F1 | ITALIAN GP THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “VERSTAPPEN WAS STUNNING. WELL DONE MCLAREN FOR THE SPORTSMANSHIP. NOW EVERYONE AT THE HISTORIC MINARDI DAY”
A fantastic weekend just finished at Monza on both the technical and sporting points of view with the new record set in qualifying by Max Verstappen, which he then converted into a stunning win with a lead of almost 20” over the two McLaren drivers, It will be interesting to see whether this trend, dictated by Laurent Mekies, will continue throughout the rest of the season.
It was a sensational weekend also on the side of the participation of the public with Monza, breaking all the attendance records, which demonstrated how much passion there is in Italy for Motorsport, with a spectacular invasion of the track.
Going back to the Grand Prix, I was left positively impressed with the sportiness, calmness and organization by McLaren when they asked Piastri, the current leader of the world championship, to give back to Norris the position he had lost due to a mistake by the team during the pit stop (a problem with the front left). Without wasting time, Oscar immediately let his teammate pass, who thanked him the gesture. I do not know how many other teams, and drivers, would have done the same thing. Amongst other things, McLaren wanted to give a strong message by setting the fastest lap of the race in the penultimate lap.
On the other hand, I did not like Toto Wolff’s comments after the race when he declared he was not satisfied with fifth and ninth places by Russell and Antonelli, highlighting that only one driver did well today, Max Verstappen. Such comments are not good for a team that is already experiencing a few problems. A TP should protect his team. I was surprised by the penalty for Antonelli which came on the last lap when the fact happened on the 46th lap.
Fourth place overall for Ferrari that tried everything to exceed its potential by focussing on a low down-force setup. However, this result represents the maximum achievable with this car.
It was an excellent result for Albon, seventh with Williams, and then for Bortoleto just behind him with Sauber. Albon was able to overturn a qualifying session that ended only with fourteenth place, by fighting for the top positions by setting some very interesting times.
We await eight interesting rounds. In two weeks, at Baku, McLaren could confirm tits championship title. While the internal battle between its two drivers remains open. While we wait for the Azerbaijan GP, I look forwards to seeing many of you at Imola for the 9th edition of the Historic Minardi Day, where I expect to find the same enthusiasm experienced over the last few days at Monza. It would be a nice gesture towards all the collectors who, with great dedication and passion, often working in the evenings to prepare their cars to come to have fun on the track and to entertain the fans. I am looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14.
Gian Carlo Minardi
