Phenomenal Mercedes, barely pass Ferrari and resat Sauber, Lotus, Caterham

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Mercedes – 10 Without reliability problems, it would certainly be an A+ season. With sixteen successes of nineteen Grand Prix, it has hit the jackpot. Hamilton is a “races” animal, a bit less in Qualifying. As for Rosberg, he was able to fight on pair with Lewis. He has to be more consistent in race. Certainly, he will still have a way to fight with his tam-mate. At the beginning of the season, everyone has already considered him as defeated

Williams – 9 Moving from ninth to third place in Constructors’ standings in just one year is synonymous with having worked not only in the right direction, but also having chosen expert people, many of which are Ferrari’s “fugitives”. This certainly has to make us reflect and serve as an example. Thanks also to Mercedes PU, it was able to move up the ranks, especially in the second half of the season, becoming the second force in the World Championship

Red Bull – 8 It’s a vote that goes mainly to the chassis, as it is limited by transalpine PU. It deserves also a higher vote, but, honestly, I didn’t like at all the last “trickery” in Qualifying. The penalty is also perhaps been too mild. Its problem is PU and it may prevent these actions not really clear. It has been the only one to put a spoke in Mercedes’ wheels, going on to win three races with Ricciardo. I would not risk ruining the credibility of a team that has won so much, with trickeries like this

McLaren – 8 It has been able to recover, being as a third reality in recent races. This vote wants to be a vote of confidence. With the arrival of Honda, it can certainly make the leap. As a team, despite the looting of technicians of last season, it proved to have a “hard core” on which restart. I hope it will be one of the next team on the rise, in order to make next 2015 Championship more exciting

Force India – 7.5 Certainly, it has put together many points, being able to be competitive in almost all races, thanks to Mercedes’ PU. It has to struggle between budget and inventions, but it did a great job

Toro Rosso – 7 Very strong in Qualifying, entering, on several occasions, in the top-10. Unfortunately, frustrated result too often in race and, therefore, it has to work on this aspect for the future

Ferrari – 6 The latest moves at the top could be a positive sign for the future. The arrival of Maurizio Arrivabene is a great signal. He knows very well F1 environment, Ferrari and Agnelli family. I am sorry for Marco Mattiacci, but, considering experience, there can be no comparison. It has been one of the most difficult seasons for Maranello, both technically and sportingly, although it had two World Champions

Marussia – 6 For having won two points in Montecarlo, despite many financial difficulties. They are now in receivership, but I hope that the result of Montecarlo might be the basis for a new restart

Sauber e Lotus – 5 They have fallen too low. Certainly, they not have been helped by Ferrari and Renault’s PU, but causes of their failure have to be charged ascribed to a non-performing chassis’ project

Caterham – 4 After so many years, it should have done more. I hope it will find the right resources to start in 2015

Gian Carlo Minardi

Abu Dhabi GP – Drivers’ Scorecard

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Also this world championship has ended. Lewis Hamilton is the news World Champion and Mercedes signed its sixteenth success in nineteen rounds. They have hit the jackpot.

Lewis Hamilton – 10 He has been able to withstand brilliantly Rosberg’s media and sporting pressure. He signed the eleventh personal victory of the season

Nico Rosberg – 10- He was commendable in Qualifying, with an outstanding time-result. In recent races, this Formula 1 has come close to the record marked with 2008-2009 cars. Credit to engineers. He and Lewis have put together sixteen successes. Pity that start was not perfect. Surely, the next year he will be back there, to fight with his team-mate

Felipe Massa – 9+ A regenerated driver. Only a year ago, he was given for finished. After being bombarded by bad luck earlier in the year, he developed together with Williams, closing with an excellent second place and driving aggressively

Valtteri Bottas – 9 He is the revelation of the world championship, as a young driver. He raced with intelligence

Daniel Ricciardo – 9 Starting from pit lane, recovering up to fourth place, is a great achievement, despite an inferior car. At the beginning of the season, it was unthinkable to assume a season like that. Everyone thought he would be outclassed by Vettel

Jenson Button – 9 Despite rumors, he has continued to drive brilliantly, bringing important points to McLaren

Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez – 8 They have struggled with the knife between their teeth in all races, making the most of their Force India

Fernando Alonso – 7.5 He certainly could not do anything more than that

Kimi Raikkonen – 7 He has struggled too, but the ninth and tenth place is certainly not of Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel – 7 He finished again behind his team-mate, although in Qualifying he had prevailed. He certainly lost the challenge with Daniel. For him, a difficult year ends

Gian Carlo Minardi

Abu Dhabi GP – PREVIEW

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We’ve come to the nineteenth race, the last race of a season that has passed quickly, among polemics, technical developments, difficulties for teams and clear supremacy of Mercedes.

We had to wait until the last weekend to know Sebastian Vettel’s successor, who will leave the #1. It will be an internal fight at Mercedes, between Hamilton and Rosberg. The English driver, thanks to his advantage, will act in reply, while victory might not be enough for Nico. I can’t see any driver that can come between them, to favour either. Williams itself is still very far away, as proved by a 41″ sec. suffered in Brazil. The fight for third place among Constructors, instead, is done deal for Williams, despite the availability of double points, which have proved to be useless.

For the final round, Pirelli brings Soft and SuperSoft. This could give us a hard-fought Qualifying. Fifteen days ago, we had even 18 drivers in just 2″, while, during the race, differences between Mercedes and the remaining group could come out anyway. This compounds’ solution may not favour McLaren in the fight for fourth place. Button-Magnussen’s car has proved to be more powerful with Medium and Hard. Moreover, through a tweet, they’ve also announced that we should wait over December 1st to know the new line-up, even if games are already made.

Behind the pit, the atmosphere will be very “hot”, with various decisions to take, related to third car, prizes distribution and Power-Unit changes.

Gian Carlo Minardi

KART – Joao Vieira at SuperNationals Kart of Las Vegas

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Parked the Tatuus F4 #28, Joao Vieira is ready to return to his first love, after ending the first season in open-wheel and in the Italian F.4 Championship, with victory in the Adria Winter Trophy.

This weekend the young Brazilian driver will be in Las Vegas among the protagonists of the 18th SuperNationals Kart edition, the largest international event of the year in karting world. For Joao, it will be a return on the 1,370 meters of the go-kart track and he will try to repeat the success of 2010, at the wheel of a Parolin chassis. Even in last year edition, the Minardi Management driver was competing for the win. After scoring the fastest time in Qualifying in the rain, a problem in the first stages of the race took him out of the games for SuperSunday. “It’s always nice to come back here in Las Vegas. I know very well the environment, having already won. Last year, unfortunately, an overheating problem knocked me out, but this year I will try to take revenge by hunting success“, Joao Vieira says. “I finished the season in Formula 4 with a first and second in Adria International Raceway. After several months and then I go back behind the wheel of a kart“, the Brazilian driver concludes.

FIA WEC – Another podium for Davide Rigon at the 6 Hours of Bahrain

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And three! For the third appointment in a row, Davide Rigon paired with team-mate James Calado wins the podium in the World Endurance Championship, at the wheel of the Ferrari 458 GTEPro. After Fuji and Shanghai, it’s the turn of Sakhir, scene of the seventh round of FIA World Endurance Championship, winning  four podiums , with another round on the calendar still to be raced.

Right from the beginning, Davide and James stood out on the demanding circuit of Bahrain, bringing the Ferrari #71 of Amato Ferrari team in top placements of Pro class. After taking the necessary steps in the two free practice sessions, they signed the third best lap time, behind the twin-car #51 of the new World Champions Bruni-Vilander, despite the hard tyres. The 6 Hours proveed to be a tight race from the first passes, with a constant pressure by Porsche and the high temperatures of climate and asphalt. Without making mistakes despite nightfall, Davide and James switched each other, holding up the pace and giving Ferrari and AF Corse a new podium, ending a sensational weekend for the colours of Maranello. “We are very happy for this new podium that led us go one step further in standings“, Davide Rigon said, coming back from Bahrain. Thanks to his third place, he adds a further 15 points, entering the Top Six of the best drivers ever in GT category. “We were very pleased with the time marked in Qualifying, as we had decided to focus on Hard tyres. In race then we fought constantly with Porsche, our main opponents. After losing a few positions at the start to set our tyre’s temperature, I was able to recover and race with great chronometric results on track“, Davide continues. “In the first stint, safety car entry costed us a bit of time. However, podium is always a great satisfaction, especially since we are talking about the most important stage“.

Double joy at AF Corse that celebrated not only Team title, but also Drivers’ title with the more experienced colleagues, Bruni and Vilander. “It was a sensational weekend for all of us in team. As AF, we won the Team title, while Gimmi and Toni won the Drivers’ title“. For the team from Piacenza, it is the third title in three seasons. At this point, in order that the season will be memorable, Ferrari has now to gain Constructors’ title, a mission that it must attempt to complete during the last race of the season, scheduled in two weeks Interlagos in Brazil. “In fifteen days we will be back on track in São Paulo for the final round. My goal is to give Ferrari the Constructors’ title“, the driver Venetian concludes. With these new results, Maranello team has further strengthened its leading position with 261 points.

“I’m very happy for the great weekend of Davide. Just a bit of luck in race has missed. Probably, the second place was within his reach. A really positive weekend ends, thanks to Bruni and Vilander’s winning of Drivers’ Championship and Team Title of AF Corse“, the manager Giovanni Minardi says. “Now, we miss only the last piece, the most important one: the Constructors’ Title with Ferrari. We hope to take it home in the last round, in Brazil. In the second half of the season, racing on tracks already known, we made a big step forward. Standings at hand, unfortunately, we miss the important points of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Davide could have fought for podium“, Minardi concludes.

Gian Carlo Minardi “Games in F1 are not finished”

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In eleven days, Formula 1 will issue its verdict, consecrating the 2014 Drivers’ World Champion. Hamilton or Rosberg? Meanwhile, at the end of Russian Grand Prix, Mercedes has already won its first Constructors’ Title in history. Despite World Championship will close, the unknown elements for 2015 remain endless. In recent years, we have never got to this point of the season with still so many questions about the Circus.

As we know, at Suzuka Sebastian Vettel said good-bye to Red Bull, but without announcing his new destination. Fernando Alonso will leave Maranello, to go where? There is talk about Honda-McLaren; till now much talk, but zero facts. And who will be “sacrificed” between Button and Magnussen? The news does not end up here. Marussia and Caterham have raised the white flag, but the unknowns go around other teams, like Lotus and Sauber (that, meanwhile, announced for 2015 Ericsson and Nasr, leaving its drivers Sutil and Gutiérrez). Let’s move on. In Toro Rosso, after the press release of August, in which they announced the line-up in 2015 with Kvyat-Verstappen (in Minardi.it, we didn’t believe it much), the counter-ad has arrived, always at Suzuka: the Russian Kvyat in RBR, instead of Vettel, alongside Daniel Ricciardo. What will then do the “dumped” Vergne?

It’s certainly a strange year for this crazy Formula 1. The mess, however, affects not only drivers, but also technical and key men of the teams. Ferrari has brought substantial changes in its organization, but it’s not been the only one. McLaren fired thirteen of its men. “Losing does not like anyone. Especially to those used to win, in their history. Formula 1 is going through a very particular and difficult moment, full of confusion. In these months, we have seen a number of changes and, of course, we did not come to an end. A team that does not win, it’s changed.  The F14T lived up to expectations and, therefore, Ferrari intervened heavily in main areas. The season was started with proclamations as world title. Today, it is the fourth in Constructors’ World Championship (behind Mercedes, Red Bull and Williams) and, in some circumstances, it’s the fifth car“, Gian Carlo Minardi says on www.minardi.it. “Unfortunately, I think it’s difficult to solve problems in such a short time, even considering what we read. There is talk about a developmental step of the new engine of only 30-40 CV. Disarming, considering the huge difference showed in the field by German competition“, the manager from Faenza says. “Then, we must also add the problems of overconsumption. In Brazil, which is a track that should not cause problems under this aspect, Alonso said he had had to fight against consumption. We are facing a situation too complicated and intricate. I don’t think changes have come to the end. Marchionne has made specific questions to his collaborators“, Minardi says, “not getting the answers he hoped. This is synonymous with great uncertainty that may lead to new changes“.

Ferrari and Renault have formed a coalition to convince Mercedes to “unfreeze” the engines and open a window, to bring developments and updates about Power Unit, resulted less-performing. Meanwhile, Horner, Ecclestone and Lopez take a crack at. They would like to take a step back and leave the expensive V6 Turbo, in favour of the regretted V8. Sharp answer of Niki Lauda: “If we go back to the V8, Mercedes will leave F1”.  A storm is ready to fall on F1.

FIA WEC – Davide Rigon on the hunt for another great result at the 6 Hours of Bahrain

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Being confident of the podiums won in the last two rounds at Fuji and Shanghai, that add to the third place of the beginning of the season at Spa-Francorchamps, Davide Rigon, paired with Calado, is ready to return at the wheel of the Ferrari 458GTE-Pro #71 of AF Corse team, in the seventh and penultimate round of the World Endurance Championship at Sakhir circuit, for the 6 Hours of Bahrain.

Once again, Davide will treasure his experience that gained last season, when he ended his first experience in the World Championship with a considerable second place, decisive for winning the Team title for the 8Star Motorsport and the Constructors title for Ferrari. The 5,412 meters of track, built on the suburbs of Bahrain’s Manama capital, bring back memories in the 27-year-old driver’s mind. In addition to second place of last season, in 2009 he won a great podium in GP2. “It‘s a track that I always liked, where I collected important results, both in open-wheels and GT cars. We arrive to this appointment after the second place at Fuji and third place at Shanghai. Both my team-mate and I and the all AF team, we are ready to go on the hunt for a new positive result for Ferrari “, Davide Rigon says, flying to the capital of Bahrain. “We are preparing to spend the last two rounds on two tracks (Bahrain and Interlagos), which should be better adapted to the characteristics of our 458“, the Venetian driver says. “It will be a hard race, for both the high temperatures that’ll be reached inside the car, and because we will start with the sun and end up at night.”

Therefore, Ferrari’s ride towards Constructors title will continue, as main purpose of Davide and AF Corse team for this season. With two more rounds on the agenda, the Prancing Horse Team leads the group ahead of Porsche and Aston Martin, with Davide and Calado in seventh place in standings.

Brazilian GP – Drivers' Scorecard

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Interlagos is always an amazing and considerable circuit. The organizers deserve praise for the work done on the asphalt, having improved its performance. It was also very interesting Piquet’s speech on stage at the end of GP, which bring F.1 back to past times, with questions for drivers related to other topics outside the race, making it more joking.

Nico Rosberg – 10 Pole and victory, without making the slightest imperfection, despite Hamilton’s important pressure during the all race. If he’s made fewer mistakes during the season, this would be for him an incredible match-point. Unfortunately, he alternated masterful and less positive performances, like in Austin, when he practically opened the door to team-mate

Lewis Hamilton – 9 He made a mistake, trying to regain his team-mate and scoring, anyway, the fastest lap of the race. In many passes, they challenged on the edge of the second tenth, running on high paces. He gave a hard time to the team-mate and it was a fight just between the two of them. Unluckily, only one can win, even though they both deserve an award

Felipe Massa – 9 He made two mistakes, exceeding the speed-limit and stopping in the wrong box, but he has completed a masterful race, gaining a new podium for himself and for his Williams. To date, unfortunately, they are not yet in a position to strike back Mercedes’ supremacy and only external factors may change an already written, also in Abu Dhabi

Jenson Button – 8 As separated (or almost), he is proving that he would deserve better consideration

Sebastian Vettel – 8 He is author of a great race and he led the only points at Renault

Fernando Alonso – 8 He constantly fight with a knife between his teeth, despite a car that is not perfect. Today, he is the fourth power of the world championship, behind Mercedes, Red Bull and Williams. With limited time available, it will be hard to solve problems. Once again, however, he wins the battle with the team-mate, who gave an awakening signal

Nico Hulkenberg – 7 He brings new points at Force India

Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen – 6 They have not been able to confirm the results obtained in Qualifying, losing the comparison with the “veteran” team-mates

Brazilian GP – PREVIEW

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Seven days after Austin’s Grand Prix, Circus arrives at Interlagos, a historical Formula 1 circuit. The round on the Brazilian circuit is characterized by one of the shortest track of championship and, besides technical problems, it is always affected by weather changeableness. Also for these three-days, rain is expected and it could complicate teams’ choices.

In the event of dry track, Pirelli will bring Medium and Soft; we will see an open competition with different solutions. Obviously, everything is directed to Mercedes and the internal fight between Hamilton and Rosberg.

After Austin, Lewis’ lead over Nico arrives at 24 points. I have a feeling that now everything is already planned, as I have analyzed in recent days. After the race at Spa-Francorchamps, the team performed well defined hierarchies for the good of team, image and investments made in these years. Hamilton is predestined to win this World Championship. In recent races, we have seen how one of them takes the pole and the other wins the race. For me, the ease with which Nico has accepted defeat a week ago is a further signal too.

We are getting ready for Brazilian Grand Prix with two questions: who will win between Hamilton and Rosberg? Who will win the third place in Constructors’ World Championship?

As I said before, the top step of the podium (unless technical problems) is Mercedes matter. I do not see other actors that may worry them. At this point, the third place among Constructors is pretty much thing done for Williams, despite the double points of Abu Dhabi. Some teams are now already working on next season. Ferrari has big problems right now in the present. Let them work and look carefully at the tests they are doing.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Kart – Alberto Tonti and Paolo De Conto go their separate ways

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From July, after six years of great successes together, Paolo De Conto and Alberto Tonti go their separate ways.

“I wish Paolo all the best in the world of karting and Motorsport. We have decided to stop our professional partnership because of disagreements on technical choices. There is beginning and end. I wish great good luck to Paolo, with whom I shared a lot of moments of joy and glory. Six years certainly cannot be deleted”, Alberto Tonti says.

United States GP – Drivers’ Scorecard

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Austin’s circuit is one of the most technical circuit of latest generation and it allowed us to attend a considerable Grand Prix and to evaluate reasonably well all values in the field. Besides, there have been penalties related to the use of new Power-Unit.

Mercedes – 10 They certainly deserve the highest-ever vote of the weekend, both for performances and for how they’re managing the internal fight between Hamilton and Rosberg

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg – 9  Sensational race and Qualifying. Qualities and “defects” of both of them balance out. One wins the pole and the other takes the Win

Daniel Ricciardo – 9 Race with outstanding overtakings. He is always very aggressive and confirms to be the most pleasant surprise of this season. He is an authentic team-leader. 65-points lead over the four-times World Champion the first year in a top team, they aren’t a few.

Felipe Massa – 8,5 He took advantage 100% of  Williams’ potential, although, once again, he has been penalized by a pit-stop that his team-mates didn’t allowed him. Bad luck seems to not want to abandon him

Jean-Eric Vergne – 8 Despite the uncertain future, he races brilliantly, getting the most and bringing important points to Toro Rosso

Fernando Alonso – 8 He is the only real weapon of Ferrari. He managed to stay ahead of Sebastian Vettel and showed what he is made of. He remains the number 1

Sebastian Vettel – 7 Great recovery. From pit-lane to the seventh place. He is in trouble with this car, but he wants to clarify that he arrive in Ferrari thanks to his value

Valtteri Bottas – 6,5 Honestly, I didn’t like him on this occasion. He was not the usual Bottas, perky and aggressive

Sergio Perez – 5 I don’t understand him at all. This is not the first time he make such mistake of this kind and the facial expression of his Team Principal says it all. He was certainly not satisfied

Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen – 5 It’s necessary to see if it is their or car’s fault. McLaren is certainly one of those cars, like Ferrari, that doesn’t shallow certain compounds

Kimi Raikkonen – N.D Ruthless comparison with his team-mate, both for points and for positions. He has never been in the race. He cannot solve his problems and this is not a good sign, considering a future perspective

Now, we will see what will happen in less than seven days in Brazil, the penultimate round of the World Championship. The “end” word may come.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F.4 – Victory and second place for Joao Vieira in the Adria Winter Trophy

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There could be no better end of the season for Joao Vieira, who waves the Brazilian flag with the national green-gold anthem at the Adria International Raceway, thanks to his success in race-2, after winning the podium with a great second place in the first race.

The 16-year-old Brazilian driver of Antonelli Motorsport ends with a win, a second place and the title of vice-champion in the Adria Winter Trophy, his first European season in open-wheels, a well-deserved result, after a year of strong growing in the Italian F.4 Championship powered by Abarth.

Back on the circuit where he opened his adventure in the Tricolor series, Joao has taken advantage of all the experience gained in a little more of four months, being protagonist of excellent overtakings and closing Rovigo’s weekend with the second place – for just a single point -. “I’m very satisfied for what gained by Joao this weekend. A second place and, especially, the victory that we’ve missed in the Italian F.4”, the manager Giovanni Minardi analyzes. “He has been the author of amazing overtakings, both in race-1 and race-2. Unfortunately, we missed the pole, that he could give us the victory of this Trophy. Apart from this, Adria weekend is the consecration of what showed in championship. A week before championship, we started from scratch, without knowing car and tracks, and four months later we got the victory“, Minardi concludes. “This was his first season in an open-wheel, coming directly from karting, and growth after each race is the most important signal of the value of this guy”.

“At last. Finally, there’s the win, that I’ve so long chased. I’m really happy for how the weekend went at Adria. Ending the season with a second place, a win and the title of vice-champion is absolutely not bad”, Joao Vieira says, smiling. “The Italian F.4 Championship was really challenging and allowed me to grow and learn a lot. I’ll certainly take advantage of this experience next year”. Now, Joao leaves Italy a few days and moves to Brazil, before leaving for Las Vegas. “I’ll go a few days in Brazil, at home, and then, prepare the Supernationals kart race, scheduled for next November 23rd”, the diver of Minardi Management concludes.

FIA WEC – Davide Rigon on podium also for the 6 Hours of Shanghai

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After the excellent second place at Fuji three weeks ago, Davide Rigon, paired with James Calado, wins again the podium, thanks to third place at 6 Hours of Shanghai, the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship season.

With this valuable result, the 27-year-old Venetian driver confirms his feeling with China, which gave him his first victory in the World Championship just a year ago, and with his Ferrari 458 GTE-Pro #71 prepared by AF Corse Team. As planned, after giving something in Qualifying, the car of Maranello has recovered the gap, allowing the young pair Rigon/Calado to win the third podium of the season. “I’m really happy with this podium. I thank the team, because they did a great job in pits. Here in Shanghai we had a demanding race till the end and we tried to do our best“, Davide Rigon says.

There’s regret for what happened to the team-mates Brini-Vilander, forced to retirement a few laps before the green light. At the 10th bend of Shanghai International Circuit, the Ferrari number 51 of AF Corse team, led at that time by “Gimmi” Bruni, was involved in an accident with the LMP2 prototype car of KCMG Team, which had stopped because of a problem technical, fortunately without any consequences for the two drivers. It was really hard for “Gimmi” Bruni to avoid the contact, because the prototype was right on his own trajectory. “I’m really sorry for what happened to our team-mates“, the driver of Minardi Management continues.

With this new podium, Davide continues rising in ranking of his category, adding further fifteen points to his personal reward, that earn him the seventh place in world championship, maintaining Ferrari in the running for winning the constructors’ title in top races competition for GT cars. The “Prancing Horse” team leads the group with still other 2 appointments on the calendar for the month of November. “Keep it up. There are still two important appointments on the calendar“, Rigon concludes, “which, on paper, should be favorable to the characteristics of our car“.

“Another relevant result for Davide. As already happened three weeks ago in Japan, coming to race on tracks that are already known, he’s able to express 100% of his potential. This will be useful especially for the final part of the world championship. We must not forget that our main objective and task is to bring the Constructors’ title to Ferrari“, the manager Giovanni Minardi says. “I’m sorry for what happened to Gimmi and Toni, but I’m certain that in Brazil they’ll already be able to recover the payback with interests“.

Next 15th of November, it’s going to race in Bahrain, while the 30th of November, it’ll be the turn of Sao Paulo, in Brazil, for the last act of the FIA World Endurance Championship.