Sutil joins Sauber for the 2014 F.1 season

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After being replaced by Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez in the Force India Team, Adrian Sutil joins Sauber for the 2014 F.1 World Championship.

The German driver joins the Hinwil-based team after being a Force India’s driver for 6 seasons: “I’m really happy to race alongside Sauber team. Transaction spun out more than expected, but Sauber has always been my first choice. I was a Force India’s driver for 6 seasons, so it was time to take on a new challenge. It’s a team with a long-standing experience in F.1. The factory is really amazing and the wind tunnel is one of the most state-of-the-art facilities in the field. I want to say thank you to Peter Sauber and Monisha Kalternborn for giving me this great opportunity”, says the Sauber team’s new driver Adrian Sutil.

“The new season is taking shape and each piece of the puzzle is taking its place. I’m very pleased with the agreement between Sutil and Sauber, as it means that the team is quickly solving all its problems. He’s a good driver, with a 6-year-long-experience in F.1. Peter Sauber will surely take advantage of the driver’s long-standing experience. Now, we’re waiting to see who’s going to be his team mate”, says Gian Carlo Minardi.

Now, all we can do is to see who is going to partner the German driver. Sergey Sirotkin is the favorite one to partner the German driver, but he hasn’t got the Superlicence yet.

Perez joins Force India and partners Nico Hulkenberg

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Nico Hulkenberg has his team mate. It’s the Mexican driver Sergio Perez, who, after racing alongside Sauber and McLaren, has joined Force India to partner Nico Hulkenberg.

It’s an all-new driver pairing for the Vijay Mallya-owned team, who gets ready to run a 2014 season which is full of unknown items– because of the several technical changes which have been introduced – .  The new pairing is made up of two young drivers who stood out over the last few F1 seasons. Both Nico Hulkenberg (born in 1987) and Sergio Perez (born in 1990) drove an interesting second half of the season. The ex-Sauber German driver led his team up to the 7th place (one position behind his new team) and the Mexican got the better of his World Champion team mate Jenson Button many times, finishing 11th in the drivers’ championship.

“In view of the new technical changes, Force India wanted to change its driver line-up and rely on two young drivers such as Nico and Sergio. If the team’ s performances are as good as they were in the last few seasons, the team can strive for getting a good position in the constructors’ championship, thanks also to the Mercedes’ engine”, says Gian Carlo Minardi.

“I’m really happy with this announcement. Force India has always been my first choice. I want to say thank you to Vijay and to all the team for giving me this opportunity. It’ a young and very determined team who has built competitive cars. Due to regulations changes, many things will change next season, but I have a good feeling about 2014. I’ll soon go to the factory to meet the staff”, says Sergio Perez.

Gian Carlo Minardi in Madrid as Fernando Alonso's guest

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On the occasion of the “Fernando Alonso Collection”, which was inaugurated on Monday at the Madrid-based Centro de Exposiciones Arte Canal, Gian Carlo Minardi was a Spanish Champion’s guest and had the chance to re-experience the beginning of the Spaniard’s bright career into F.1, which was promoted by the Faenza-born manager and his team in 2001.

It’s an amazing exhibition where all the cars, trophies and memorabilia concerning the Spanish driver’s career, are put on display and visitors have also the opportunity to take an “interactive trip” into Fernando’s story. The exhibition is divided into 6 thematic areas: the first one is called “o km” and it’s the area dedicated to Alonso’s first steps into the world of motorsport; the second area is called “la collecciớn” and it’s the area where all the single-seaters Fernando has driven to take part not only in the F.1 Championship but also in lower Formula Championships, are put on display; the third section is named “Circuito Alo”, here visitors can take an “interactive trip” through Fernando’s motorsport career and private life; another section is called “Start your engines!”. Visitors can have an audio-visual experience relating F.1 and can share the passion the Asturias-born driver has for this sport; “Formula 1 Experiences”, where all secrets about the technological innovations which mark the top series can be discovered; “275.000 km de emociớn”, it’s a video where the Ferrari’s driver goes back over his career. The Exhibition, which was organized by the Fernando Alonso Foundation in cooperation with the Canal de Isabel II Gestiớn, is only the embryo of what will be the Fernando Alonso Museum, to be established in Oviedo.

“It’s a beautiful exhibition and an amazing collection. Fernando parents’ idea to collect all their son’s sport equipment was great. There you can find his first go-karts, racesuits, gloves and trophies. Even the 2001 Minardi car is put on display, along with the racesuit Fernando wore in his debut year into F.1. All that brought pleasant memories to my mind. I want to extend my congratulations to everybody for arranging such an amazing exhibition. It was also a good opportunity to see some friends like Flavio and Stefano, again”, says Gian Carlo Minardi.

On the exhibition’s opening day, Fernando wanted not only his family and friends next to him; he also invited all the team principals he dealt with throughout his career into F.1: Gian Carlo Minardi, Flavio Briatore, Martin Withmarsh and Stefano Domenicali.

Hulkenberg – Force India…sometimes they get back

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Force India has announced that Nico Hulkenberg has signed an agreement with it for the 2014 season, but it is rumored that the German driver has signed a contract also for the following years.  “Hulk” will race alongside the Vijey Mallya-owned team again, after joining it in 2011 and 2012 as a test driver first and as an official driver after.

It was a 2013 season rich in satisfaction both for Force India and for Nico. The Sauber team’s ex-driver scored 51 points during the second half of the Championship, after an unhappy first half of the season. He managed to finish 10th. Force India has hoped to get the better of McLaren until the end and took the seventh place on 77 points, ahead of Sauber and Toro Rosso, its main driver.

Hulkenberg represents another piece to complete the 2014 F.1 season’s puzzle, after Felipe Massa moved to Williams to replace the neo-Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado. Daniel Ricciardo will replace Webber at Red Bull and he will race alongside the 4-time-World-Champion Sebastian Vettel and Kevin Magnussen will make his debut into F.1 alongside the McLaren team, having Jenson Button as his team mate. The Danish driver will replace a still-not-hired Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver could partner with Hulkenberg at Force India.

Maldonado to join Lotus F1 Team alongside Grosjean

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Some teams have already taken their decision about the 2014 season’s line-up, just like Lotus. After leaving Williams, alongside which he drove a “grim”2013 season, Pastor Maldonado, who took a win in Spain in 2012, joins the Enstone-based team alongside an already-confirmed Romain Grosjean.

Grosjean’s second part of the 2013 season was very intense and rich in results, as he finished 7th on 132 points, behind Nico Rosberg: “I’m very happy to have been reconfirmed and have the opportunity to continue to drive for Lotus F1 Team. The 2013 season was rich in satisfaction for me. We’ve worked a lot together and I know everyone has fought hard to try to score points, nothing was left to chance. I can’t wait to drive the new car and go to Australia for the first race.”

The Venezuelan driver was a much sought-after driver by many teams, especially for the great financial support he is able to bring to a team. After the negotiation with Quantum failed, Eric Bouiller has probably thought about signing the talented Venezuelan driver (who can ensure a great financial support) to partner with a matured Grosjean. “It’s a great opportunity for me. It’s not a secret that I wanted to change to make some progressions in my F.1 career. Lotus F1 Team is the best opportunity for me, for sure. Next season regulations and cars will change a lot, so this is the right moment to start a new adventure. I just can’t wait to start.”

Now, only Force India and Sauber’s seats are still unassigned and Hulkenberg, Di Resta and Perez haven’t signed a contract yet.

Drivers’ market…how many unknown things!

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On Sunday the curtain was brought down over the F.1 World Championship, so drivers and teams are thinking about the 2014 season. A lot of work is being done not only inside factories to set cars for the next season but also inside meeting rooms, where people are discussing how to complete the grid’s puzzle, but there are still too many missed pieces to complete it.

Hulkenberg, Maldonado, Perez, Grosjean, Di Resta are only some of the drivers that haven’t signed any contract yet and Lotus, Sauber, Force India are the most important second-tier teams to still have free positions. That is an uncommon thing for the modern Formula 1. Normally, small teams got left behind. Lotus and Sauber are still longing for a financial support to come from Russia and Arabic countries.

The main cause to that, it has to be found in the difficult financial situation the whole world is undergoing now and also in the rise of costs all teams will have to deal with next season: “The regulations changes will cause a rise in costs that is still hard to evaluate, since next season will be rich in unexpected things”, says Gian Carlo Minardi “ It is really difficult to anticipate costs arising from the introduction of the turbo engine, as there are many unexpected things we still don’t know about. I know something about that, as, when I joined F.1 in 1985, the turbo engine was at its apex. Some teams have troubles even before starting using the turbo engine, never mind late in the racing season.” The Renault engine’s failure on Grosjean’s car in Brazil could sound like an alarm bell for next season, during which only 5 engine units per driver will be available, “If with 8 super tested engine units available, teams had some problems, I cannot imagine what will happen next year. These failures have a rise in costs and relegation as a consequence.”

A good mix between technical and economic values is one of the leading reasons which drive teams to choose a driver. “It won’t be easy to foresee the next steps, as many parameters have to be taken into consideration. The main reason which leads the team to choose a driver instead of another is the amount of money he can bring to the team. Maldonado and Perez, two drivers who could rely on great financial support, are now on the market. We’ll see if they will enjoy that support even in the future. For example Maldonado, who is supposed to be very close to Lotus, said that the PDVSA could probably leave the circus. Perez, who was relieved by McLaren despite he overshadowed Button many times, won’t probably enjoy that support any more, otherwise it would be difficult for me to understand the Woking-based team’s decision. Nico Hulkenberg’s situation is different: he finished in the points many times, so he really earned his salary. The German driver represents an example of a good investment whose return is paid off by a good position in the constructors championship. Sauber’s seventh place is entirely thanks to him; thanks to that position, the Swiss team earned quite a great amount of money coming from TV rights. So, it is important to choose a driver who can score points and a driver who can ensure a good financial coverage.”

The 2014 season will be the season of engine “revolution” “Marussia will be equipped with Ferrari engine, thanks to which the team will make some steps forward. So, new drivers are probably expected to join the team. Bianchi will be reconfirmed, for sure, but we don’t have to forget that Chilton, who can enjoy a great financial support, can probably get the ball rolling. Someone can even risk to be left out. Perez pointed out that he doesn’t want to be a bit player”, ends the manager from Faenza.

A red-hot winter is expected.

Brazilian GP – Drivers’ Scorecard

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The Brazilian GP marked the end of the 2013 F.1 season.

Sebastian Vettel 9.5 – No doubt he deserves a good mark, as he and Red Bull were always the most performing on track, come rain or shine. Once again they did what they wanted. They were a “war machine”, as they took 9 consecutive wins. They were unbeatable.

 Mark Webber 9 – He deserves this mark because he finished second on Sunday (thanks to his second place he took the third place in the championship) and also because he’s a true gentleman. He was “stolen” a title he had already won and he had to race as a “second driver”; he never complained. All Red Bull’s problems occurred on his car.
Fernando Alonso 9 – He proved himself to be the number one. He led his Ferrari onto the podium again, despite the race was dominated by Red Bull.

Jenson Button and Sergio Perez 7 – Thanks to them McLaren flourished again. The English team laid around in the races. Button’s fourth place was unexpected, just like the Mexican’s sixth place, as, if he hadn’t changed the gearbox, he could have finished ahead his team mate, who was reconfirmed.

Nico Rosberg 7 – Good race. He was very aggressive as compared to the previous races. He fought tooth and nail to defend his position.

Felipe Massa 9 – He was “stolen” a podium, because Fernando would have let him pass and finish his adventure alongside the Italian team, on the podium, in front of his supporters.

Nico Hulkenberg 7 – Once again he scored points for the team. His contribution to save Sauber’s season was decisive. Thanks to the points he scored he brought certain advantages to the team. This is a clear proof of how important it is for a second-tier team to have an experienced driver whose salary is paid off with results.

Lewis Hamilton 6.5 – Even if I think that he was imposed an over-the-top penalty (it’s a consequence of a penalty imposed on Massa with the sole purpose to balance the forces), a world champion shouldn’t create certain situations; he could have used another way to overtake Bottas. The Finn, however, had enough room to avoid the collision, like it is required by regulations.

Daniel Ricciardo 7 – Both him and his team mate kept a good pace in the wet in Q3. In the dry, they weren’t as performing as they were before; anyway he scored the last point of the season for Toro Rosso.

FIA 0 –  This mark is due to the Federation’s disorganization. I think it’s time to rejuvenate the board and establish a unique commission to judge drivers. That is to ensure judgment’s uniformity.

GP USA – Preview

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Among the new generation’s circuit, the Austin raceway is the most interesting one from a technical point of view. Temperatures are expected to be lower than usual, so Pirelli’s choice to bring hard and medium tires to the USA, could cause some problems to some teams, Ferrari included. Some constructors are challenging each other to get the title, just like the Maranello-based Scuderia, which wants to close the gap with Mercedes and Lotus will try to go over the Italian squad’s head. Kimi’s abandon before the end of the Championship – I do agree with his choice to undertake surgery for not jeopardizing next season – and, above all, Lotus’s choice could make it difficult for the English team to get the third place.

The struggle between McLaren and Force India to get the fifth place is also remarkable. Everything seemed to be said and done until some race ago, however, Di Resta and Sutil’s performances over the last few GP made the team score 15 points. Now the point-gap with its main rival is only 18 points, so everything can still happen. The change Perez-Magnussen could break up the team’s calm and work to the advantage of the squad owned by Vijay Mallya.

The Austin race week end will be very important also for the unrest which rings around the drivers market not only for what concerning next season, but also for the 2015 season. It’s a long time since the market was so dynamic and we can say that it’s a kind of crazy. But, let’s do things in an orderly fashion:

– After seeing how the land lies about Maldonado, Hulkenberg and Schumacher, Lotus relied on Kovalainen, leaving “empty-handed” its third driver Valsecchi. The team’s choice has to make everyone think, especially those guys who are all set to sign a contract as a third driver, without having any guarantee. The Lotus management has preferred to rely on an experienced driver, even if he hasn’t raced for some time, rather than relying on a young driver who has worked with the team for one season and has demonstrated to be able to be very performing. I think that the blame has to be placed on regulations. I find regulations really stupid, as they don’t allow young drivers to show their skills and gain experience. I don’t agree with this choice and I’m so disappointed with that.

– Magnussen will join McLaren. The Danish driver will replace Perez. The Mexican has been criticized many times, even if he has demonstrated to be a skilled driver and, in some cases, to be even more performing than Jenson Button. I think that the team’s choice has to be interpreted as a strategy for the 2015 season (cooperation with Honda), rather than as Perez’s rejection.

At this point, many negotiations will be driven behind the scenes. There are two drivers such as Perez and Maldonado who are “unemployed”, despite they can rely on a millionaire support. Pastor is aiming at becoming a Lotus driver, while Perez could wink at Force India or Sauber, to the “Hulk” detriment. The German driver can remain at Sauber thanks to Ferrari’s support.

Two very important GP are yet to be raced to complete the 2014 season’s puzzle.

Abu Dhabi GP – Preview

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Seven days after Sebastian Vettel’s won his 4th world title, the F.1 paddock is ready to move to the Middle East for the last but three events to take place at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

At Yas Marina teams will fight to get the second place in the drivers and constructors championship and they are all ready to score the points that are still up for grabs in order to preserve their position or aspire to new adventures into F.1. I expect Red Bull to do its best for not giving anything to rivals. The true challenge will take place behind them. Considering the track high temperatures and hot weather, the Pirelli tyres will play a key role again.

I get the feeling next racing week end will be mainly played out “off-stage” because of the many questions about the 2014 F.1 season that are still unanswered. There are still some free seats to be assigned: Lotus, for example, is looking for a driver to replace Raikkonen, being careful with money and technical skills. Williams’ Maldonado is determined to quit the English team to join the Eric Bouiller’s camp. Should the Grove-based team find an interesting economic agreement, it can sign Felipe Massa. Another aspect which is not of a minor importance compared to any other is the one concerning the maximum number of engines which can be used by each team throughout next season (5 engines per driver). Considering the large number of technical upgrades introduced by FIA (turbo-powered engine 1.6 with limited rpm, limited gas consumption, new energy recovery systems such as the MGU-K and MGU-H) and the lack of time to make on-track test, I think 5 engine units per season are not enough. It won’t be easy to find the right reliability and balance at the beginning. The great thing about that is that this technology can be applied to standard cars.

The 2014 season will be very demanding from a technical point of view, but I’m sure that engineers and technicians will be able to find a solution to that, as usual. Technical changes will involve a huge financial outlay for all teams and small teams will rely on great manufacturers’ technology. Historically speaking, regulations amendments has always changed the balance of the deployed forces. Red Bull seems to be out of reach and I think the Austrian team will be like that also in the future, but we will probably see some other team growing.

Indian GP – Drivers’ Scorecard

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Sebastian Vettel 9 – The 26-year-old driver won the fourth world title. He will make the history of F.1 Championship. He did what he wanted to, as usual. I appreciated his burnout in front of the audience (I would have never fined him) and I also appreciated the moment when he got down on his knees and kissed the car. Through that action, he made us understand how grateful to Red Bull he is.

Nico Rosberg 8 – He’s fighting hard to try to get the better over Ferrari for the second place.

Romain Grosjean 9+ – He deserves to be better graded than any other driver, as he showed to be stronger than his pitwall staff, who made several mistakes. Started from the 17th place, he managed to jump up to 3rd and drove an excellent race.

Kimi Raikkonen 8 – He took a particular choice. His teammate was better than him at handling tyres. His masterpiece was ruined by a last-moment- pit stop. Satisfaction comes from the fact he set the fastest lap. Congrats to Lotus, as well. The English team is fighting tooth and nail.  The team could act as a judge for the second and third place in the constructors’ championship.

Felipe Massa 8 – Competing as a “separated” at home it’s not easy at all. He wants to leave a good memory of himself, for sure and he wants to secure a future in the F.1 Championship. His fourth place is a good omen to try to close the point-gap with Mercedes.

Fernando Alonso 6 – “You can’t touch pitch without being defiled”. He took a very unlucky start, even if this time he was less concentrated than he was in many other occasions. According to times sequence, he could have fought against Rosberg to get a second place finish, but he was very nervous.

Sergio Perez 7+ – He handled his car in such a good way and he has improved time after time. He was strongly criticized throughout the Championship’s first part, now he’s upstaging Jenson Button. McLaren is getting ready for the 2015 racing season.

Lewis Hamilton 7 – He’s having quite a hard time. He doesn’t manage to get the most of his car, unlike his teammate. He held the reins of the team, but now he’s upstaged by Rosberg.

Force India 6 – The “homely atmosphere” was good for the team. After an unlucky period, the team finished in the points again with both its drivers. The week end was good for the Indian team which has almost secured the sixth place.

Toro Rosso 6 – One point is not enough, especially if we consider that the team’s immediate rival Sauber didn’t finish in the points. Even if three races are yet to be run, I don’t think they’ll be able to close the gap. As a Faenza-born person I hope they’ll have a good end to the season.

Indian GP- Preview

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We can say that the countdown for Sebastian Vettel to win the fourth Championship has already started. In the case the German driver should not seal a win on the Indian track, he would anyhow start to celebrate his victory seven days later at Abu Dhabi. At this point I don’t think there will be many alternatives for rivals. A 90-point-gap is almost impossible to close, even if, according to mathematics, 100 points are still up for grabs from now to November 24th. We can say that this chapter is already closed. I’m expecting Seb to drive an independent race, as usual.

The situation is completely different for what concerning the drivers behind him. Three drivers (Ferrari, Mercedes, Lotus with their drivers Alonso, Raikkonen and Hamilton) are fighting hard for the second and third place in the constructors and drivers’ championship. There’s a little point-gap between the three of them. If, on the one side, Lotus is chasing closely Mercedes, on the other side Ferrari cannot sleep easy, especially if Felipe Massa doesn’t start to score important points to preserve the team’s second place.

There’s also an interesting battle between Sauber and Toro Rosso to conquer the seventh place. In the last few races, the Faenza-based team was quite sluggish and lost the advantage gained throughout the Championship’s first part. The Italian team has to chase closely the Swiss squad which has now a 14-point lead over it.

All these battles can be the leitmotiv of the 2013 Indian GP, which is about to close down only after the third edition. Probably the 5121 m long Buddh International Circuit won’t be one of the F.1 Championship’s venues anymore, that is especially due to some bureaucratic reasons. Some customs-related issues haven’t been solved yet and some problems concerning the inward processing may be one of the main causes for the Indian track to be closed down as a F.1 venue.

Countries such as India, China and Korea are extremely important for the automotive business, so this is the reason why doing this kind of experiment is very important, even if all that is to the detriment of Western countries-based circuits. I think Government should adapt to formal procedures in order to avoid causing problems which turn to be difficult to solve. In parallel with these situations, there are also new schemes which can turn into reality. Unfortunately Western circuits, besides undergoing a deep crisis, they also have to deal with space issues and have to be adapted to the newest safety regulations, as they were built inside realities which are so difficult to modify.

“Pit talk”….2014 F.1 season and more

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All teams’ efforts are focused on the 2014 season and the difficulties they’re meeting are not a few. It’s time to take stock of the situation thanks to the support of some friends who were very close to the Minardi F.1 Team in the past and some others who constantly deal with the F.1 limelight. I’d like to go beyond technical details, which characterized many articles published on many sports magazine and I’d like to create an overview of the situation by having a “pit talk”.

The main difficulties constructors are meeting with regards to the 2014 season ( Ferrari-Mercedes-Renault) are: Engine Consumption – Engine Power – Reliability, but the real handicap is the lack of on-track testing. Nowadays tests are made inside simulator suites. Even if driving simulation is a technologically advanced method to make testing, it cannot accurately reproduce on-track reality.

Thanks to suppliers’ cooperation, reliability is getting better and better, but we’re still talking about results achieved at the test stand. The situation could change when the engine unit is installed inside the car and on-track testing is run, as it’s very difficult to reproduce on-track situations in details.

According to the information gained, it seems that the three engines’ horsepower will be in a range between 610 and 620 hp. Engine designers are more focused on consumption streamlining, rather than on trying to achieve the engine’s maximum power. The Damocle’s sword for the 2014 season will be the 100 kg- gas- limit.

Excessive consumption could be disadvantageous during the race and it seems that everybody is still looking for a right balance. According to rumors, it seems that all constructors dread tire skidding, especially when drivers shift to the 2nd and 3rd gear (engine torque – engine power distribution – tyres effect). This effect features the current Pirelli tires, so it is very important to know the 2014 tyres’ characteristics. I don’t want to say anything more about that, as everyone is trying to bring everything to line with regulations and we don’t have to forget that next season new “energy recycling systems” will be introduced: the MGU-K (the KERS) and the newborn MGU-H, which is a brand new recycling system. This system is not so easy to install and it has still to be tested. Furthermore, we don’t have to forget that the basic engine has to be ready-to-run within 4 months!

Besides talking about the 2014 racing season, I’d also like to meditate on the 2015 racing season. HONDA will join the circus by officially supplying McLaren with engine. PORSCHE could join F.1, too. Despite the German manufacturer isn’t cooperating with any team at the moment, it’s by the way testing a new engine (well-informed people say that their engine unit is not second to any other unit in terms of consumption, horse power and reliability). The two above-mentioned manufacturers have made the history of turbo-powered engine (I’d point out that they’ve always made use of that system also for what concerning cars’ manufacturing).

It seems that the Honda engine put out 640 horsepower, which is much higher than rivals’ engine’s horsepower and the consumption level is very good. According to some rumors coming from Japan, it seems that some on-track tests will be made using a hybrid chassis. The chance for Honda to test its engine throughout the 2014 season, thanks to the cooperation with McLaren and Mercedes, can turn to be a technical advantage even with a view to the 2015 season.

This is only a “pit talk” and what is certain is that there’s something brewing and we’ll see wonderful things! Next winter and spring will be red-hot.

Points record for Fernando Alonso

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Even if the leadership in the F.1 Championship is 90 points away, thanks to the fourth place scored in the Japanese GP, Fernando Alonso set the record with regards to the sum of the points scored in a F.1 Championship. The Spaniard racked up 1571 points, getting the better of the 9-time-world champion Michael Schumacher.

His career started 213 GP ago (thanks to Gian Carlo Minardi’s insightfulness) at the Australian GP in 2001. A 19-year-old Fernando made his debut in F.1 alongside the Minardi Team.

During the 2001 season, the Faenza-based team scored three top-ten finishes, thanks to Tarso Marques’s ninth place finish in Brazil and Canada and to Alonso’s tenth place finish in Germany. The team didn’t score any point as only drivers who finished in the top six could score points: “According to the current F.1 point system, the Minardi Team’s history into the world of F.1 would have been different. We would have racked up 446 points”, said Gian Carlo Minardi “I want to congratulate Fernando on his success. He reached an important goal. The first time I saw him at the wheel of a F.1 car, I immediately realized he had an edge over other drivers. In 2001 he ran a fantastic season with us, before becoming Briatore’s team’s test driver. You could immediately realize he would have been a champion”, ends Minardi “After winning two world championships, he racked up 1571 points. I hope he’ll win the third title.”

Congrats Champion from Gian Carlo Minardi and the Minardi Team