Japanese GP- Preview

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After the two last race events, which took place at the two most modern circuits in the F.1 calendar (Singapore and Korea), F.1 is now ready to move to the Suzuka historical circuit. The Japanese track was a place where memorable challenges between Senna and Prost took place in the past and it also played a substantial role in many world titles assignments.

Suzuka is an “old style” track; it is characterized by fast and slow sectors and there are many rooms to overtake. Every mistake is dearly paid and the escape hatches are not as large as in any other modern track. It’s a tough track for drivers and cars, so something surprising can be expected.

The Japanese week end is a special one, as all experts will stay at the “Suzuka” Hotel, which is very close to the circuit. Drivers get on track together with fans, who are numerous and very expert. This week end Alonso, Hamilton and Raikkonen will be ready to fight for the front places behind Vettel. The constructors Championship is characterized by uncertainty, as Ferrari has one-point-advantage over Mercedes and they both fight for the second place, and Sauber and Toro Rosso are both seventh. Lotus’ fourth place and Mercedes’ fifth place are almost definite. So, the Enstone-based squad can probably stop developing its cars and make use of the current resources in the 2014 season. The situation is different for Sauber and Toro Rosso. A one-point-gap means to finish seventh or eighth, which, in terms of financial income, means a several-million-gap.

My memories at Suzuka are linked to deception; two or three times we were about to get a good result, which vanished just a few steps before the chequeredflag. .

I remember with pleasure a press conference (1990) during a party held by Pioneer (which was one of our sponsors during the Japanese GP). On that occasion the company announced it would have been a Minardi Team’s sponsor even in the following season. Unfortunately we didn’t close that agreement.

Anyway, in 1992, we scored a very important point thanks to Fittipaldi’s 6th place. At that time we were racing with the M192 which was powered by the Lamborghini engine. A funny episode is linked to the Japanese GP. McLaren was in trouble with the engine supply, so Lamborghini started a new engine development with a view to the 1993 racing season. Our engine took advantage of that development, too. Christian’s sixth place was rewarded.

Japan reminds me of nice memories. When I was there I used to spend pleasant days in Tokyo with my friend Tadashi Sasaki. I also spent my days in the search for sponsors. At that time Japan represented an “Eldorado” for what concerning sponsorship.

Davide Rigon scored a win and finished third at Monza

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Davide Rigon confirmed to be in a very good shape by taking a Super GT class win in the first race of the International GT Open Championship’s seventh event, which took place at Monza circuit last week end.  The Italian driver also finished third in the Sunday’s race.

The talented Davide Rigon was at the wheel of the Villorba Corse’s Ferrari 458 GT2 and shared the driving with Andrea Montermini. Thanks to a perfect synchrony with the Sassuolo-born driver, Davide contributed to Andrea’s overall win one race in advance.

After Montermini qualified second in Q1, Davide Rigon took control of the car for the second round and he nearly got the pole. At the end of the qualifying session, he didn’t manage to get the pole only for six thousands of a second. In race-1 Montermini set the pace and pitted before leaving the control of the 458 to Rigon.  After paying a 45’ handicap, Davide jumped up from the 13th to the 5th place overall, giving the team the class win and setting the fastest laptime.

After qualifying second in Q2 and a great recovery in race-1, Davide took part in the GT Open’s last but one event. The race started with the safety-car under the rain, but, despite that, the Italian Champion soon got in the lead of the race, finishing his stint at the first place, before giving the car’s control to his teammate. After paying a 45’ penalty, the former F.1 driver finished 12th overall (3rd in the Super GTT class).

“I want to congratulate Andrea and the team on their fabulous win. I’m very happy I contributed to get that excellent result”, said Davide Rigon “It’s always exciting to win in Monza, even if we didn’t manage to get the overall win because of that 45 sec handicap in both races. We kept a good pace throughout the week end and, despite all the dangers due to a slippery track, we were able not to make any mistake. I still don’t know if I’ll go to Barcelona for the final round.”

First overall win for Bhai Tech, who becomes the Championship's leader

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Mission accomplished for Bhai Tech Racing. On the Monza track, where the seventh and last but one International GT Open Championship’s event took place last week end, the Italian team reached the goal it reserved before. In fact, the team’s four drivers Giorgio Pantano, Rafael Suzuki, Van Der Drift and Luiz Razia took revenge of the Spa-Francorchamps’s grim racing week end by becoming the Championship’s leaders again.

The Mestrino-based team, which is managed by the engineer Mr. Roberto Costa, sealed its first win overall, thanks to Pantano/Suzuki’s win in race-1, ahead of their teammates Razia/Van Der Drift. After scoring a win in the GTS class at the Nurburgring and Silverstone, the Bhai Tech Advanced Vehicle Science Centre’s racing team scored another win on the domestic track, bringing the number of wins to four in the year of the debut in the International Championship.

Despite the track’s layout and the weather conditions were not so much compatible with the two McLarens MP4-12C’s technical features, the Bhai Tech’s four drivers fought to recover several positions, driving brightly and avoiding all dangers caused by wet soil.

During the Saturday afternoon’s race Giorgio Pantano, after taking an excellent start from the second row, soon managed to take the lead, giving way to a more performing Ferrari GTS and to the Esta Motorsport’s Ferrari 458 GT3 only when he had to pit. After a perfect pit-stop, Suzuki took control of the car and soon jumped up to the top of the standing. Van Der Drift’s recovery was fabulous, too. The New Zealander driver got the top 5 before passing the baton to Luiz Razia who finished first. The Italian team got the two most important steps of the podium at Monza.

Race-2 was run under the rain, which caused problems for the English car, so, 24 hours after driving a successful race, the car #65 finished seventh in the overall standing. A tyre’s puncture forced Luiz Razia to withdraw. The Brazilian driver started from the second row and set the second best chrono in the GTS class “It was an exciting week end. Our goal in Monza was to score as many points as possible to take the lead of the standing again and so it was. All guys were fabulous, both the drivers and the mechanics made perfect pit-stops. They scored the first win in the overall standing”, said the technical director Mr. Costa, “Unfortunately rain caused some problems for us. We’re working to improve our performances on wet soil. Our strategy was perfect and we developed our entire program. Unfortunately a tyre’s puncture caused by a collision, forced Razia to withdraw and stop the car on the Lesmo corner.  I’d like to compliment the Monza circuit’s commissioners as they proved to be the best once again, unlike it happened at Spa”, commented Roberto Costa, “the strategy chosen for Rafael and Giorgio was a good one and it allowed us to recover several positions even in race-2. Rafael was very good at avoiding problems caused by heavy rain and Giorgio, once tyres were brought to temperature, brought the recovery to completion by finishing seventh. We don’t have anything to complain about. We leave Monza as GTS standing’s leaders. We also took the first and seventh place in the drivers’ standing. We’ll play everything at Barcelona.”

Let’s listen to the four drivers’ statements: ““In Saturday race, we achieved the first goal of the week end, which was scoring as many points as possible. It was an important race for the championship, we had a very good pace and we were able to open a good gap. It was also a special victory because it is the home race for us”, said Rafael Suzuki, “It was a tough day because of the rain that started exactly at the time of the race. Our car doesn’t have the best performance in these conditions, and we had to pay an extra handicap of 15 seconds in the pit stop, it was harder to get in the points. But we go to the final round in Barcelona depending only of our efforts, and we will work hard to achieve our goal.” His teammate Giorgio Pantano has the same opinion: “It’s exciting to win at Monza, everything was perfect. We regained the standing’s top position which we share with Bontempelli, this was our main goal. Unfortunately we know our limits on wet soil, but we’re already focused on the Barcelona race for the final challenge. We’ll test the car’s last upgrades during the collective test session to take place before the racing week end”, ends Giorgio.

“In race – 1 Chris took a good start and the pit stop was also very important for this result. We count a bit on luck because others had problems, but it was good to complete a well done job and be on the podium at Monza is always special”, said Luiz Razia, “Unfortunately we had to abandon the race because of a flat tire. It was a shame, because I believe that even having to pay extra 10 seconds in the pits, we could have scored points, but let’s think forward, because we still have two races”, said Van Der Drift and Razia.

 

Bhai Tech Racing to Monza to take revenge

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The International GT Open Championship’s final stage is getting closer and closer. The Championship’s seventh and penultimate round will take place this week end on the long straights of the very fast and legendary Monza track.  Bhai Tech Racing’s mission at Monza will be to try to take revenge.

After the Spa-Francorchamps difficult racing week end, the Italian staff, directed by the engineer Roberto Costa, won the first challenge by completing the rebuild of the car which was damaged in Belgium and worked hard on the two McLaren MP4-12’s development. In preparation for the next round, the Veneto-based team moved to Adria and Monza with its driver Rafael Suzuki, for a two-day-shakedown-session on the car #66: “It was an intense and useful two-day-shakedown-session, as we carried out several checks on Van Der Drift and Razia’s car. Now we’re ready for the Monza week end”, says the technical director Costa.

Bhai Tech and his four drivers Giorgio Pantano, Rafael Suzuki, Van Der Drift and Luiz Razia are all ready to regain the ground they lost in Belgium. The Belgian race didn’t display the Italian team’s real merit, so the squad is now ready to fight to regain the standing’s peak in the GTS class “Because of some unlucky coincidences we didn’t manage to drive a successful race at Spa, but we want to be protagonists in the Championship again. We worked hard at the driving simulator in the past weeks. Weather will play a key role as rain is expected on Saturday, so it won’t be an ideal situation for us.”

The layout of the Lombardy-based track represents a further challenge for the Bhai Tech Advanced Vehicle Science Centre’s racing team “Unlike the naturally aspirated engine, the turbo engine usually has some troubles in the chicane, so we will probably have some problems after the first chicane and the Roggia, however I’m sure that our drivers will be able to overcome this problem. Next race will be hard-fought and we’ll try to do our best to get as many points as possible.”

It was on the Italian track that Bhai Tech’s driver Van Der Drift took his first pole in the Italian GT Championship “The two Championships are very different from each other, especially for what concerning tyres, but it will be a good starting point”, ends Roberto Costa.

The Monza week end will start on Friday with two 60’ free practice sessions in preparation for the two qualifying sessions to set the starting grid order of the two races. Race-1 will start on Saturday at 04.15 p.m. (70 min.) and the final race will take place on Sunday at 12.15 p.

GP of South Korea- Preview

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Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull sealed two wins out of the three editions of the F.1 GP, which have been played out at the Corean circuit of Yeongam until now. His Ferrari’s rival Fernando Alonso had the honor of taking a win in the 2010 first Korean GP.

All the potential deployed by the German driver and his team until now, could make us think that the World Championship’s final result is already written, even because the team and the driver’s advantage over rivals is remarkable, so only unconceivable events can turn the situation around. Despite that and the fact that the 2014 season will be a very demanding one for what concerning engine, aerodynamics and tyre degradation, Ferrari, Mercedes, Lotus, McLaren and Force India won’t raise the white flag, since the constructors’ championship is still open and we have Maranello fighting against Brackley for the second place and McLaren fighting against Force India for the fourth place.

The Korean GP will be a very important race and it will be tactically very different in comparison with the past season, as the Pirelli will bring Supersoft and Medium tyres, instead of Supersoft and Soft tyres like it happened last year. As far as the weather is concerned, the Korean GP will be characterized by hot weather and, perhaps, sudden storms. Despite the fact Korea will continue to be one of the 2014 F.1 Championship’s venues, the Asian track’s future is not so bright and there could be some troubles in the future. With regards to next season, the FIA World Council made official the 2014 F.1 calendar, which consists of 22 GP. It will be a very demanding season not only for drivers but also for the team’s staff who will have just a little time to recharge his batteries. I hope small teams will have enough resources to meet next year’s challenge and I also hope that they’ll be good at managing those resources.

Talking about the 2014 F.1 season, it seems that Ruben Barrichello will make his return to F.1 alongside Sauber team, along with Sirotkin. Rubens is a very experienced driver for sure, but, to be honest, I think it will be difficult for him to become a f.1 driver again, even if, considering the importance of Brazil for the international market and for the audience, the golden-green flag will continue to light up the F.1 Championship. I will look favorably Felipe Massa’s presence in the F.1 Championship, since the Brazilian is a very experienced racer. I will also look favorably the fact that a new driver such as Felix Da Costa will join the circus. The young driver is probably expected to replace Ricciardo in Toro Rosso. Felix Da Costa’s arrival would represent continuity to the Red Bull young drivers program. But it is still too early, everything can happen.

Gian Carlo Minardi answers

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Last week end I carefully followed all the comments posted by many Formula 1 fans on the net.

I would like to thank all the people who expressed their affection and confidence and give my regards to all those people who criticized me.

I just want to point out that my intention was not to blame anyone  and I don’t want to make any dissection of events to anyone’s favor. I am and forever will be  a passionate sportsman.

It’s with this spirit that I simply expressed my impressions and I still think that Newey has a “surprise” inside his “hat”. This doesn’t mean that the aforementioned surprise is something irregular, on the contrary, my reference to a “rabbit” inside a “hat” is to stress the possibility that something “magic” ,not to say brilliant,  is hidden inside the hat itself.

This is the point. As a person who is passionate about motorsport, I would like to discover what can make a performance so special: we’re talking about a 2.5 sec. advantage per lap.

That’s all!

Regards to all racing enthusiasts!

Face to face with Davide Rigon: "At Monza to race in the GT Open Championship alongside the Villorba Corse Team"

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After the unlucky race at the Nurburgring, which was the Blancpain Endurance Series’ last event, Davide Rigon’s season is almost coming to an end. Together with his demanding work on the Ferrari Simulator and his engagement in the Endurance Championship at the wheel of the Kessel Team’s Ferrari 458 GT3, the Minardi Management’s driver made his debut in the WEC World Championship and in the international GT Open Championship at the wheel of the Ferrari 458 GT2. He finished second at Interlagos and scored a double win at Spa-Francorchamps. “It was an end to the Championship to be forgotten about. Because of some accidents, penalties and mistakes we didn’t manage to score a win which could have been within our reach. Once again our pace was good, but it was not enough unfortunately. I want to praise all the team on a job well done. All the guys did a great job on the car, they did miracles!”

After scoring a win in the Championship’s opening race at Monza and contesting the Championship’s final race as leaders, we all know how your season ended. What do you think about the racing season?

It was a positive season as we delivered good performances as drivers. Along with Daniel and Ramos, we were among the fastest on track, but luck was not at our side. At the 24H of Spa we had to withdraw just 1 hour before the end of the race. It was a crucial abandon.

An intense season is coming to an end. Besides your engagement with Ferrari as a test driver and your participation in the Blancpain Endurance Championship, you made also your debut in the WEC and in the GT Open.

It’s always exciting to put oneself to the test in different challenges and live new experiences. I made my debut in the WEC World Championship and in the GT Open and I got excellent results in both challenges. I hope to have further chances to draw attention on myself in similar challenges.

 

What are the differences between the Ferrari 458 GT3 and the Ferrari 458 GT2?

The Ferrari 458 GT3’s competition level is very high; the 458 GT2 is very close to a formula car. It’s a very reactive car, aerodynamics plays a very important role with regards to that and the car doesn’t have any ABS system. I like that car very much.

Will you get back on track before the season ends?

I’ll take part in the GT Open Championship’s last event at Monza behind the wheel of the Villorba Corse team’s Ferrari 458 GT3, along Montermini. It’s a pleasure for me to have the chance to continue to race alongside the Raimondo Amadio’s team and have Andrea as my teammate. We got excellent results at Spa-Francorchamps. Two Italian drivers will race at Monza behind the wheel of the Ferrari GT2. It’ll be fabulous. Both Andrea and the team are fighting for the title, so we have an important goal to reach. Let’s meet in Monza on October 5th.

 
 
 

Singapore, What’s inside Newey and Vettel’s magic hat?

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Waiting for the Korean GP, the F.1 Championship’s 14th event to take place at the beginning of October, I would like to bring back all the wonderful memories linked to my experience at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and make some remarks about the Singapore GP, which I’d like to share with you and try to find some answers.

I will start by saying that I was enthralled by the Singapore background. It was a brand new experience, which was completely different from any other experience I was used to live (the circuit opens only in the afternoon and closes at late night). I had the chance to monitor all drivers’ on-track deeds from a suite located at the end of the pit’s straight (which leads to the first chicane). The monitor I used to watch the race displayed also all drivers’ laptimes.

Since I left Singapore, I’ve been keeping in my mind the 2.5 sec advantage of Vettel over his teammate Webber and the other drivers.

INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT: By this statement It’s not my intention to devalue Sebastian Vettel, who always manages his Red Bull the best way and I don’t want even to jab at anyone, I just want to tell what I personally saw and heard during that three-day-event.

According to my experience, I think that a 2.5 sec advantage each lap is really too much. It’s like a three-generation- development gap, it’s a huge gap. Furthermore, the time gap between Vettel and Grosjean in FP3 and the Red Bull’s driver and Rosberg in qualifying was only few tenths. The German driver could have played cat and mouse on Saturday, anyway, something is still not clear for me.

DOUBT 1: from my suite, I chose some mainstays as a reference point in order to monitor and compare the drivers’ way of driving. My mainstays were the kerbstones located on the corner which leads to Republic Boulevard. Their function is to avoid passing on the kerb. I was impressed by Vettel’s neat way of driving on that stretch of the track. He was able to drive all that stretch without making any corrections, unlike all his rivals (also his teammate). His laptime was also remarkable in T3, which is the track’s sector with the highest concentration of corners.

 

DOUBT 2: on the same stretch,  Sebastian was able to speed up 50 m before any other driver, Webber included. Whilst all the other drivers speeded up on the same stretch, Vettel was able to speed up before them. The thing that surprised me the most was the RB1 engine’s output sound. Besides speeding up 50 m before any other driver, the Renault engine of the German’s car grinded like no other French engines on track, neither like Mark’s. That sound was similar to the sound made by the engine when the traction control system got into action in the past seasons.

Furthermore, that sound was only heard when Vettel chalked up his excellent performances. For example, after the safety car went off, he took a great re-start and chalked up many excellent laps, gaining a 32 sec. gap over Alonso, then he leveled off, taking precautions in the case he would have had to pit one more time. In those moments the Renault engine was more powerful than any other engines (Renault and other brands).

There are some aspects (1- Vettel’s very neat way of driving; 2-Vettel’s speedup 50 m before the other drivers; 3- the abnormal sound of the RB1’s Renault engine; 4- Vetter’s more than 2 sec. advantage over the rivals ) that make me think and I would like to have some answers. All those doubts are even more serious if we consider that Webber wasn’t able to do that, since he’s a common human being….I don’t want to blame anyone , I just would like to get into the deep of the matter.

Singapore GP – UP & DOWN

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Sebastian Vettel 10 – There’s nothing more to say. Besides his technical predominance, the German driver manages his car the best way, unlike his teammate who is a fast driver in my opinion. His way of driving gave the impression he still had a margin to improve. Red Bull deserves a 10, too.

Fernando Alonso 10 – He took an excellent start. Started 7th, he jumped up to 3rd and he was determined until the end. Despite Red Bull’s technical predominance he didn’t give up and drove the whole race with strong determination. Ferrari’s strategy was flawless; anyway the Italian team doesn’t deserve more than a 7.

Kimi Raikkonen 9.5 – Despite some physical problems (backache), he made a great recovery and managed to finish 3rd.

Nico Rosberg 8 – He drove an excellent free practice session and an excellent race. He started from the dirty side of the track and he was ahead of his teammate throughout the week end. I liked his way of racing very much.

Felipe Massa 7+ – It was his first race after the official departure from the Maranello-based team. The Brazilian’s future is uncertain. His strategy was different if compared to Alonso’s, but he was able to recover several positions and finished 6th. He was ahead of his teammate in qualifying.

Jenson Button, Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, Adrian Sutil 7 – They didn’t make any mistakes and finished in the zone points even if their cars were not so performing. All the other drivers get an unsatisfactory grade, especially Mark Webber who got up to all sorts of things, hitch-hiking included.

Singapore GP – THE POINT

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Sorry for the delay but, despite a comfortable and quick journey back to Italy, I landed yesterday in the morning, so I didn’t have time to talk about the GP immediately after the race. Before analyzing the Singapore GP, I’d like to talk about my experience in Singapore. It’s been fabulous to live a one-of-a-kind experience, which is completely different from any other F.1 racing week ends both for the night background and for the Paddock opening hours. The circuit opens at 3pm and closes at late night, so race enthusiasts have the time to visit the city, which is full of modern buildings. Me too, I had the chance to live that city as a tourist. What is more, it’s an honor for Italian people to see an Italian company (DZ Engineering) taking over the management of the whole track lighting system, all the audiovisual and safety control equipment. It’s a huge circuit, even bigger than the Montecarlo’s.

As far as the race is concerned, I had the chance to see cars and drivers in action from two different perspectives.  In particular, I had the chance to appreciate all drivers in action on the first hairpin after the finish line, especially Alonso’s amazing start. It was a breathtaking manoeuvre. He analyzed the video of the past season and arbitrarily planned to do that manoeuvre. He managed to do that the best way. We don’t have to forget that he Spaniard was able to do that with a 180 kg- gas- load on board…..It was also very impressive to see how easily Sebastian Vettel tackled that stretch of the track; it was like he still had room for improvement. Unless something unordinary happens (which is unlikely), the situation won’t easily change. Beyond his predominance from the technical point of view, I would like to applaud Vettel also because he is always able to handle his Red Bull the best way, unlike Webber (even if I think he’s a fast driver).

Despite an unlucky Saturday for Ferrari, Alonso and Massa scored some points which placed the Italian team ahead of Mercedes. Once again the Spaniard didn’t resign himself to the Red Bull’s predominance, displaying all his determination until the end. Felipe delivered a good performance; the Brazilian scored important points for the team. It was his first race after his official departure from the Italian team. Despite the strategy he carried out was different, he managed to recover. It’s a great result…Kimi Raikkonen drove an excellent race; despite he had a backache, he was author of a great recovery, confirming Ferrari’s excellent choice.

Once again Nico Rosberg gave troubles to his teammate. I liked his way of driving very much and his performance level was higher than Hamilton’s throughout the week end. Mercedes goes on delivering good performances in qualifying; for what concerning the race, the fact the team has two drivers of the same level, is an added value in terms of points. That should make us think about Ferrari’s choice, even because Mercedes will be a very competitive rival next year.

McLaren improved its performance level a little bit, but this is an unlucky season for the English team. The two drivers’ confirmation for the next season is a symptom of continuity, the project will gain substance starting from 2015, which is the year Honda will become the official engine supplier.

Hulkenberg and Sutil close the top 10. Despite Sauber’s encouraging results over the last races, I don’t think the Austrian team will bother the Toro Rosso’s seventh place as, except for some unordinary event to happen, the two teams’ gap is 12 points and each GP only one or two points are made available (9th and 10th place). What is more, the Faenza-based team proved to be very competitive in qualifying, even if a mistake made by Ricciardo during the race frustrated all the work done until that moment.

Davide Rigon ready to compete in the 1000km of Nurburgring

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Here we are. The wait is over. This week end the Blancpain Endurance Championship’s last event will light up the Nurburgring circuit. It’s a 60-hour-race and drivers will cover 1000 km.

Davide Rigon, along with his team mates Zampieri and Ramos will be in the hunt for the title behind the wheel of the Ferrari 458 GT3. They’ve been the Championship leaders since the first race at Monza, where the race car #44 made in Maranello was the first to cross the line. Forgotten the grim 24H of Spa, the talented driver is ready to get on track again, after finishing second in his WEC World Championship’s debut race and scoring an exciting win at Spa-Francorchamps in the GT Open Championship, behind the wheel of the Ferrari 458 GT2.

“We’ve identified the problem which stopped us at the 24H of Spa and we’ve managed to solve it, so this is the most important thing. The Nurburgring race will be the decisive one. It’s like the Championship starts and ends at the Nurburgring. It’s an historical and narrow track. It will be so important not to make any mistakes”, says Davide Rigon “We’ve given evidence of our potential since the opening race at Monza, but unfortunately some unlucky events have slowed us down, just like at Spa, where if we hadn’t had that issue, we would have almost won the Championship.”

The German week end will start on Saturday with a 90’-free-practice-session in preparation for pre-qualifying (12.50pm-02.20pm) and qualifying (04.50pm-05.50pm) to set the starting grid order of the 6H scheduled for Sunday at 11.45 am, “The free practice session will give evidence of our potential. We’re ready for the final challenge.”

“We’re running the final race of one of the most important Championships of the GT series and we’re competing as leaders at the Nurburgring, anyway, we regret getting that bad result at Spa. If we had driven a successful race at Spa, we would have been more relaxed in competing in this event”, says the manager Giovanni Minardi “Unlike the other drivers Davide has had a busy month, as he competed in the WEC Championship and in the GT Open for the very first time, finishing second in the former and sealing a win in the latter. I think he’s in a very good shape and he’s ready to bring home the title. They will push hard until the end.”

Singapore GP – Preview

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With the Monza GP, the F.1 Championship has left Europe, seven more races outside the ancient continent are scheduled for the next months. The first one is the Singapore GP to take place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit this week end.  It’s a street circuit and it’s not an ordinary one for F.1 both because the GP is raced at night and because safety car is traditionally deployed during Sunday race. That is due to the circuit’s features: walls and very few escape hatches. Some drivers’ supremacy could be void. So, good fortune will play a key role, especially if tyre shift will be done in the right moment in the case the safety car will be deployed. What is more, due to weather condition and the high temperatures of the asphalt, Pirelli tyres will play a key role again, as they will be probably subject to sudden degradation.

Many aspects can affect the final result, so they have to be kept under control. The Singapore GP represents for Ferrari the last chance to keep on playing the role of a 2013 title contender, before giving itself up to the 2014 season. We’ve seen how competitive Red Bull is in any situation, so, despite many upgrades will be made, it won’t be easy for other teams to stop its supremacy without an external “support”. Mercedes can bother Red Bull and Ferrari for what concerning the competition for the 2013 title, while Lotus is undergoing a financial crisis as proved by Kimi’s return to Ferrari and many technicians’ exit.

As far as the Championship’s outsiders are concerned, all eyes are on Toro Rosso and Sauber, which both delivered good performances at Monza in qualifying and during the race. The Faenza-based team will make further upgrades to try to get higher positions until the end of the season. The Italian team is also working on the new car. I’m glad to point out that in this venue, the “made in Italy” will not only be represented by the Maranello-based Scuderia, but also by a Forlì-based company who will be responsible for lighting up the Singapore’s night race, the DZ Engineering.

Leaving Europe, all teams will have to face a further snag, which is linked to next venues’ geographical position, which makes aerodynamic upgrades very difficult to be made, because of some logistic problems. The final part of the season will be so intense.

It will be my first time in Singapore. The Minardi Team has never had the opportunity to take part in the Singapore GP, so I will have a chance to experience the Singapore GP’s stunning atmosphere for the first time.

Bhai Tech Driving Simulator Challenge: the Day

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Unforgettable day at the Bhai Tech Advanced Vehicle Science Centre. The Mestrino-based technological centre opened its doors to 12 guys on Saturday. The 12 guys, coming from all over Italy, had in common the passion for car racing and for competing on the quick and long straights of the Monza circuit. In fact, they were “racer for one day” and challenged each other on the track where Vettel sealed a win only one week ago.

The guys put themselves to the test by driving the cutting edge full-motion 6-DOF driving simulator, which is situated in the Bhai Tech suite. They had a chance to experience all the difficulties professional drives usually have to face during a race week end.

Under the watchful eye of Gian Carlo Minardi, the Imola circuit’s director Pietro Benvenuto, Giorgio Pantano and Rafael Suzuki (Bhai Tech Racing’s official drivers), the day began with a training session in the gym. The Forlì-based Driver Program Center’s founder Stefano Elia and the physiotherapist José H. Poletti explained the guys the importance of physical and mental training through some physical tests and the use of e-health, which avail itself of a portable physical performance dial which allows trainers to make a real-time detection of the main body activities such as heartbeats, sweating, breathing. The Driver Program Center is equipped with that dial.

After the physical training session, the 12 guys challenged each other at the wheel of the “Bhai Tech driving simulator”, following the engineer and technical director Roberto Costa’s meticulous technical instructions. The technical director taught each guy how to handle a driving simulator from a technical point of view, before and during the simulation session, “It was a very interesting day. It was very interesting to see people who are not used to doing this kind of activity and being under such a physical and mental stress, challenging each other. They had the opportunity to test a real simulator for the first time, a simulator which is conceived for professional drivers. William Zerbini really deserved to win, as he was fast, steadfast and confident. He made a very interesting progression for what concerning lap timing. He also confirmed his skills during the wonderful race on the Singapore’s demanding track. He drove a very fast race, without making any mistakes.” The Monza challenge’s winner put himself to the test also on the Singapore’s demanding track, where the F.1 World Championship’s 13th GP will take place on September 21-22. After the Bhai Tech Racing’s official driver Rafael Suzuki, who competes in the International GT Open Championship at the wheel of the McLaren MP12-4C along with his team mates Pantano, Van Der Drift and Razia, drove some laps, William Zerbini took over the race and delivered good performances in the Singaporean night “Second place for Zerbinati, who amazed us. He was very cautious at the beginning, but, after working on telemetry, he made the grade”, said Roberto Costa at the end of the simulation day, “Corrado Ciriello delivered very good performances and drove a very fast race. He was very aggressive at the beginning, and then he became confident. He could have further improved and he took an interesting path. He’s the typical virtual driver who has never driven a car”, ends the Brazilian engineer, “Besides the lap times set by them, I was also pleased to see their progression lap after lap, as they were at their first experience and they didn’t have so much time at their disposal.”

Gian Carlo Minardi was one of the special observers: “It was a very positive day, spent with car racing enthusiasts, who proved to be very skilled in living car racing competition through cutting edge simulation facilities such as the Bhai Tech’s driving simulator. Besides lap times, it was interesting to see the guys’ driving behavior after the engineer’s technical instructions and their progression lap after lap. I want to pay everyone my compliments on their driving performances. We don’t have to forget that they drove a professional simulator, which is usually driven by professional teams and drivers. It was a challenge, but also a funny day”, says the manager from Faenza “We’re working on the possibility to establish a Championship, as it would be great that young drivers would enter the world of motorsport through virtual simulation. F.1 uses driving simulation to decrease costs, so it is right that also young drivers would have given a chance to put themselves in the test through this kind of technology.” The Bhai Tech day’s emotions can be re-experienced on RaiSport2, inside the “Numero 1” sport program presented by the journalist Franco Bortuzzo.