F1 | AZERBAIGIAN GP, GIAN CARLO MINARDI “WATCH OUT FOR MAX”
From Monza to Baku, passing through Imola where we celebrated the 9th edition of the Historic Minardi Day with a new crowd record, – more than 20,000 – and more than 700 historic cars at the Imola Circuit. For this reason, I would like to thank all the collectors who took part by taking extraordinary cars onto the track and the paddock, together with the enthusiasts and fans who, with their warmth, made this weekend memorable.
In particular, I was extremely pleased to see the involvement of the younger generations: once again many young people, both Italians and foreigners, explored the pits and admired cars that wrote the history of Motorsport. The Acque Minerali and Tosa grandstands were also full, further enhancing the atmosphere. It was a record-breaking edition even on the social media: in the last month we generated a total of almost 2 million views between Instagram and Facebook.
Now, however, we fly to Azerbaijan, to a circuit that is decidedly different from Monza: the 6,003m of Baku wind through the old part of the city and the more modern parts. The two main straights: the one after turn 2 and pit straight, along the lakefront, which measures 2,2km – twice the length of Monza’s 1,100m – preceded by a section with bends to be taken at full throttle, which allows them to reach very high speeds. The highest speed registered by FIA remains the one set by Valtteri Bottas who reached 388km/hr. in 2016 with the Williams,
For the fourth time, Pirelli takes the softest compound available, the C6, alongside C5 and C4(hard), with the aim of livening up the race. Although the safety car never entered the track in the last round, it remains a variable, especially in the “Castle” section.
The teams must find the right compromise between the fast low-downforce part, and the driven part. Given what we saw in Monza, Verstappen could make the difference once again, even if McLaren is still the car to beat. Keep an eye on Mercedes: with the temperatures not expected to be very high, around 24-25°, the W16 could find itself in excellent conditions to “breathe” better thanks to the cooler air.
A Good GP to everyone.
Gian Carlo Minardi
