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 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 | 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 | DUTCH GP, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “MCLAREN HAS SETS ITS SIGHTS ON THE CONSTRUCTORS’ TITLE”

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The Dutch grand prix gave us 72 demanding laps, run at a very high pace, and without a single accident or safety-car. It was a long and complicated grand prix, with a Lando Norris leading the way, despite an imperfect start, just like for his teammate.

I believe McLaren’s politics is to take out the constructors’ title, so they set up a particular strategy on Piastri, aimed at winning the highest number of points without worrying Norris who also took home the additional point for the fastest lap on the final lap with an excellent 1.13 812, leaving Verstappen 20 seconds behind.

In this circumstance Verstappen showed he is a champion. Having guessed that it would not have been a race to aim for the win, he managed his car as well as possible without taking any particular risks, bringing home an important second place. At this moment he must defend himself from the overwhelming power of this McLaren.

Excellent job by Charles Leclerc who took his Ferrari onto the podium in third place. An almost unhoped for outcome after the result in qualifying and could not have been predicted at all, especially having raced for the last 15 laps over the limit with a Piastri constantly on the edge of of a one second gap.

Carlos Sainz was just as good. The Spaniard recovered up to fifth place, after having started on the sixth row. A positive result for Ferrari ahead of Monza.

On the other hand, Mercedes was inexplicable. I saw them struggling after the latest positive results, but above all I find it hard to understand their strategy.

We are heading towards a very interesting end of the season with an important alternation. In a weeks’ time it will be back to the track with the Italian Grand Prix.

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

 F1 | GP BELGIUM, GIAN CARLO MINARDI “VERSTAPPEN MUST HELP THE TEAM, NOT ATTACK IT”

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From Hungary we quickly pass to Belgium, Spa-Francorchamps. A circuit absolutely the opposite compared to the Hungaroring. It is very fast and long with its 7,004 metres and just as demanding for the cars and the drivers. The unknown factor of the weather is not to be underestimated. On the Friday and the Saturday, the chance of rain is around 50%, lowering to 20% for the Sunday.

We come quickly to this round after the episodes that marked in a particular way the final part of the race in Budapest. Now Verstappen should be trying to lead the team, rather than attacking it badly with inappropriate team-radio and acts on the track certainly unworthy of a three times world champion. He is the tip of the iceberg. After years of unchallenged domination, he must help the team, as he has already done in the past, and as he certainly knows how to do.

In my opinion, today Red Bull and Verstappen are still the point of reference, even if behind them is a McLaren in great shape that is proving to be competitive in many different conditions. With last weekend’s one-two, it overtook Ferrari in second place on the constructors’ ladder and is trying to put its sights on the leadership that is running with only one driver.

With the Hards Ferrari had been the fastest car with Leclerc, before switching to the mediums.  It remains to be seen if they will be able to repeat the performance as Pirelli has brought the C2-C3-C4.

In the meantime, came the news of Mattia Binotto joining Audi’s programme. An operation that could be very attractive for some technicians now working at Maranello. 2026 is approaching quickly and all the teams are committed to reinforcing their departments, especially on the engine front. In September, Vasseur will announce the new organizational chart.

And talking about the engines, Alpine could be leaning towards the Mercedes engines. If this is the case, it could be a sign of a sales negotiation.  It would be strange to think that a team linked to Renault using a Power-Unit of a competitor, but at the present time it is hard to interpret these rumours.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP HUNGARY,THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “VERSTAPPEN SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUNISHED. A DANGEROUS MANOEUVRE AND SHAMEFUL TEAM-RADIO. MCLAREN IS TO BE APPLAUDED”

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The Hungarian weekend and grand prix were certainly interesting, and it was entertaining right from the start. At the start Piastri-Norris-Verstappen got to the first bend side-by-side, with the Australian taking the lead of the race by overtaking his teammate and poleman Norris. Verstappen having gone long, ceded the position he gained to the British driver-to avoid a possible punishment – and McLaren returned to the top two positions.

With a “questionable” undercut, but at the time, he was protecting the team from any attacks by Red Bull and Mercedes. Norris overtook his teammate and leader.  From that moment on there were severable discussions between the teams and drivers, but in my opinion the correct decision was made. Norris returned the lead to his teammate who went onto his first career win in F1. McLaren is mainly fighting for the constructors’ rather than the drivers’ title. We are talking about a team growing strongly that at this time has the best chassis in this configuration, as shown by the results in free practice, qualifying and the race, together with the best engine – Mercedes – of the lot.

We are seeing a marked change in the forces on the field compared to the start of the season with Red Bull encountering a few too many difficulties.  If, on the one hand, one driver is missing, Perez, on the other hand, there is a highly nervous Verstappen who made a very dangerous manoeuvre that deserved an exemplary punishment. Compared to Hamilton (who took his 200th podium) he committed an infraction that is not worthy of a three-times world champion (and not even the first this year).

It is especially shameful to hear that team-radio against his own team that, in the last three seasons, delivered an unbeatable car into his hands. Instead, today he must put his own spin into it. He has an important lead – he has a 76-point lead over Norris – which he must preserve on the track. He cannot and must not allow himself to swear in that way.

A positive fourth position, 19 seconds behind, for Ferrari with Charles Leclerc. Carlos Sainz sixth behind Verstappen. It is a result to be read in a positive light, even if their performance is quite inexplicable. From lap 29 to lap 36 the driver from Monte Carlo was one of the fastest on the track. At that time, he had the hard compounds. Let us hope that Maranello will be able to identify the problems encountered.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – JULY 21: Race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and PREMA Racing (4) celebrates on the podium during the Round 9 Budapest Feature race of the Formula 2 Championship at Hungaroring on July 21, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)

The Sunday started with the wonderful win by Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Formula 2, the second of the season that launched the Prima driver into sixth place on the ladder, on his debut in the championship.

I await with trepidation the Spa-Francorchamps weekend in a week’s time.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | BRITISH GP, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “WE ARE WITNESSING THE REHABILITATION OF F1. AN ELECTRIFYING RACE”

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Silverstone, also thanks to its absolutely unpredictable weather, gave us an exciting grand prix and, together with the great work of the teams, we are about to experience an electrifying second half of the championship.

It was the second win in seven days for Mercedes, but this time won on the field, from George Russell’s pole position to Lewis Hamilton’s win. Both drivers were competitive for the whole weekend monopolizing the front row of the grid. Too bad only for Russell’s retirement, but it was a positive result, and the merit goes to Allison. Like in McLaren whose team principal Andrea Stella must be congratulated, also for his very realistic comments after the race.

Unfortunately, McLaren once again made mistakes that were decisive for the final result, mistakes which were dictated from the inexperience of becoming a winning team once more. Too bad for both Oscar Piastri who was “sacrificed” on the occasion of the pitstop, and for Lando Norris. It was good race on their part, but they could have done more.

Once again Ferrari missed out and had to be satisfied with Carlos Sainz’s fifth place. Just like Mercedes found the crux of the matter, I wish the same for them. May they go back to fighting for the win with Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes to entertain us even more.

Two leading actors like Russell and Leclerc were missing, and Albon and Tsunoda took advantage by completing the points zone behind the two Aston Martins (that returned to the points zone) and an excellent Niko Hulkenberg in the Haas. The fight for the points zone also intensified in the back.

In Red Bull the usual Max Verstappen kept his honour high, while Sergio Perez tripped up on monumental mistakes. Today’s race, which was also the result of a mistake in qualifying, can in no way be judged.

In short, we are witnessing the rehabilitation of Formula 1 and I like this very much. To be applauded, as always, is the competence of the extraordinary English public.

The unpredictability of Silverstone with its highs and lows made us rejoice even more for Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s win on Saturday, his first in Formula 2. A win that came in even more particular and complicated conditions compared to what we saw on Sunday.

He showed us all his worth, reminding me of drivers of times gone by. Hats off to him.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP AUSTRIA, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “TRA BETWEEN TWO LITIGANTS….RUSSELL WON”

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It had been a while since saw such a tight and aggressive Verstappen. In this grand prix we saw the Verstappen of yesteryear. On several occasions I saw him very incorrect, and I noticed a certain condescension in his regards,

In the collision with Norris not only did Verstappen touch him, but once he understood that he had punctured, he deliberately swerved to stop him completely, resulting in Norris’ retirement. He was probably unnerved by this McLaren in top form. Previously, he had already, even if not so blatantly, gone wide under braking to defend himself from the McLaren driver’s attacks. He should have been penalized earlier

It was a pity because we could have seen ten heart stopping laps. It will certainly be a good omen for the continuation of the season and in view of next week’s round at Silverstone in England.

George Russel took advantage of it brilliantly, taking Mercedes to the win. For him and Mercedes it was a positive weekend that legitimized them as the current third force of the world championship.

An unhoped for third place for Ferrari. Very good Sainz, who defended third position behind two cars faster than him. Pity for Leclerc’s first lap in the episode with Oscar Piastri. Definitely a race contact, but the driver from Monte Carlo seemed too optimistic. He can consider himself satisfied with eleventh place, the result of a positive come back, but there is certainly a lot of work to do in Maranello. Beyond what we read in the Constructors’ ladder, the track tells us that they are the fourth force behind Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes.

It was a fantastic race by the two Haas who said goodbye to Austria with sixth and eighth place – very important points. Profiting from Norris’ retirement were Daniel Ricciardo, an excellent ninth place for the Racing Bulls, and Gasly, tenth with Alpine. They harvested important points which, in normal circumstances, would not have been within their reach.

They will back on the track in a week’s time with the twelfth round at the historic Silverstone circuit.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP SPAIN, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “VERSTAPPEN IS A JACKHAMMER, EVEN WITHOUT THE BEST CAR”

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Even without having the best car Max Verstappen won once again. The Dutchman confirmed that he is a jackhammer by covering the many laps with the same pace, outclassing his teammate who crossed the finish line almost a minute later.

Serio Perez constantly ran six tenths of a second per lap slower, like in qualifying. Despite a different strategy, the results did not change. Certainly, the worth of this Red Bull is not that of Perez, but neither is it that of Verstappen who puts a lot of his own into it.

Currently, the ladder clear with Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari the fourth force of the world championship. McLaren paid for its inexperience because, even if they are a strong team they are not yet ready to win because they make mistakes. The team made some important gifts to its direct rivals, in both the pitstops and terms of the strategy. Despite this, Norris finished just 2”2 from the Dutchman.

We have a fiery second half of the season (we have 3 drivers within little more than 30”) ahead of us, characterized by minimal gaps which if, on the one hand they lead to less overtaking and fewer exciting races, on the other hand, we can get excited in qualifying where it takes nothing to lose important positions.

In fact, the Grand Prix was not particularly absorbing, expect for some important overtaking. With great ability Russell managed to gain three positions, taking himself to the lead after the first corner. Just like, the challenge between Norris and Russell won by the McLaren driver.

On the Ferrari front, fifth and sixth place. With Leclerc, the engineers tried to liven things up by changing the starting strategy, with no luck. There is nothing to say about the contact between the two drivers. It was a race contact.

An incredible step forward by Alpine. Undoubtedly there is more order between the drivers who do not lose precious time getting in each other’s way. Qualifying was excellent, with the potential was fulfilled even in the race.

It was the opposite result for the Racing Bull, probably the protagonist of the most disappointing weekend of the season. Despite the updates installed, they were constantly outside the points zone and in difficulty right from qualifying.

They go back onto the track in a week’s time with the Austrian Grand Prix, which will also host the sprint race.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP CANADA, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “MCLAREN THE BEST PAIR OF DRIVERS”

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The ninth round of the F1 world championship was certainly conditioned by the weathers, but Saturday already gave us heart stopping qualifying with Russell and Verstappen who set the same time and Norris third, barely 21 thousandths of a second behind.

The first surprise, negatively, for Ferrari came precisely on Saturday with Leclerc and Sainz eliminated in Q2. A swallow does not certainly a summer make, but in Maranello they must roll up their sleeves to understand what did not work on this weekend. They had problems both technically and in the set up and aerodynamics. All the problems Monte Carlo had hidden reemerged, since that is a completely anomalous track, Ferrari said goodbye to this weekend with nothing in the kitty after the double retirement.

Once again it was Max Verstappen who drags and takes Red Bull to the top with a car that is certainly not the one of 2023. The Dutchman made the difference. A real masterpiece. When he wants, he puts together those five or fast laps that make the difference. Despite the renewal, Perez was struggled all the weekend, which ended with the retirement.

McLaren confirmed it is the team with the best pair of drivers and with an extremely competitive car. Since the start of the season, it has been the most consistent team and currently the second force of the championship. Lando Norris made life not easy for Verstappen. It was a pity only for Piastri. At the end he had to give way to the two Mercedes drivers.  Very good Russell, just like Hamilton who was very correct in regard to his teammate. Since Imola, we have a Mercedes in growth. This is surely a positive sign for the continuation of the season.

Precious points for Aston Martin with the sixth place of Alonso and seventh of Stroll, In the Racing Bulls, Daniel Ricciardo finally brought the team important points, especially also following Tsunoda’s mistake at the end. An error can be made, also considering the hazardous strategy. He was very good, even in the management of the tyres and a mistake can happen.

Valuable points also for Alpine, especially after what happened in Monte Carlo between the two drivers, thanks to the ninth and tenth place by Gasly and Ocon respectively.

They will come back to Europe in two weeks, to Spain for the tenth round.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | MONACO GP, GIAN CARLO MINARDI’S POINT “SENSATIONAL QUALIFYING. LECLERC AND FERRARI PERFECT”

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As previously announced, qualifying was the most exciting and fascinating part of the weekend in Monte Carlo.

 

One qualifying session was run on the cusp of thousands and hundredths of a second. In Q2 we had 15 cars within little more than nine tenths of a second. Between Norris, first, and Albon ninth, there were barely 484 thousandths of a second, with even the first four (Norris-Verstappen-Piastri-Leclerc) within 93 thousandths.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, together with Oscar Piastri in particular, did an excellent job. The Australian confirmed he is a driver of excellent quality with the right class to make people talk about him in the near future.

Leclerc took Ferrari’s first win of the season, and he did it with a perfect race in his Monaco, perfect from the first to the last of the 78 laps. Perfect also in the two starts, managing to stay in front of an excellent Piastri, second in the McLaren. A good sign in view of Montreal, another track where overtaking is not easy.

After the first catastrophic lap, characterized by three collisions with the consequent red flag, the second start was clean, and all were very good at not making other mistakes, lapping strongly. Certainly, without variables Monte Carlo confirmed it is a Grand Prix with little to tell. Overtaking is practically impossible as was shown by the Russell-Verstappen tussle. These cars are too long and wide for the Principality’s narrow streets, but they gave us exceptional laps, just avoiding the guardrails without making mistakes. This is the beauty of Monte Carlo.

As I said before, the start was conditioned by three very different collisions.  Sergio Perez punctured his left front wheel after a collision with Oscar Piastri, rightly readmitted into the race following the red flag waved before the conclusion of the first lap.

A Red Flag caused by the incredible collision between Kevin Magnussen and the blameless Sergio Perez that also involved Nico Hulkenberg. Once again Magnussen messed it up in a big way. Luckily nobody got hurt.

The third collision, perhaps the most serious because it was between two teammates, saw Ocon and Gasly as the protagonists. As often happens, Esteban Ocon did not hold back, especially when it involves a teammate. He will rightly be penalized next weekend. Luckily for him Gasly managed to go back onto the grid, giving the team a point and tenth place.

For the first time we saw a Red Bull in difficulty, which paid the price with both Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. Following a very small mistake in qualifying, the Dutchman could not manage to go beyond sixth place on the grid. It is a Red Bull that is suffering, and when you suffer it is easier to make mistakes.

Yuki Tsunoda was also very good, eighth across the finish line and the first of the others, after the giants Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes. Four very important points for both him and the team which consolidates sixth place on the ladder. He has singlehandedly took the team higher by nibbling four points away from Aston Martin.

Just as good was Alexander Albon, ninth across the finish line. He gave Williams their first two points of the season, leaving only Sauber.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP IMOLA, THE POINT BYGIAN CARLO MINARDI “AN EXCEPTIONAL PUBLIC. THREE DAYS OF CELEBRATING”

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It was a sensational weekend both numerically and qualitatively, managing to exceed every expectation. Certainly, the counts are made a few days after the end of the event, analysing both the positive and critical aspects, but, as of today, the positive feedback is plentiful.

My personal congratulations are all directed to the team of Formula Imola that, after an intense month between the FIA WEC and the thirty-year anniversary of Senna, came through the Formula 1 Grand Prix exceptionally well.

Special praise goes to the public that filled the Circuit. As usual they were the “Number 1s” and the real winners of this event. Right to the end they were protagonists of a clean and sporting support by acclaiming and cheering all the drivers.

During these three days there was an atmosphere of celebration, also thanks to the sunny spring weather. One felt the desire to return to experiencing sport and motorsport as it once was.

From the sporting point of view, there was a lack of spectacle on the track in a grand prix won, once again, by Max Verstappen on Red Bull. In the first part of the race, he did what he wanted, managing to then administer the lead despite the problem at the end.

Lando Norris’ race was extraordinary, an excellent second place in a strong McLaren in both qualifying and the race, as did Charles Leclerc, an excellent third. Perhaps more was expected from Ferrari, but the results are in line with the developments.

We saw an important upward compaction in the performances of McLaren and Ferrari, in particular they narrowed slightly the gap from the direct rivals. The fight for the points zone and for the podium is becoming fiercer.

Certainly, Red Bull and Verstappen remain the points of reference. They lapped without problems with a better pace between 3 and 5 tenths of a second better than the competition. This allowed them to manage the race despite the problem.

Mercedes, sixth and seventh across the finish line, grew in line with the other teams.

Monaco is just around the corner, a peculiar circuit, not easy, and completely different from Imola.

Gian Carlo Minardi