Italian GP – Preview

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As it often happens, even this year Monza represents a clear dividing line for those teams like Ferrari, who strive for important goals. It’s time for the Maranello-based team to bridge the gap with Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. This is only one of many reasons why the Italian GP is really worth attending.

F.1 arrives at Monza, which is the fastest circuit of the Championship and also one of the most historical ones, along with Silverstone. Both circuits have contributed to write the history of motorsport. Monza is a very fascinating circuit not only for Italian people, but also for foreigners. I hope that it will bring Alonso and Massa good fortune and I also hope that the audience will be friendly and support the Italian team the best way.

The Italian team has to regain points in order to leave the Championship open, but we don’t have to forget that 7 GP are yet to be contested. If the two Ferraris are competitive in the Sunday GP, the Italian team can be candidate for the title, as the Monza circuit usually doesn’t suit Red Bull very much, if they’re not, it will be difficult for them to be candidates for the title. Starting from next season regulations will be upgraded, so it will get more and more complicated and demanding to work on both sides.

In the Pirelli era we’ve seen how easy it is to see a car improving its performance level or getting it worse, so some new outsiders can come out: Force India, McLaren, and Toro Rosso. The latter sealed its first win with Vettel in the 2008 F.1 Championship. There are many factors that influence the Italian GP: the track’s first chicane and car’s reliability, as the track will be taken at full speed for most of the time. So, outsiders will be just round the corner, but if we better analyze the season, I expect Red Bull and Ferrari to fight against each other.

As far as Toro Rosso is concerned, Red Bull has announced that it will sign Daniel Ricciardo to replace Webber. No doubt it’s a great reward for the 24-year-old driver who, along with Vettel, makes the youngest pair in the F.1 World Championship. The pair represents the continuity of the “Red Bull School”.

I don’t have any particular memories linked to the Minardi Team at Monza, as our propellers’ power was lower than the average. We got some good results in terms of placing. The most resounding episode is dated back to 1993 (7th and 8th), when Fittipaldi, swallowed up by the contrail of Martini’s car, hit the team mate’s car and crossed the line in the air. Luckily the driver was harmless. People kept on talking about that spectacular accident for a long time.

Bhai Tech at Spa-Francorchamps to keep the leadership

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At the end of summer holidays and almost two months after the Silverstone successful race, Bhai Tech Racing’s four drivers Pantano/Suzuki and Van Der Drift/Razia are ready to get back to race behind the wheel of the two McLaren MP4-12C, to contest one of the most awaited race events of the year to take place at Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

On the 7004 m long legendary Belgian track to host the International GT Open Championship’s sixth round, the Advanced Vehicle Science Centre’s team directed by Mr. Roberto Costa the Engineer, gets ready to keep the leadership in the teams’ GTS class, throwing down a top challenge among constructors. For what concerning drivers, the Italo-Brazilian pair Giorgio Pantano/Rafael Suzuki will be on the lookout for the first place, which is only one point ahead of them, as a consequence of the success achieved at Silverstone, while their team mates Luiz Razia and Chris Van Der Drift will try to revenge the injustice they suffered in England.

The Eau Rouge-Raidillon, to be taken at full speed, is Spa circuit’s landmark. Racing at Spa it’s like graduating at the “Motosport University” “It’s a very technical track, where a driver can really make a difference”, says the technical director Costa “It’s a very long track, where the weather has a great influence, historically speaking. So, due to its characteristics, it can happen that some parts of the track are dry and some are wet at the same time.”

The team worked hard in the factory and at the advanced simulator located inside the centre’s simulation suite “We made several simulation sessions to train our drivers. We tried to simulate different situations. We especially focused on Suzuki to make his debut on the Belgian track. We made several race simulation sessions” continues Costa “We also carried on with the two cars’ development and overhaul work. The summer break has also been an occasion to take stock of the Championship, where we are the class’ leaders.”

Bhai Tech is not only ready to contest the Belgian race , the team is also ready to compete in the 2013 season’s last three race events, which are supposed to be red-hot. After Spa, the circus will move to the Monza’s “Speed Temple”, before contesting the final event at Barcelona’s circuit “At this point of the season, we have to put together all the experience we’ve gained until now to consolidate our position and score points in view of the final part of the Championship. At Spa it will be so important not to make mistakes and take the most of our potential”, ends the Brazilian engineer.

The green lights will switch on on Friday with two 60’ free practice sessions. The two qualifying sessions to assign the starting grid’s order of the two races, will take place on Saturday (at 9 am and 11.05 am). The 70’-first- race of the week end will start on Saturday at 4 pm. The 50’-final-challenge is scheduled for Sunday at 12.10 pm.

Gian Carlo Minardi “Domenicali cares about keeping tranquility inside the team”

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The summer is almost over, but the temperature in F.1 is still so high not only for what concerning the attempt to run-up to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull, but also for what concerning the drivers’ market. As it has happened for some years, Massa’s seat is still red-hot and everybody is taking a watchful eye on Ferrari. We’ve heard many rumors about Raikkonen, who is supposed to team up with Fernando Alonso, who just replaced the Finn few years ago.

In a recent interview Stefano Domenicali has stated that the Brazilian F.1 racer is still at the top of the list for next season “I think that Domenicali is caring about keeping calm inside the team. That is the most important mood to continue to chase after Red Bull”, says Gian Carlo Minardi “ in this moment, except for Raikkonen and Button, there are no drivers whose level is as high as Massa’s or even higher. The Finn has got his best results alongside Lotus, as he is not under pressure like he was as a McLaren and Ferrari’s racer”, continues the manager from Faenza “I don’t want to bring into question Kimi as a driver, who is one of the best drivers of the Championship, what I bring into question is his character, which is so particular and difficult to handle.”

“So, if Felipe becomes more performing by the end of the season, he will continue to be a Ferrari’s driver. That could be the right choice in order to not to destabilize the team. I still think that at a certain point an experienced driver should team up with a rookie driver”, ends Minardi “but I don’t feel like disapproving Ferrari and Domenicali’s choice.”

Fernando Alonso has announced that he will “tweet” some news in the next days.

Davide Rigon on the podium in the WEC World Championship

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At his debut in the FIA WEC Championship (World Endurance Championship), Davide Rigon scored an exciting second place in his class’ standing. The racing week end couldn’t finish in a better way for the talented Italian driver, who contested the 6 hours of Sao Paulo alongside the 8Star Motorsport Team, at the wheel of the Ferrari 458 GT2 #81. It was an all-round debut for Davide (track-Championship-car), so that makes the final result even more amazing.

Davide has become familiar with the Brazilian track and the Ferrari racecar since free practice. The Italian driver, teamed up with Potolicchio-Aguas, gave evidence of all his talent, leading the orange-colored racecar to the top positions and qualified 3rd in the class’ standing. As a consequence of the GTE Am’s poleman disqualification (underweighted car), the 8Star team’s three drivers were leveled up to the second position.

The Italian driver ran a precise race, taking control of the 458 GT2 racecar in the race’s first two hours and got back behind the wheel of the car for the final run, mounting on the second step of the GTE Am’s podium “It was an amazing week end not only for the final result, but also for me. It was very important to prove that I can be a competitive driver even in a World Championship’s event”, says Davide Rigon “Racing at an unknown track, driving a car I had never driven before on the occasion of a World Championship’s event and finishing on the podium, it’s an amazing result. We kept a good pace since free practice. Unfortunately we missed the pole by a nose. Our car didn’t have any issues throughout the 6 hours; I pushed hard during the race’s last hour. Congrats to the 8Star team’s staff”, ends the driver from Vicenza.

Thanks to this important result, the 8Star Motorsport Team keeps the second position, reducing its disadvantage with the first position.

Brought the curtain down over the 6 hours of Sao Paulo, it’s now time for Davide Rigon to think about next event to take place this week end at Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the International GT Open’s sixth round. Davide will be back behind the wheel of the Villorba Corse team’s Ferrari 458 GT2.

Gian Carlo Minardi: “Silverstone test days are Ferrari’s keystone”

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We saw a very performing Ferrari at Spa-Francorchamps. Fernando Alonso poured out all the determination and anxiety gained over the past weeks on the Belgian track, displaying all his qualities.

Red Bull’s advantage on the Italian team is still big (46 points), but the Maranello-based team is going to the right direction. Silvertsone testing can be considered as the keystone, as Gian Carlo Minardi tells us “I hope that at Monza Ferrari will be as performing as it was at Spa. Last Sunday we had confirmation of the F.1 hierarchy, Red Bull is ahead of all other teams and Ferrari is determined to run after the Austrian team. The driver test run by the rookie test driver Davide Rigon, have given further evidence of how important tests are for a F.1 team. During the three-day-testing, all data gained by the three main divisions (track, simulator and wind tunnel) were ordered.

Monza and Singapore will be decisive for the season’s goals to be set “Ferrari has to make a great effort in order to decrease the disadvantage with its main rivals. The Italian audience can support the team in doing its best. The Italian team has returned to be the World Championship’s second team in Belgium, but it’s still behind Red Bull and Mercedes in the constructors’ championship. At this point, Massa’s contribution is needed”, ends Minardi.

Gian Carlo Minardi “Hamilton-Rosberg, the best pair”

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Gian Carlo Minardi has supported Mercedes’s choices since the beginning of the championship, saying that the German team has the best driving pair in F.1. Among the top team only the German team has been able to bring both its drivers to the top step of the podium: Rosberg sealed a double win (Monaco and Great Britain) and Hamilton scored a win in Hungary, as compared to Ferrari’s double win scored by Alonso (in China and Spain) and Vettel’s 5 wins sealed in Malaysia, Bahrain, Canada, Germany and Belgium. Lotus’s Raikkonen sealed an only win in Australia.

After eleven GP and before the Italian GP, Mercedes is second on 235 points in the constructors’ championship; Red Bull is on 312 and Ferrari on 218 “Hamilton and Rosberg represent the well-matched driving pair of the whole Championship. Nico is a very fast driver, so he’s as good as his team mate Hamilton. Nico has managed to incite the Englishman into doing what is within his means”, says Minardi “the team made its choices and now Rosberg has to score as many points as he can for the Championship.”

It won’t be easy for Ferrari to threaten Mercedes and Red Bull only with Alonso “If Massa doesn’t wake up, it won’t be easy for Ferrari to take the second place or even threaten Red Bull who can now only rely on Vettel to fight for the win. Webber has unconsciously lost the strength needed to strive for top positions.”

After the win sealed at Spa, Sebastian Vettel echoed Minardi’s statement saying to the Bild that the two Mercedes’s drivers complement one another.