F1 | DUTCH GP, GIAN CARLO MINARDI “PUSHING FOR TWO PIT STOPS! MCLAREN FAVOURITE BUT KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER”
As we await the 9th edition of the Historic Minardi Day scheduled to take place on 13 and 14 September at Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit, we look ahead at the fifteenth round of the Formula 1 World Championship which will be held in Holland, at the Zandvoort Circuit, home of world champion Verstappen.
There are several factors that could make this Grand Prix interesting, starting with Pirelli’s choice to bring softer compounds than 12 months ago, aiming at C2, C3 and C4. The impression is that everything is being done to push the teams towards two pit stops, as demonstrated by FIA’s decision to increase the speed limit in pit lane to 80km/hour (compared to the previous 60 km/hour). I find this last choice quite questionable.
As far as the weather is concerned, temperatures are not expected to be particularly high, ranging between 15° and 19°C, with the chance of intermittent rain and rather strong winds over the weekend. It is needless to say that McLaren will be the car to beat but with all these unknown factors it is hard to make predictions.
The battle in the second half of the ladder is always interesting, with four teams very close together. This is very exciting for a fan like me.
In recent days the anticipation of the GP has been heightened by Cadillac’s press release that announced Bottas and Perez as its official drivers. Since this is a new reality, I would have expected a more forward-looking choice, perhaps with a young driver paired with an expert one.
There have also been rumours about the future of Colapinto. The young man must be left to work in peace, and I hope that these weeks off have helped him to regain his composure and to put the mistakes he made during the first part of the season behind him, the last one during a test. Let us not forget that Alpine also has several internal problems to resolve since it is currently the team at the bottom of the table.
Gian Carlo Minardi
