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 | GP SINGAPORE, GIAN CARLO MINARDI “IS MCLAREN PREPARING TO OPEN A NEW CYCLE? HERE KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER”

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From Azerbaijan to Singapore, the Formula 1 World Championship is stopping at the Marina Bay Circuit street circuit for the eighteenth round. For the first time after 55 grands prix, McLaren lines up at the start as the leader of the World Championship.

Thanks to Oscar Piastri’s win and Lando Norris’ fourth place in Baku, Andrea Stella’s men have overtaken Red Bull.

Despite the modifications carried out last season that reduced the length of the track to 4,940m and the 19 bends (against the previous 23) it is still one of the most twisty and insidious tracks of the season.

The first novelty this year is the introduction is the fourth DRS zone (between bends 14 and 16), which has the aim of facilitating the spectacle and overtaking. At Baku the drivers gave us an exciting race run on the edge of tenths of a second. On this track I also expect a struggle on the edge of tenths, if not hundredths of a second. It will be interesting to see if they manage to continue the positive trend without the entry of the safety-car. A week ago, it did so only at the end, the collision between Pere and Sainz led to the use of the VSC.

On the tyre front, Pirelli has opted for the softer compounds, (from C3 to C5) and it will be interesting to see on how many pitstops the strategy will be based on a track that improves considerably session after session. Watch out also for the weather that represents another unknown factor, due to both the layout of the track and because it is run at night. The risk of rain will be present for all the weekend with a very high probability for the Sunday.

It will be interesting to follow the weekend of Red Bull and Mercedes, at the present time the ones most in difficulty, compared to the McLaren (currently the car to beat), and good competitiveness from Ferrari. Right now, the priority for McLaren is the constructors’ title. Historically, when a team is about to open a new winning cycle, it starts by taking the constructors’ title and only then concentrate solely on the driver’s title. Amongst other things, they must also perfect some things that range from the management of the drivers and strategy, which are not always perfect.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP AZERBAIJAN, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “51 HEARTSTOPPING LAPS. PIASTRI PHENOMENAL. PEREZ-SAINZ? THE MEXICAN WITH THE GREATEST FAULT

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These young men know how to entertain us. They gave us 51 heart stopping laps with as many as 4 drivers within little more than two seconds. Piastri, Leclerc and Perez within less than one and a half seconds.

It was a hard-fought grand prix, won by a very good Oscar Piastri, author of a wonderful overtaking move at Leclerc’s expense, but above all skilful in managing the not easy situation on a track as complicated as Baku. This is certainly not a surprise because Piastri is a young man with all the credentials to make people talk about him. Plus, he has a car that is a notch above all the others, that allows him to brake later than the others and with better DRS. This was particularly evident when he overtook the Ferrari driver. He was able to recover 5 tenths of a second, against the mere 2 tenths of Leclerc, the author of a magnificent pole position. This however should make the men in Maranello pause for thought.

It was a shame only about the finish. We could have had a race with no interruptions despite a very high pace.

Until that moment it was an incredible comeback by Carlos Sainz, after a sluggish first part of the race. It was an equally remarkable race by Sergio Perez, who always gives his best on these tracks. Right now, Red Bull’s difficulties seem to be punishing mostly Max Verstappen. It is not easy to analyse the Sainz-Perez collision. Speaking from the television images, it seems to me that the Mexican had a higher percentage of blame since the Spaniard was ahead of him. Plus, he did not have a favourable view of him. He had plenty of space to move, there was enough to the left, to avoid the fatal contact.

Sainz’s retirement cost Ferrari dearly in terms of points, with the gap from the lead growing to 54 points with another seven races still to go.

It was a double celebration for McLaren. In addition to the win, it also took home the leadership of the constructors’ ladder, climbing above Red Bull after 55 races. Lando Norris’s race was also to be applauded. Starting from fifteenth position, he finished fifth ahead of Verstappen, also taking the additional point for the fastest lap-

The double retirement favoured George Russell, who took an unhoped-for podium, as well as the 2 Williams drivers and Oliver Berman, protagonists of an excellent weekend and rewarded with important points. Positive results especially for the two young men (Colapinto and Berman). The Argentine, an excellent shield bearer in regard to Albon. In his second grand prix, Berman once more entered the points zone with two different teams. Certainly not a result to be taken for granted driving a Haas.

We are approaching the final rounds which we predict will be fiery I am looking forward to seeing what will happen in Singapore street circuit.

As for our flag bearers, important results came in, starting with Gabriele Mini’s podium in Formula 2 (on his debut). Followed by Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s third place despite a car damaged in a collision. In Japan, Davies Rigon drove the Ferrari 296 LMGT3 to the win in the FIA WEC World championship, and Raffaele Marcielllo took second place at the wheel of the BMW Hypercar. These results are all a source of great pride, as well as the fruit of the work carried out over all these years by the Federation and ACI Sport.

Gian Carlo Minardi

 

F1 | GP AZERBAIJIAN | GIAN CARLO MINARDI “MCLAREN THE FAVOURITE, BUT WATCH OUT FOR MERCEDES”

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We are now at the gateway of the Azerbaijan GP. The seventeenth round of the World Championship. With Baku the third stage of the season begins.  It is a very demanding track, 6,003m long to be run 51 times, characterized by 20 bends, some at right angles and very slow, others very fast followed by the longest straight of the world championship.

The first novelty is the scheduling. Traditionally it was in April or June, while this year it is being run in September, just like next year. Compared to the past, teams and drivers will find warmer weather and the shady parts of the old town could affect the performances.

Being a street circuit, the performance will improve session after session and Pirelli has brought the softest compounds (C3 as hard, C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft).

On paper one stop is the best strategy, but they have to watch out for possible safety-cars or yellow flags.

On the race front, currently McLaren has replaced Red Bull as the car of reference, Horner’s team is trying to defend the leadership in the two ladders. The battle is open on the constructors’ front, especially between McLaren and Red Bull with Ferrari strongly narrowing the gap after their win in Monza.

Keep an eye on Mercedes. The characteristics of the W15 and its engine should be well suited to the configuration of the track.  We expect a very hard-fought end of the season. On the drivers’ front, Verstappen’s lead on Norris is still substantial. The reigning world champion can allow himself defensive races. He makes the difference within the team. Perse had not lost his “compass”, he is simply not supported by the car and it is the driver who must make the difference.

In addition to Formula 1, also coming back is F2 which will see Gabriele Mini in the Prema Team, paired with Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Mini will take the place of Oliver Bearman, committed with Haas in the place of the disqualified Magnussen. We will have the first taste of 2025.

With Aston Martin’s announcement the Newey soap opera has come to an end. The talented engineer has given continuity to his historicity, aiming at a reality that is still not world class. This is precisely what I expect, a while ago he made me think about this final destination. (link to the article)

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