F1 | Gp Japan, THE POINT by Gian Carlo MINARDI “Leclerc’s penalty was correct. Mercedes was better than Ferrari”

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(updated at 14.34) In a matter of hours the Japanese Grand Prix concentrated all the beauty of this Formula 1 into full grandstands, a splendid battle fought on the edge of thousandths of seconds between Mercedes and Ferrari that unexpectedly managed to take pole position with Vettel and all the front row, as well as good overtaking and struggles. For Ferrari this was the fifth consecutive pole and the eighth for the season.

Unfortunately the masterpiece was wiped out by a mistake by both drivers, something that had not happened for some time. Vettel stalled at the start, staying however within the tolerance of the sensor and thus avoiding a penalty by the marshals, while Leclerc was let off in the scuffle with Verstappen that led to the Dutchman going off track. After the end of the race the marshals made the right decision to inflict a 15” penalty on the driver from Monaco which slid him down to seventh place. Vettel’s second place saved the weekend, also thanks to a risky strategy by the people on the wall, with the German driver managing to stay ahead of the charging Hamilton and giving us a good duel.

With Bottas’ win and Hamilton’s third place, Mercedes equalled Ferrari’s record by winning its sixth consecutive Constructors’ title, while the British driver is a step away from his isxth title that he could already celebrate in Mexico. He confirmed that he is a true team man. He was exemplary and Mercedes confirmed it is better than Ferrari.

Today’s result showed how much Ferrari and Mercedes are war machines where the slightest mistake truly makes the difference between a great result and a placing. This should make us think about the near future. It is not enough to develop the car well but it must be absolutely perfect, drivers included.

It was also a good result for Albon and Sainz who finished the grand prix with all the laps to bring home important points for their respective teams.

The post grand prix twists and turns have not yet finished as a strong dispute arose between Racing Point and Renault with Lawrence Stroll’s team that presented a technical protest that, due to its complexity, will be analyzed over the next few days.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Russia, THE POINT by GIAN CARLO MINARDI “ Was Leclerc fslowed by excessive consumption?”

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28.09.2019- Qualifying celebration, Pole Position Charles Leclerc (MON) Scuderia Ferrari SF90 and 2nd place Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W10 EQ Power

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes returned to success, interrupting a run of positive results by Ferrari that in any case said goodbye to Sochi with pole position and Leclerc’s third place behind Bottas. In the light of these results, from now to the end of the season Ferrari must wager on the driver from Monaco to try and take away second place from Mercedes’ Finnish driver.

This result was the child of events that are part of motorsport, even if we must congratulate Hamilton for his excellent management of the race. He drove like a champion. Up to the moment of his retirement Vettel was making up for his performance in qualifying where he finished with the third time, dictating the pace thanks to an authoritative start and a clean charge compared to his teammate.

It was a pity that the order from Ferrari’s people on the wall to park the car came in an especially unfavourable part of the track that forced the stewards to call in the Virtual Safety car, condemning in fact the driver from Monaco who had made his pit step, betting on an aggressive strategy to aim for a win with the Softs..

On the other hand, I was surprised that Leclerc did not attack Bottas. Unlike the previous grands prix where, without the DRS, he managed fight his way back on his rivals. In this circumstance the Ferrari driver could not get closer despite a gap of less than a minute. Twice he asked in vain for more power from the people on the barrier. This could have been due to excessive fuel consumption, something that is not new to the red cars.

Behind Mercedes and Ferrari were the two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Albon with the two McLarens in the points (sixth Sainz and eighth Norris) that extended their lead on the direct rivals of Renault (tenth with Hulkenberg). In this period there was the announcement of the agreement between McLaren and Mercedes for the supply of the engines starting in 2021. This makes me think that Renault could say goodbye to the Circus at the end of 2020.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Singapore, THE POINT by Gian Carlo MINARDI “Ferrari is reborn. Well done Giovinazzi”

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Singapore gave us a weekend characterized by a number of surprises, starting with Leclerc’s pole position, followed by Ferrari’s double with Vettel’s’ first win this season and Mercedes off the podium after finishing in fourth and fifth position behind Verstappen.

This was a weekend that will give morale to both the drivers and to Ferrari that has been resurrected after being in free fall. After the wins in Spa-Francorchamps and Monza that was the moment of truth and the answers were there. All the new developments worked perfectly, reducing the gap with its direct rivals after managing to bring in the best result possible on a track that should not have favourable to them.

It was a win that allowed them to bring home the third straight win and to continue the race for second place in the constructors’ title and also reopened the challenge with Valtteri Bottas for vice-champion. This was a very tight race with three safety cars and ended on the limit of two hours.

We are getting ready for a growing and interesting end of season. Leclerc would surely have wanted to win after Saturday’s fantastic lap but it is right that he is at the team’s disposal. The people on Ferrari’s wall had a great job, even if the strategy was to the German’s advantage. This was an understandable operation in light of the near future.

Congratulations to Antonio Giovinazzi who, after Monza once again was in the points zone, despite the team doing practically everything to damage him. Luckily the three safety cars gave him the chance to partially remedy the strategy. For the first time we saw him also in the lead in the grand prix, helped by the game of strategies.

In a week’s time we will be back on track with the Moscow Grand Prix where last year Mercedes scored a double with Hamilton and Bottas in front of Vettel and Raikonnen. Will Ferrari manage to give its fans another win?

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Italy, THE POINT by Gian Carlo MINARDI “Leclerc is the first driver”

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It was a double win for Charles Leclerc who for 53 laps, with great cool-headedness and determination, held off the assaults first by Hamilton and then by Bottas in the final part, leading the two Mercedes drivers to commit come mistakes.

Even in his slips he showed that he knows the rules of the game very well, especially during Lewis Hamilton’s assault during breaking. He was absolutely fantastic from the 32nd to the 42nd laps in which he constantly set his best lap.

We are surely faced with a talent and a World Champion of the near future whose potential was not discovered only in these recent two weeks in which he won two grands prix because his curriculum vitae talks for him. In the lower categories he won everything there was to win. Praise must be given to the FDA which, together with the Federal School, is carrying out a solid programme.

It is undeniable that we are faced with a first driver and they must review their strategies in Ferrari. With this win he overshadowed and put into difficulty Vettel who was the protagonist not of one but of two mistakes that were as serious as they were unexplainable.

Bravo to Antonio Giovinazzi. With a solid race that finished in ninth place and in the points zone, he made up for the mistake he made in Belgium by running the laps with constant results on the clock.

Next stop Singapore which is a track that will be more complicated for Ferrari and could bring a smile back to Red Bull that can look forward with confidence after the solid comeback by Verstappen who started last on the grid and finished in eighth place and the good race by Albon.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Belgium, THE POINT by Gian Carlo MINARDI “Extraordinary job by Ferrari”

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Ferrari broke its fast and won its first grand prix for the season by dominating the stage in Belgium on the demanding Spa-Francorchamps track thanks to a super performance by Charles Leclerc.

The driver from Monaco drew the perfect weekend with pole position and the win to become the youngest driver to triumph at the wheel of a Ferrari and to win the Belgian Grand Prix, taking the record away from Michael Schumacher.

The win was also the result of an extraordinary strategy by Ferrari’s people on the wall who guessed all the moves and managed to hold back the final come back by Lewis Hamilton. At this time we saw Ferrari’s problems that they managed to stem on a very track. We hope that this win could be a good omen in light of the Italian Grand Prix scheduled for only a week’s time. Remaining on the Italian colours, I am sorry for Antonio Giovinazzi who, only two laps from the chequered flag, wiped out the excellent work and lost precious points for both him and the team.

A great weekend ended that was just a tragic due to the premature death of Hubert, a young man who, having attended at our championships, I had the chance to see directly in action on the track. Unfortunately, these episodes remind us how dangerous and also unpredictable our sport is. We must continue to work on safety, even if it will be impossible to eliminate the risks.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Germany, THE POINT by Gian Carlo Minardi

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We saw a German grand prix full of twists and very interesting that rewarded who did not make the slightest mistake, such as Toro Rosso that celebrates an incredible third place with Kvyat to whom I extend my most sincere congratulations and Ferrari with a perfect Vettel. The German driver managed to straighten out a dark weekend for Maranello after the double debacle on Saturday during qualifying.

Sebastian took advantage of every occasion that presented itself without making a mistake and managing to not fall into the trap of the last bend that had famous victims, amongst which the Mercedes drivers and his team mate, as well Raikonnen (very skilled in the road holding) and Nico Hulkenberg.

Ferrari certainly showed that it is growing and very close to its first win. In Germany the team showed important competitiveness in both the heat and the rain. Unfortunately Leclerc made a youthful mistake and this can happen in these difficult conditions.

Verstappen deserved the win, the second in the season, and he must be recognized as the best driver in the GP, together with Vettel. The Dutch driver managed the race by constantly occupying the top places. Congratulations to Honda that won first and third places with two teams. With this result Toro Rosso forced out Renault for fifth place and places itself behind McLaren that is growing strongly.

This was a strong result for our flag bearer Antonio Giovinazzi who put four points on the board jumping over Grosjean on the ladder. Once again he respected team orders and I have a lot of faith for his end to the season. He must continue on this road, without making mistakes and the results will speak for him.

Congratulations also to Lance Stroll, fourth place that rewards him for all the criticism received up to now and that have been accompanying his in his career. Even with a risky strategy, he showed his has what it takes to stay in Formula 1.

Before making an appointment for the next grand prix in Hungary, it is right to highlight Kimi Raikonnen’s excellent work. Once again the Finn, at the wheel of a car in which he does not have to show he is a world champion, he gave the best of himself by achieving important results, just as he had already done with Lotus when he came back from the period in rally. His control during the exit in the curve was a text book move. In Hungary he and Antonio will be able to achieve another good result.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Britain, THE POINT by Gian Carlo MINARDI “Leclerc extraordinary on Gasly but these tyres are an unknown factor”

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Silverstone entered by rights as one of the hardest fought grands prix of the season, although unfortunately there are still too many unknown factors tied to the tyres.

The mixes change but not the lap times, just as we saw with the best time set by Hamilton in the 52nd lap with the Hards when he beat his team mate’s time who had just mounted the Softs. Mercedes confirmed that it is the uncontested queen of the season but I am astounded by this situation. All the teams (with the exception of Ricciardo, Racing Point and Kubica) had only brought Hard sets, a symptom that was not part of the strategy and instead proved that they were decisive in the final result. Hamilton even indulged himself by setting the race’s best lap time.

We file away a race full of duels starting with the struggle between team mates Hamilton and Bottas in the first laps, but the masterpiece, in both the preparation and the execution, was when Leclerc overtook Gasly. I am pleased in the revival from the driver from beyond the Alps and I hope he finds consistency in his results.

After Austria Verstappen and Leclerc gave us another incredible chapter in their personal duel. Luckily they let them continue racing. Ferrari’s driver from Monaco is winning supremacy within the team although they still make mistakes in the strategies in his regards, even if the final result would not have changed. Mercedes is decidedly superior.

Silverstone will also be remembered for Vettel’s latest absolutely incomprehensible mistake.

Despite the final result, it was a positive weekend for Antonio Giovinazzi. The dynamic of his exit from the track makes me think he was betrayed by a technical problem. After the point gained in Austria in qualifying he managed to stay in front of his team mate. I think he has found the right path.

Silverstone will file away its weekend with 351,000 spectators. This important number represents a great ad for all Motorsport. The public was a stupendous setting for a beautiful sunny afternoon. I hope that the income is in the black because last year, just like Monza, they finished in the red.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Austria, THE POINT by Gian Carlo Minardi “Verstappen-Leclerc, the rivals of the future”

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We are waiting for the marshal’s decision and I would not want to be them. We are faced with the latest interpretation of a rule that must absolutely be changed and rewritten. I am sorry for Leclerc, author of a fantastic grand prix in which he did everything well and putting on show all his determination in defense from Verstappen’s first assault but for me we are faced with a race contact that is not subject to a penalty. These scrimmages are F1’s DNA and if we eliminate them we might as well switch off the TV,

Max Verstappen won on the track to give Honda its first win since it came back to F1 and in the hybrid era after dark and difficult years. As well as interrupting Mercedes’ domination. After a poor start in which he slipped back he came back with determination completing the job when he overtook Leclerc in the end. Leclerc and Verstappen will be the rivals of the future and have just written the first chapter of an exciting battle between two great champions.

We witnessed a very tactical grand prix with a lot of overtaking and also dictated by problems with the tyres. Ferrari brought home precious second and fourth places but the team must ponder since up to the 9th lap, as we understood from the team radio, Leclerc had problems managing fuel consumption.

A swallow does not make a summer and Mercedes is still the car to beat. For all the weekend they were never competitive on a track that they feared. They never managed their tyres well and their drivers were not exempt from some errors. An off weekend is allowed.

Sainz’s excellent performance in a McLaren that is on the rise is to be highlighted. From last to eighth place with Norris who finished in sixth place ahead of Gasly’s Red Bull. With his tenth place Antonio Giovinazzi broke his fast and won his first world championship point behind Kimi Raikonnen. These were three very important points for Alfa Romeo Racing in terms of the Constructors’ ladder.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP Canada, THE POINT by Gian Carlo Minardi “These penalties are killing motorsport”

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I do not agree that a race as tight as the Canadian Gran Prix with three drivers within a bare 6” after 70 laps should be ruined by judge’s decision. These decisions are killing Motorsport.

We saw a hard fought race between two great drivers. Vettel certainly made a mistake by coming long into the bend, which in a race as frantic as this one could make sense, just like the struggle between drivers who are part of the history of this sport.

I am not worried about the points lost be the German in view of the world championship but about these decisions that compromise the credibility of Formula 1.

I had not seen such big gaps in a long time. Behind the first three drivers, Bottas paid with a gap of 51” which rose to 57” at Verstappen’s expense who finishing fifth over the line and in front of Ricciardo, the first of the lapped drivers and the second Renault driven by Hulkenberg. A point for Kvyat with Toro Rosso completed the top ten with Gasly (8th) and Stroll (9th).

Before closing I find Kevin Magnussen’s declarations to his team improper when he said that he had never driven such an ugly car. Pity that he was the one who destroyed it against the wall and that his mechanics had performed a miracle in rebuilding it to give him the chance race the GP.

This is all for this evening but I will give you an appointment in the next few days to go deeper into the episodes of this seventh round of the world championship in Montreal.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Montecarlo, THE POINT by Gian Carlo Minardi “Hamilton perfect. Ferrari, how many mistakes”

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Lewis Hamilton won one of the most exciting Montecarlo grands prix with four drivers within barely 4 seconds. The Mercedes driver confirmed he is a very great champion since, despite his problems with the tyres, he brought home an important win in front of Max Verstappen who never have him a moment of respite. On the other hand, faced with the difficulties with his car Vettel made a number of errors in qualifying and crashed with the FP3.

Verstappen committed a moment of carelessness without which he could have come back in fourth place. Maybe he took away Mercedes’ chance for a sixth consecutive double, even if I saw Bottas under subdued. I thought the 5” second penalty was right.

With the second place Vettel and Ferrari saved a weekend in which they committed unjustifiable mistakes, even if during the race they kept pace with the leaders. What happened on Saturday during qualifying was inexplicable. A team such as Ferrari cannot make such mistakes and, above all, I find it unacceptable that they appealed to the luck of others, especially if these words come from their CEO.

There is no justification ruining a grand prix for your driver that had shown he had an extra gear on the others by giving us two masterly overtakes in the race, as well as a mistake that will surely help him for the future. At that moment Leclerc was unloading all his frustration. In qualifying he had made a serious mistake in assessment which is synonymous with anxiety and nervousness.

Gian Carlo Minard

Gp Spain | THE POINT by GIAN CARLO MINARDI “It was the grand prix of truth”

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We are facing an incredible monopoly that will be hard to stop. This was the fifth double labelled Mercedes in as many grands prix but what should worry us most of all above all was race pace set by Hamilton and Bottas that highlighted, especially after the re-entry of the safety car.

It should have been the grand prix of truth. This winter we deluded ourselves but the truth is very different, with 8 tenths of a second in qualifying and the race they did everything they wanted to do. Despite the development of Ferrari’s engine the fourth and fifth places by Vettel and Leclerc were difficult results to digest since Verstappen also came into it with his Red Bull.

For a year now the Dutchman has made no mistakes and has become a serious pretender for scoring the points and important results which are essential for his team’s place in the constructors’ ladder.

In two weeks time we will go to Montecarlo, a round in which the chassis is fundamental and to which we must add a Honda engine that is growing. Despite everything, it will be hard even for them to stop Mercedes’ supremacy which leaves little for any justification.

Luckily the cars in the back entertained us with a fight for essential points for the “second division” championship with Magnussen, Sainz, Kvyat and Grosjean who completed the top ten behind Gasly.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Gp Cina |THE POINT by MINARDI “The forces in the field took shape”

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This was the second double and the second win in as many races. In Shanghai Lewis Hamilton put his signature on the 1,000th GP ahead of Bottas and Vettel’s Ferrari. Mercedes put on show a superior pace of at least 3-4 tenths of a second better than its direct rivals, even if it showed it can manage the race at its leisure.

The forces in the field took shape in this grand prix, with Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Haas and Renault, and with some outsiders that changed from time to time, such as Raikonnen with the Alfa Romeo and/or Toro Rosso that celebrated its 250th GP with Albon’s tenth place by exploiting the debacle of others (such as Renault’s problems with reliability)-

Ferrari said goodbye to Shanghai with Vettel’s third place and Leclerc in fifth, with the driver from Monaco hurt by a strategy that was surely not the best and gave Verstappen an advantage. We saw minimal differences in times between the two drivers with Leclerc who made up for a small error in qualifying with a positive start even if he was forced to give up a place to his team mate.

Talking about strange strategies, the one adopted for Giovinazzi was inexplicable. I hope, after having seen the problem that he once again suffered in qualifying, that the team wanted to carry out developments tests in the light of the next rounds. This was a pity because Antonio’s race rhythm was good once again and equal to Raikonnen’s.

This was a positive weekend for Albon in which he entered the points zone after starting from pit lane. The driver will continue to grow during the season and who put a good pace on show. He only lacks a little experience.

I am waiting for you all at Imola in two weeks, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th, to talk about F1 during the Historic Minardi Day and to experience a weekend under the banner of Motorsport and passion.

Gian Carlo Minardi

GP Australia | THE POINT by MINARDI “The difference Mercedes-Ferrari dictated by the engine”

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In order to analyze the Melbourne grand prix we need to take a step back to Q1 in qualifying where we had 16 drivers within 1” – that confirms the closing up towards the top ranks in the performance of the teams in which a small mistake is enough to be cut out – the difference from top to bottom of the group grew to a second and a half in Q2 up to 2” in Q3 with a gap of 7 tenths of a second between Hamilton’s Mercedes and Vettel’s Ferrari.

In my opinion the advantage is to be found mainly in the engine and the capacity to manage the power as Bottas showed in the record lap (1’25”580) in the second last lap in which he managed to increase his race pace by 1” with great ease taking away Vettel’s fastest lap (1ì26”2). Ferrari stopped at 1’26’9 with Leclerc.

We witnessed a very tight race that was won by Valtteri Bottas who was the lead actor with his best race. The Finn was unbeatable, especially in the middle part in which he set the fastest lap six times between the 31st and 42nd laps with a race pace clearly superior to the competition between 1’26”7 and 1’27”2.

Ferrari will need to analyze this negative result that was dictated not so much with the fourth and fifth places of Vettel and Leclerc but especially by the considerable gap inflicted during the race, Sebastian and Charles crossed the finishing line with a delay of 57” and 58” from Bottas. This is an enormity if we think of the results of the Barcelona tests. Vettel complained a lot about the tyres and I am honestly amazed by the choice of the teams to bring only one set of Hard tyres which showed that they were the best mix for the race as we saw with the Ferrari number 16 during its comeback.

This was an excellent result for Verstappen with the Red Bull Honda who took a very important podium finish (the first for the Japanese since its return to F1). The Dutchman set a rhythm, especially in the final part that Ferrari found hard to match. A round of applause also for Kvyat who celebrated his return to the world championship with tenth place in front of Gasly’s Red Bull and to Kimi Raikonnen with an excellent eighth place with Alfa Romeo Racing. Antonio Giovinazzi paid the price for an imperfect qualifying when he missed the cut for Q3, as well as a less than excellent race strategy by the team. With a parity of tyres however his rhythm was not far from that of Kimi.

We now anxiously wait for the Bahrain Grand Prix (March 31st)

Gian Carlo Minardi