advantage.

Having said this, in six days’ time they go back onto the track in Jedda, in Saudi Arabia, for the fifth round of the season.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP CHINA, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “GROUND CLEARANCE IS A PROBLEM FOR FERRARI”

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The Chinese Grand Prix, the second round of the world championship, confirmed the values in the field with McLaren bringing home the team’s first one-two ahead of an excellent Russell, once again on the podium, Max Verstappen and the pair of Ferraris.

Compared to what we saw a week ago in Melbourne, some positive signs certainly came from Ferrari, but I am convinced that even without the problem with his right front wing, Leclerc would not have been able to fight for the win. A win that, however, came in the sprint with Hamilton, who also took the pole position.

I believe it is precisely in this difference of performance, between the Sprint and the GP, that the real problem lies with the SF-25 which must race very low to be competitive. Qualifying, the Sprint and the race, are fertile ground, dictated by the limited mileage (100km), and less fuel on board. This situation changes drastically in the run up to the GP. To avoid wearing the skid pad, they are forced to raise the car, thus sacrificing performance. This, however, did not allow them to avoid the disqualification of both cars (even if for different reasons between Leclerc and Hamilton) that came when the race was already over, thus cancelling the fifth and sixth places.

Red Bull has quite a different problem, if we can call it that, in the sense that it finds itself once again racing with only one driver, Max Verstappen. However, it is not possible that whoever comes alongside him has such enormous difficulties. It is probably a very difficult car to drive and manage, having been built entirely around the Dutchman who has a particular style of driving, putting his teammates in difficulty. I find it hard to imagine a different explanation, since the same “cousins” let themselves be faster and better performing than Lawson.

Racing Bulls managed to wipe out an excellent job by the team and its drivers with a totally wrong strategy that kept them outside the top 10 despite Ferrari’s double disqualification. They threw away important points, to the advantage of their direct rivals.

Once again, I would like to congratulate the rookies. Particularly Isack Hadjar who redeemed the bad impression in Australia, while I found the Jack Doohan’s penalty excessive. Well done “Kimi” Antonelli, once again in the points with the Mercedes and without making any mistakes, he occupies fifth place in the overall ladder.

Now we move to Japan, to Suzuka, another demanding “old style” track characterized by sandy escape routes.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP ABU DHABI, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “MCLAREN’S TITLE IS THE ANTECHAMBER TO THE FIGHT IN BOTH CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2025. CONGRATULATIONS TO ANDREA STELLA”

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One of the most beautiful championships goes into the archives, especially the second half where several teams took home a win.  McLaren came back to win the world championship, a success in the constructors’ championship that had been missing since ’98.

A result the reflected the forces in the field. Certainly, they will have to revise some internal aspects to try to avoid repeating some mistakes, but they can start from a base that is already solid. Unlike Ferrari, Mercedes and, probably Red Bull, the reigning champion will be able to rely on the stability of the design and on the best pair of drivers, in my opinion, launched into the future. Andrea Stella has done an exceptional job in these years, bringing back to the top a team that had fallen to the rear. He is a fantastic young man that I had the luck to meet, and he deserves this victory that, historically, is the antechamber to fighting for both titles next season. This is precisely why I expect McLaren with an advantage for 2025.

It was also a positive second part of the season for Ferrari that closed this very long championship with second and third place, and they can celebrate second place in the constructors’ title, finishing only 14 points behind. Unfortunately, in one part of the season, they had lost sight of the main objective, making some mistakes that turned out to be decisive. Next year they are in for a major challenge with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton alongside Charles Leclerc.

Behind Ferrari were the two Mercedes with Hamilton and Russell, ahead of the world champion Max Verstappen, once again the protagonist of a solid race. On the contact with Piastri, in my opinion the 10” second penalty was excessive. He was on the curb, and that was a far as he could go.  This could have been dismissed as a race accident with 50/50 responsibility or by penalizing McLaren’s Australian driver as well.

A positive race also by Gasly, an excellent seventh place with Alpine finishing in sixth place, behind the Aston Martin, and ahead of Haas, which is also growing and it too files away the season with Hulkenberg’s eighth place ahead of the “warrior” Fernando Alonso who continues to fight tooth and nail.

The aspect I appreciated most of this season was precisely the alternation at the top and the ability of the teams and drivers to turn things around from race to race. It really was hard to make predictions. We saw this both at the top with Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, and in mid table. Alpine was able to right the season, achieving a result that was almost unhoped for until a few races from the end, as did Haas.

We are approaching the end of a technical cycle and next year it will be even more interesting, together with the new developments in Mercedes with the arrival of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and the already mentioned Hamilton in Maranello. All that is left is to choose is who will be Verstappen’s teammate in Red Bull…

Gian Carlo Minardi

 

F1 | GP QATAR, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “VERSTAPPEN THE ONLY CERTAINTY IN THIS CHAOS“

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In this chaos of penalties, the only certainty is called Max Verstappen who took his latest win, demonstrating once again that he is a champion with a great vision of the race: from the mirrors he noticed the irregularity committed by Lando Norris.

Honestly, although probably necessary, I do not share these changes within the Federation a few races left in the world championship. The FIA must take another step forward in the professional management of its structure. In recent weeks we seen several changes, the fruit of palpable internal nervousness. Despite some penalties being dictated by the guidelines (we are still waiting for the decision on Piastri), other decisions have left me perplexed: Verstappen’s penalty in post-qualifying, both due to the motivation and the type of  penalty, or not “calling” the Virtual Safety-Car for the removal of the mirror lost by Albon, subsequently hit by Bottas that led to the punctures of Sainz and Hamilton.

On the race front, both Norris and Piastri were the protagonists of some ingenuities which are part of professional growth, but that they should try to avoid, above all for the sake of the team. In any case, I do not think McLaren will have problems taking the world constructors’ championship back to Woking, having, as of today, a twenty-one-point lead over Ferrari.

Ferrari said goodbye to Quatar with second place, as positive as it was unhoped-for. For once the wheel turned in their favour, especially for Leclerc who took himself within eight points from Norris.

Also, among the surprises were Gasly’s fifth place with Alpine and the first points for Sauber, thanks to Zhou’s eight place.  Gasly made himself the protagonist of a positive weekend, once again demonstrating his qualities in a team that found its stimulus again and the way to emerge by consolidating itself as the sixth force in the world championship.

We are heading towards the last round in Abu Dhabi, already the scene for unforeseen upsets in the past, with the open battle between Ferrari-McLaren,  Norris-Leclerc for second place and Alpine-Haas for sixth place.

F1 GP LAS VEGAS, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “LECLERC-SAINZ: DIRTY LAUNDRY IS WASHED AT HOME. AN EXCITING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RIGHTLY IN VERSTAPPEN’S HANDS”

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We are witnessing one of the best, if not the best, season in Formula 1 history. Las Vegas gave us an exciting grand prix made up of a lot of correct overtaking that did not require the intervention of the safety-car or the virtual one.

Once again, the predictions were overturned with a Mercedes that was one of the great protagonists right from free practice. It knew how to make the most of its advantage in these particular conditions, taking the one-two.  Just a few months ago I had pointed out Mercedes as one of the possible arbiters of the constructors’ championship, which is occurring in the McLaren-Ferrari challenge.

This is a championship in which the slightest slip is enough to find oneself in the rear, especially in qualifying in which there are six drivers within a handful of tenths of a second. We saw this with Hamilton. He started from tenth place and climbed up to second place.

With third and fourth place Ferrari reduced the gap from the leadership to 24 points, even if what happened between Leclerc and Sainz must give them food for thought. It could be a foretaste of 2025 with the arrival of Hamilton in the red car. I do not want to blame one or the other. They are both right, even based on the agreements made at the start of the race. Sainz managed the tyres better, but what I did not like were the comments Leclerc made on world vision. He is a champion and dirty laundry is washed at home. The team has to learn how to manage its drivers in that it will have a hard season under this aspect. It will be much harder to manage Leclerc-Hamilton compared to the current pair.

Las Vegas gave us the first verdict. Max Verstappen took out his fourth world title. An absolutely deserved result, the result of great professionalism, preparation and seriousness. Despite the difficulties with his car he did not relent, fighting and taking home fifth place ahead of his direct rival who consoled himself with the fastest lap. Once again, Verstappen made the difference within the team, even if, this time, at least Perez contributed with a point.

The duel in the rear is also very nice. Haas goes one point ahead of Alpine (forced to retire with Gasly), but the Racing Bulls also reduced the gap with the usual Tsunoda, with an excellent ninth place.

We are approaching the last two rounds with trepidation. Qatar and Abu Dhabi within just two weeks.  In between the two Grands Prix, the sixth, and last, Sprint scheduled for Saturday.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP BRAZIL, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “VERSTAPPEN OUT OF THIS WORLD. RACING BULLS DEPRIVED OF AN IMPORTANT RESULT BY A RED FLAG WAS SHOWN TOO QUICKLY”

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As long as the Brazil Grand Prix continues to be scheduled in this part of the year, we will have races strongly affected by the rain and the weather.

We witnessed a Sprint Race won by Norris, ahead of Piastri with Max Verstappen the protagonist of some mistakes that took him to a penalty, something that he did not do during the grand prix managing to outclass the direct rivals. From the 46th lap he made himself the protagonist consistently setting fast laps, outpacing his adversaries by more than five tenths of a second. The second fastest lap of the race is found a more than second slower (Verstappen: 1:20.472  – Norris: 1:21.517).

He gave an important signal, making it clear that his three titles were not won by chance, and that the fourth is coming. Let us not forget he started from sixteenth place on the grid. It will certainly not be easy for Norris to make up the 62-point gap, not only because there are only three rounds, but above all because he is up against a great driver who, once again, cancelled his teammate: absolutely irrelevant for the whole weekend, the protagonist of various mistakes and also ridiculed by Lawson.

After the last two grands prix won, Ferrari partially disappointed with Leclerc only fifth. Who disappointed in particular was Carlos Sainz, who made mistakes in both qualifying and the race.

It was a decidedly favourable weekend for Alpine that, thanks to the double podium, took sixth place on the constructors’ ladder. An unhoped-for result only a week ago, which certainly came thanks to the weather conditions that mitigated the problems of the power-unit, but also to excellent work by the team and its two drivers. In these difficult conditions they were competitive.

Instead, it was decidedly underwhelming grand prix for McLaren that ended the long Sunday with only sixth and seventh places, and a number of mistakes by the poleman Norris.

It was a weekend decidedly conditioned by the bad weather that put a strain on the drivers – who made various mistakes – but also the race management that was first forced to delay qualifying until Sunday morning, and then to abort the start following Stroll’s  mistake in the formation lap, until the red flag was shown due to the difficult track conditions  and Colapinto’s  going off the track.

Precisely Williams was the “victim” of a number of incidents which had a major impact on costs. I believe that Colapinto could come into the financial operation aimed at balancing the finances considering that the team from Grove already has two drivers under contract for 2025 (Albon and Sainz) and that Red Bull is racing with only one driver…

So far, the race marshals have not commented on the investigation begun due to the departure of some drivers, despite the display of the flashing lights for an aborted start. In fact, at different times, all the drivers left the starting grid (with the sole exception of Sainz who started from pit-lane). I am of the opinion that any penalties should be assigned quickly, but, in any case, the track has already given its verdict.

In addition to the bad weather, the race was also strongly conditioned by the red flag, which was shown too quickly because they then restarted with the same conditions and tyres (intermediates). Among other things, it was shown in a time that strongly affected in a negative way the Racing Bulls that had guessed the strategy and the best moment for passing onto the full-wets. I find that the team was deprived of a very important result. It could have found itself in Alpine’s place.

It was certainly not easy for the race marshals and the Federation to manage this type of race, but I believe it would take a uniform work group throughout the season, especially for minimizing possible non-uniformity of views.

We leave this demanding weekend behind and prepare to experience the final three rounds in which rain should not be a problem.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP MEXICO, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “FERRARI IS TO BE APPLAUDED. THE DIRECT CHALLENGE WITH MCLAREN STARTS AGAIN. VERSTAPPEN: HEAVY PENALTIES BUT CORRECT “

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Once again, these young men knew how to entertain us, giving us a good grand prix, and on the whole it was a very interesting weekend. Carlos Sainz made the most of his performances in the best way possible, just like Ferrari took home a second straight win. Together with important points with Leclerc’s third place, to which is added the additional point for the fastest lap.

As we had been expecting for some time, the challenge between McLaren and Ferrari has started again. McLaren, that keeps the lead in the constructors’ world championship, finished the weekend with an important second place with Norris, but a Ferrari not only removed Red Bull from second place, but it got closer to its direct rivals from Woking. Now the gap is 29 points.

This is certainly an important sign in view of the near future that was hard to foresee until a few months ago, and it is synonymous with peace of mind, and a rediscovered tranquillity within the team.

In Red Bull they were probably aware of this possible scenario, finding itself having to race with only one driver, especially after having made the decision to trust Perez. It is an incredible involution by the Mexican.

Staying in Red Bull, Verstappen paid, all at once, for all the bonuses accumulated up now. Besides everything, they are severe, but correct, penalties, probably the fruit of the meeting on Saturday between the drivers and the marshals. They are two penalties that Verstappen paid heavily, managing anyway to climb back to sixth place.

The challenge within Mercedes between the seven times world champion and the possible next world champion was exciting. It was a very correct challenge, with Hamilton taking advantage of indecision by Russell. He showed his experience and all his worth.

Between all the teams that are growing in this end of the season we surely find Haas, once again in the points with its drivers, so consolidating sixth place at the expense the Racing Bulls that was deprived right from the start of its driver, who was blameless. These are episodes that are part of the races.

Next week we go back onto the track once again, in Sao Paolo, Brazil for the fourth last race round.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP USA, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “FERRARI PERFECT. LAWSON AND COLAPINTO TO BE APPLAUDED. CORRECT TAKING AWAY THE POINT FROM THE GPV”

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The three races in America started with an extraordinary double by Ferrari. Charles Leclerc was the protagonist of a perfect start. That type of attack by Verstappen on Norris was probably expected.

The driver from Monte Carlo was just as skilled at the start after the safety-cay caused by Lewis Hamilton (protagonist of a mistake not worthy of a seven times world champion), maintaining a high pace for all the grand prix. Just as infallible was the strategy regarding Carlos Sainz that allowed the double taking them to only eight points from second place on the constructors’ ladder with five races still to be run.

This was a prestigious result for Ferrari and a good omen that confirms the important step forward, especially in the long run configuration. They must still improve something in qualifying, but we are talking about tenths of a second. Leclerc and Sainz can only recriminate for having blocked each other excessively during the sprint. Otherwise, they would have made it harder for Verstappen to return to success.

Third place for Red Bull with Verstappen, who found his smile once again, the fruit of a tussle with the poleman Norris and the subsequent penalty. Unfortunately, we do not know the guidelines dictated during the briefing between the race director and the drivers. It certainly seems to me that there was more permissiveness during the first lap compared to the rest of the race, because the two episodes – always with Norris and Verstappen as protagonists – are very similar.

George Russell and Lian Lawson also stood out. Both, starting from pitlane, were the protagonists of important comebacks with both finishing in the points zone. Sixth place for the Mercedes driver, with the mistake in qualifying that probably wiped out a result that could have been more important, and eighth place for the Racing Bulls flagbearer in his first race of the season. An important result for the direct challenge with Haas in view of sixth place, currently to the hands of the American team with a two-point lead, the result of both Hulkenberg’s eighth place and, above all, the better result in the Sprint.

Just as important, tenth place by Colapinto who put an unjudgeable Albon in serious difficulty. In just a few races the young man has shown that he deserves to stay in the world championship. We hope that correct choices are made in his regard. Until a few laps from the finish, he had also set the fastest lap of the race, taken away only in the final lap by Ocon with an action that has little to do with sport or technique.

Precisely for this reason I am absolutely in favour of eliminating this regulation. It would be fair to reward if it is done during the race. Used in this way it has so sense.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP SINGAPORE, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “THE FINAL RESULT OF THE WEEKEND IS THE SUM OF QUALIFYING AND THE RACE”

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Compliments must be made to these young men.  In such a complicated race, dictated above all by a high level of humidity, once again the safety-car stayed in the pits. Only Norris “gave” us a few seconds of suspense by touching the battier despite an important lead over Max Verstappen.

As could have been expected, it was a very tactical race by Lando Norris in an excellent McLaren that left the world champion almost twenty-one seconds behind. It was certainly an important gap. A positive second place however for Verstappen who kept the leadership with a 52-point advantage.

The final result of the weekend is the sum of the results between qualifying and the race, Ferrari paid a high price for a disastrous Saturday. Fifth place, a hand full of tenths of a second behind George Russell(fourth) is certainly a positive result, but, considering the pace on the track by Leclerc, supported by a good strategy (change of tyres after the 37th lap, Ferrari certainly has something to recriminate, also together with the physical difficulties in the end felt by the winner. We could probably have seen a Baku-2 with the two drivers very close. But this is racing.

The other factor to emerge from the final placings was the only seven drivers on full laps, Carlos Sainz, seventh it the first non-lapped driver. A result of the mistake in qualifying, but also a perfect start and a different strategy compared to his teammate’s. The Spaniard was amongst the first to make a pit-stop, switching to the whites after barely fourteen laps of the sixty-two.

Even always being competitive, right now the gap between the four top teams (McLaren-Red Bull-Ferrari-Mercedes) and the rest of the group is strongly becoming evident at the moment. The result is the lapping of drivers that have not been seen for quite some time, see Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin.

Theee was team play between Red Bull and Racing Bulls with Ricciardo recalled to the pits at the end to set the fastest lap and take the extra point away from Lando Norris. Racing Bull however says goodbye to Singapore with zero points, counting the 2 points gained by Haas’ direct rivals (9th Hulkenberg, ahead of Perez) in the fight for sixth place on the constructors’ title.

We have another six grands prix. The appointment is in Austin on October 18-20.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | ITALIAN GP, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “A SENSATIONAL WEEKEND NETWEEN “KIMI” ANTONELLI, LECLERC AND FORNAROLI”

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It was a weekend full of excitement, that began with the debut of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in F1 at the wheel of the Mercedes during the first free practice, followed with the confirmation as an official driver for the 2025 World Championship alongside Geroge Russella and ended with the incredible win by Charles Leclerc and Ferrari in the GP. In between, the F3 World Championship win by Leonardo Fornaroli with an incredible move on Mansell in the last bend of the last lap.

As far as “Kimi” is concerned, it is an honour for Italy finding its flag bearer again in the F1 World Championship. In this case, the pride is double because the debut came with a top team with eight world constructors’ title to its credit and goes to the GP to win. Of course, as ACI and ACI Team Italia, we are proud of this achievement and we will continue to support and help him even in the eventual difficult moments, should they come, because we must not forget that we are talking about a team that starts the season to win the constructors’ title.

As the Federal School, Leonardo’s win makes us just as proud since it opens the doors for him into Formula 2. I wish that Gabriele Mini can quickly forget this disappointment and that those who follow him closely will help him in continuing his adventure in racing cars. He has shown on a few occasions that he has the right qualifications to do well in this world.

Coming to the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari put together an incredible strategy, solidified by excellent work by Charles Leclerc, assisted by Carlos Sainz. Unlike the direct rivals, they opted for a single stop managing to overtake the excellent McLarens, by managing to protect the tyres. The constancy of the driver from Monte Carlo was incredible, from the 37th lap to the 52nd he consistently lapped between 1’23.5-1’23.7.

This weekend everything went well for Ferrari, putting the work into practice. It was a breath of fresh air, and we hope it can bring some peace of mind within the team.

To be applauded was Oscar Piastri’s overtaking Lando Norris. Done like a true champion. As I have always maintained, we are talking about one the most promising drivers who, as the grands prix pass by, gains the serenity to impose his choices on the team. So, we are talking about two young, very promising drivers. For some time, I have been saying for a long time that McLaren has the best pair of drivers,

It was a defensive race for Mercedes.  A result that did not live up to their expectations, also considering the fantastic engine that it has, as shown by the same McLaren. Russell’s initial mistake made a big impact on the result.

It was another defensive race by Red Bull that said goodbye to Monza at the head of the constructors’ ladder, but with the lead reduced to only eight points.

Now we wait for Baku, that will not see Kevin Magnussen amongst the protagonists, disqualified for having accumulated 12 penalty points this season. Decisive was the collision wit Gasly (a 10” second penalty and 10 points on the license).  We will see who will be entrusted with his Haas.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP BELGIUM , THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “CRAZY COMPETITIVENESS. GREAT RUSSELL. YET ANOTHER MISTAKE BY NORRIS”

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We are now in the fourth year of a regulation that is coming to its end, and it is giving us fascinating and very combative grands prix, the result of an upwards compaction of the performances, with more pretenders to the podium and the win.

In particular, Spa-Francorchamps, a demanding circuit for cars and drivers, gave us a classic with three drivers (Russell, Hamilton and Piastri) within little more than a second (1.173s) and the first six within less than 10 seconds.

George Russell was excellent in believing in himself and the duration of the tyres, taking the win ahead of his teammate who completed the Mercedes one-two. Behind them a very good Oscar Piastri who is putting all his worth on show. On the other hand, when you win the F3 and F2 championships, in your first year, you have already shown your talent. Furthermore, he sat out a year waiting for the seat to be freed. He is no less than Lando Nonda (sixth place for him), once again, the protagonist in the negative at the start. The summer break probably comes at the right time. He will have time to think about the mistakes he made.

The only fault for the Australian was the mistake in the pitstop. Having arrived slightly long – luckily without hurting his mechanic – he lost about two seconds. Considering that he finished six tenths of a second from Hamilton and 1.1” from Russell, we could have witnessed a different finish. We are seeing a very different phase of the championship in which the slightest slip-up can really cost a lot. The challenge is in thousandths of a second, also concerning the updates.

It was also a positive race for Charles Leclerc, finishing barely 8.5” from the leader. An unexpected result I would say, especially in these hot conditions. Seventh place for Carlos Sainz, 19” from the leader. He played all his cards to bring home the best result.

It was a disastrous result for Sergio Perez. Starting in the front row, he finished only eighth. Paying a gap of more than 43”, but above all behind Max Verstappen, who started in eleventh place and finished fifth, with a gap of more than 30”. I do not know what decision they will make, but the standings are getting shorter. Red Bull’s lead over McLaren has been reduced to 32 points.

It was a more than positive result for the reigning world champion. In such a competitive grand prix he managed to climb up to fifth place.

Now we are all going on holiday. The appointment is for Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 August with the 8th edition of the Historic Minardi Day  at the Imola Circuit in conjunction with the Dutch Grand Prix. At Imola there will be maxi screens available also in the Paddock area to follow all the phases of the 15th round of the F1 World Championship in the best way possible, experiencing a weekend of international Motorsport amongst incredible historic F1, GP2, F300, F3 and F.Italia racing cars, GT cars, prototypes, Hyper cars, and also much more.t. Therefore the victory was awarded to Lewis Hamilton, with Oscar Piastri 2nd and Charles Leclerc 3rd completing the podium.

[UPDATE] All this before the disqualification given to George Russell. At the end of the GP, his car was found to be underweight. Therefore the victory was awarded to Lewis Hamilton, with Oscar Piastri 2nd and Charles Leclerc 3rd completing the podium.

Gian Carlo Minardi