F1 | GP CANADA, GIAN CARLO MINARDI “WE ARE COMING FROM AN EXCITING WEEK”

We are coming from an exciting week with Ferrari’s win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 499P setting pole position, fastest lap and, of course, the win with the #51 interrupting Toyota’s domination of the last five years and taking its wins in the category to nine.

In a little more than a year Antonio Colletta and all his staff and the AF Racing Team have given life to a winning project, managing to hit back at a superpower after an absence of 50 years. We hope that this enthusiasm can also reach all the F1 team, so as to find once more that planning and peace of mind to try and get back on top.

The F1 world championship is the land of Red Bull, and it comes as favourite even in Canada, on a semi-street circuit characterized by long straights, braking and acceleration. The asphalt, with little grip, usually improves with the more laps covered. The weather forecasts however predict rain for Friday and Saturday. Precisely on the tyre front, Pirelli will bring the softest compounds with C3, C4 and C5. Presumably the C5s will be used only in qualifying.

Unlike most tracks, in Montreal only about18” are lost in the pitstops and this too will influence the choice of strategies.

We have reached a third of the world championship and the teams are trying to do their best to limit the gap from the uncatchable Red Bull. It will certainly be interesting to follow qualifying which, up till now, has given us stronger emotions, thanks to the good competitiveness of all the cars enclosed within a limited gap. At least in a fast lap. The scenario then changes in the race. Right now, we have Mercedes that is growing, having taken second place at the expense of Aston Martin (currently third) ahead of Ferrari and Alpine.

Gian Carlo Minardi