WDW ’98 and the Minardi-Ducati twinning event

/in /by

The 8th edition of the Ducati World Week, the Ducati community international meeting, has started today at the “Marco Simoncelli” World Circuit in Misano. In the past season, more than 65.000 enthusiasts celebrated the passion, faith and love for the Ducati and the famous “Rossa from Borgo Panigale”.

The WDW first edition was held in 1998 and, it was on that occasion that Ducati twinned with the F.1 Minardi Team “I still remember with joy the affection of the Ducati enthusiasts, who took a liking to our team. It was a wonderful and unique union between two constructors, whose headquarters were only 50 km far from each other”, remembers Minardi “The event attracted many enthusiasts even at that time. The event was rich in stunning performances.”

Alongside the Minardi official driver Esteban Tuero, there were also those bikers who achieved great success alongside Ducati: Paolo Casol (n.1), Carl Fogarty (n.2), Pierfrancesco Chili (m.7), and Troy Corser (n.11).

A detailed analysis of the F.1 World Champions

/in /by

The last few F.1 Championships were enlivened by different world champions. The current season is being enlivened by 5 champions, who are battling each other, trying to get the most of each race. With the exception of Rosberg, all the 2013 season wins were taken by these world champions. Vettel took 3 wins, Alonso 2 and Raikkonen 1. That shows how much competitive and hard-fought a F.1 season can be.

Four of the five champions are in the first four positions of the standing, with the three-time-champion Sebastian Vettel leading on 132 points, followed by the two-time-champion Fernando Alonso on 96 points ahead of Kimi Raikkonen on 88 and Lewis Hamilton on 77. Jenson Button takes the 10th position on 25 points.

In this moment, Sebastian Vettel is skilled enough to drive the best car of the Championship. He has always optimized all the points he scored. He did a great job since the beginning, when he became the official driver of a Red Bull which was undergoing a changing process, trying to get the most of the regulation changes. In this respect, it was not so good even for Fernando Alonso. After taking some wins alongside Renault, the Spaniard moved to the McLaren where he had to deal with a very performing Lewis Hamilton, before becoming a Ferrari driver when the Scuderia had already won everything and was about to close an era. Now, along with the team he’s working to start a new era, which is not easy at all, considering the world championship’s high level.  I think that Fernando is the best driver of the Championship, even though he has got less than he would have deserved, so far, because of some wrong choices and, more in general, some situations which were not managed in a right way. In this first part of the season he brought out the 110% of his potential. He was very able to recover from low positions, as it happened in Canada. Unfortunately the points zone missed in Malaysia and Bahrein will have an impact on his season.

Lewis Hamilton made a stunning debut into F.1. The Englishman was able to get the better of the world champion Alonso by delivering excellent performances. He won the title the following year, when he was McLaren’s main driver. The English driver has got less than he would have deserved, as well. He’s a very fast driver, even during qualifying sessions. He suffered the decline of his ex-team. His team mate Rosberg has been undervalued, but he has high speed and resolution as a part of his DNA. The German driver has paid his dues time after time. The Englishman has certainly the toughest team mate ever.

As far as Kimi Raikkonen is concerned, we can say that he’s a completely reborn driver. Now he is maybe more determined than he was in 2008, the year he won the world championship at the wheel of the Ferrari. It was so good for him to leave F.1 for 2 years, he’s also in a very good shape. His Lotus was designed in a very good way and he has been so skillful in finishing in the points almost always. He will certainly be the 2014 F.1 season’s market-man.

Finally, there’s Jenson Button. He was able to bring a sweeping change to his career by winning the title at the wheel of the Brawn GP. Victory gave him that self-confidence he lacked, but I think he’s the most vulnerable driver among the 5 world champions. If he wants to win, he has to get the most of some situations, like being performing in the wet, even if he has an excellent tyre management. He’s an honest worker and a very good professional driver, however, even if he has a competitive car, he has more difficulties than the other champions.

Rookie drivers are different from each other

/in /by

Alongside the already-known F.1 drivers, 5 new drivers entered the 2013 F.1 Championship. Their faces are not completely unknown to the world of motorsport, as they’ve previously drawn attention on themselves in the most important preparatory Championships.

Three of the five rookies run for the two so-called “Cinderella” teams, the Marussia and Caterham. The Frenchman Bianchi is getting the better of his team mate Chilton and the duo Pic/Van Der Garde. The 24-year-old rookie driver who is also a Ferrari Driver Academy member is proving to deserve his position as a F.1 driver, despite his car is not competitive at all.

Williams and Sauber, the two teams which are not as performing as expected, have put the Finnish GP3 racer Valtteri Bottas and the Mexican Esteban Gutierrez alongside the two official racers Pastor Maldonado and Nico Hulkenberg. These two rookies took a great start of the season, supported by a more performing car. It was just in the Canadian GP that the Finn managed to bring his Williams to the top positions of the standing, getting a second-row start. He also finished ahead of his team mate in many GP.

We’re only at the beginning of the season; the rookies will have to demonstrate to deserve to be F.1 drivers. Their teams will have to help them improving without putting them under pressure. Unfortunately, because of these silly regulations, young drivers don’t have enough experience at the wheel of a F.1 driver when they get into the top category. “A drivers has to run at least 5000 km before being evaluated” says Gian Carlo Minardi “I think that the Friday morning practice session is fundamental for a driver’s professional path, as through it he has not only the opportunity to become familiar with the tracks he has to run on, but also to gain experience alongside top drivers”, explains the manager from Faenza.   

F.1 mid- season: the stock of the situation by Gian Carlo Minardi

/in /by

With the Canadian GP F.1 has entered the second half of the season. Teams and drivers are getting closer and closer to the season’s turning point which traditionally marks a division between top teams and second-tier teams, which has not enough financial resources to carry out the car development work, having also to start to develop 2014 turbo engine project which will bring much (expensive) news into F.1.

The Championship ‘s progress is more or less the same as it was in 2012; Red Bull is the standing’s leader and the Ferrari is just behind it. The Italian team has some regrets; if Fernando hadn’t finished outside the points zone in Malaysia and hadn’t driven a not so brilliant race in Sakhir, he would have had more points at this point of the season. The F138 showed to be very performing in the long run, but it’s still not as performing as rivals in qualifying.

Mercedes has delivered fluctuating performances, so far. The German team after the Monaco GP showed to have partially solved tyre degradation issues which affected it during the past season. The three-star-squad can probably play gooseberry in the future. In the first part of the Championship Lotus was very performing and we saw Raikkonen driving aggressive races. The squad is third in the World Championship and fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, but I don’t know if they have enough financial resources to develop 2014 turbo engine project. Depending on the development of turbo engine, a tight cooperation between engine supplier and race car constructor will be needed.

Force India continues to deliver great performances. The Indian squad is fifth ahead of McLaren and confirms to be a valuable outsider and a fearsome opponent. On the opposite, the Woking-based squad took a quite bad start of the season. The English team is reorganizing its internal structure and is maybe thinking about 2015 racing season, when Honda will become its official engine supplier.

After the Australian GP and Bahrein, the Toro Rosso managed to always get points finish and is now 7th in the Championship. The Faenza-based squad’s driver Jean-Eric Vergne will probably move to Red Bull if Webber leaves the squad at the end of the season.

This year’s Championship is influenced by tyre management. The solution adopted by the Pirelli to make each GP more and more spectacular maybe won’t give benefits to the Italian tyre manufacturer who will necessarily have to take technical measures. What is perplexing me is the performance gap between drivers of the same team. At Silverstone teams will test new tyres whose lateral part has been modified. We’ll wait for tyre testing to be made, so we’ll see if teams will all agree with new technical amendments.

Interview with the manager Giovanni Minardi

/in /by

2003 – 2013. 10 is the number of the candles on the cake that Giovanni Minardi is going to put out this year. It’s been already 10 years since the Minardi Management was established. It’s a society which has brought several drivers and teams to success.

In your career you’ve worked with different racers who have all drawn attention on themselves in the Championships they’ve taken part  “I cannot complain about that. It’s in the Minardi DNA to work with young talents, with those racers who are a step ahead the others.” Giovanni has grown up living and breathing the world of motorsport. He began to learn the ropes in the Minardi Team when he was still a very young boy, then he cooperated with several different organizations before becoming a manager “I worked for my father’s team from 1996 to 2002. I started working as Minardi Test Team’s manager, and then in 1997 I became Minardi Racing Team’s manager. I took many roles to learn doing my job. I worked as a phone operator, tyre changer, mechanic, autobody mechanic,etc..That was a right way to experience every sectors of F.1, besides getting to know the team’s staff. After experiencing the world of F.1, I started cooperating with some teams acting in different Championships as a Sports Manager. I got many satisfactions taking that role. I won races and Championships such as F.3000, Superleague Formula and GT. It was after those experiences that I decided to establish a Management Society. The aim was to provide a complete Sport Management service.”

Throughout your career path you’ve worked and cooperated with many F.1 and preparatory formulas racers “I’ve talked about the Minardi DNA. I’ve lived beautiful moments. I remember when drivers such as Fernando Alonso started their career into F.1 thanks to the Minardi Team. I also saw Pastor Maldonado taking part to the Minardi tests at the end of the racing season. Thanks to those tests, which were dedicated to young drivers, he started taking up a career into F.1. The present is embodied by Davide Rigon. He’s a very talented driver, even though he lacks the financial support to compete in the F.1 Championship. If he had had enough financial resources, he would have been a F.1 driver since some years. Anyway Davide has won almost every Championship he has taken part in. Thanks to the success achieved he is now a member of the Ferrari, with which he has signed a contract as a professional driver and he’s taking an important role as a Ferrari F.1 tester and as a Ferrari 458 driver alongside the Kessel Team in the Blancpain Endurance Championship.”

What does being a Manager mean? “There’s not a unique receipt, you just have to put together all the pieces of a puzzle: 1) driver’s evaluation considering many aspects such as his racing background, his psycho-physical condition,etc.2) evaluate which Championship could be the most suitable for a driver. 3) It is very important to talk to the selected team in order to know its engineers and mechanics. 4) According to the budget available, it is important to suggest all the best technical and communication strategies to get the best sport and communication result.”

So a manager nowadays has to plan a driver’s career: “Motorsport has changed a lot over the last ten years, this is mostly due to the economic crisis the whole world is currently undergoing. Now more than ever it is necessary to make middle and long term investment plans to enable young drivers to become professional drivers and, why not, to get into F.1, which is the dream of all the people who enter the world of car racing. I think that having a manger it’s very important nowadays, because the world of motorsport is made up of several different National and International Championships, so a manager guides you choosing the right team, finding the best racing specialists to develop a driver’ skills and helps a driver to find the best solution in terms of physical and mental training. It’s getting more and more difficult to find financial resources, so it is very important to find a reliable guide who can support drivers to make the right moves in the best way. All that I said above, along with a long experience and a deep knowledge of motorsport mean being a manager.”

What are you lacking for? “I’m a Minardi, my family helped many drivers to take up a career into F.1. Many of them made the history of car racing, so I would like to bring a young driver into F.1, following him from karting to F.1. It will be a very difficult challenge, but it won’t be impossible. “

A POINTS FINISH FOR THE THIRD TIME FOR BHAI TECH

/in /by

Bhai Tech Racing got good results again. After scoring the first points at Portimao and getting a double win in the GTS class at Nurburgring, the Mestrino-based squad almost got a podium finish at Jerez, where the International GT Open’s fourth round took place last weekend. The Italian/Brazilian’ s duo Pantano and Suzuki took fourth in GTS (eighth overall), after setting the best time in the class (third overall) during the qualifying race with the racing crew #66 Van Der Drift/Razia.

In the Jerez hot weather, the weekend started in a good way for the squad directed by the engineer Mr. Costa. During  free practice ,the team put into practice all the hard work done in the test session; both duos kept a good pace throughout the weekend and led the two McLaren MP4 -12C  to the standing’s points zone. In the first round, the four drivers Pantano/Suzuki and Van Der Drift/Razia made a stunning recover. Started from the ninth row of the grid, the “Bhai Tech Boys” made several good passes and finished 8th and 9th. Excitement was ruined, as both cars got a 10-sec penalty due to non-compliance with some handicaps.

In the final round Giorgio Pantano and Rafael Suzuki made no mistakes and drove an intelligent race finishing in the top 10, scoring important points for the Championship. Unluckily the other duo saw his race been ruined, as Razia span into the gravel just two laps before the end “We kept a good race pace throughout the week end”, says Mr. Costa the engineer “We put into practice the work done during the test session, but we got less than we deserved to get. The turbo engine suffered Jerez hot weather and sea-level pressure. Furthermore, after Nurburgring double win, both duos got a 2-sec- handicap in both races. The car balance was very good and we continued to develop. In race-2 Giorgio drove an intelligent race; when there wasn’t traffic on track and he was setting very good lap times, we decided to extend his stint and postpone Rafael’s drive turn. The Brazilian driver took fourth in GTS. Unfortunately Razia’s mistake frustrated Van Der Drift’s recover. He wanted to move up the pass but it turned out badly”, says the technical director.

Both cars are on their way back to the Advanced Vehicle Science Centre “We’ll be back to work next Thursday to get ready for next round at Silverstone”, ends Costa.

Minardi at Vallelunga for the Formula ACI CSAI Abarth examination tests

/in /by

After taking part in the 56th edition of the Selva di Fasano Cup as a race opener at the wheel of a Ferrari, Gian Carlo Minardi headed to Vallelunga as ACI CSAI Federation School supervisor and Ferrari co-worker, to support young drivers. During the race at Selva di Fasano, which is valid for the Italian Mountain Speed Championship, the manager experienced the passion of Italian people for motorsport.

At the Campagnano-based circuit named after Piero Taruffi, the Formula Abarth examination test days programme has already started. The programme has been promulgated by the ACI CSAI Federation School in cooperation with the Ferrari Driver Academy. The event is related to the “Young Drivers Project” promoted by the ACI CSAI to the aim of launching new talents. The project confirms once again the hard work done by the Federation and the FDA to enhance the development of talented young drivers.

Four go-kart and Formula car racers, who have been selected after delivering good performances throughout their racing experience, will race at the Vallelunga Circuit, driving a Formula ACI-CSAI Abarth racing car. They are: Francesco Iacovacci, Alessio Piccini, Gabriele Volpato and Christopher Zani.

The training programme includes some driving simulator sessions, some psycho-aptitude tests, physical training and the customization of the car’s seat.

The second day, i.e. Friday June 14th the four drivers will get on track to take on-track-test sessions at the wheel of Formula Cars under the control of ACI CSAI Federation School trainers and the staff of the FDA.

Bhai Tech flies to Jerez to take part in GT Open mid-season race

/in /by

After dominating in GTS at the Nurburgring, where the team scored a double win, Bhai Tech Racing is ready to race again next weekend at the Spanish circuit of Jerez de la Frontera.

The Spanish track will host the fourth round (out of eight events) of International GT Open and the four drivers of the Advanced Vehicle Science Centre Giorgio Pantano, Rafael Suzuki, Chris Van Der Drift and Luiz Razia are all ready to get into their McLaren MP4 12C to defend the GTS class leadership which was achieved in Germany and continue to get good results.

Last Saturday the team’s staff, directed by the engineer Mr. Costa, tested the Andalusian track by taking part in a three-hour-test session “We’ve carried out a complete car development work, trying to get the most of the engine power. Unfortunately track temperatures weren’t as high as they are expected to be in the upcoming weekend.” Very high temperatures are expected for the racing weekend, which will mark the end of the first half of the season “The track of Jerez is very demanding both for drivers and tyres”, says the technical director Mr. Costa “Track temperature will rise to 50°C and this will contribute to increase tyre degradation. Drivers will have to maintain an even pace throughout the race and make a good use of tyres”, ends Costa.

The racing weekend will start on Friday with a one-hour-private test session which will be followed by two 60-min. free practice sessions. The two 15-min. qualifying sessions are scheduled for Saturday and will take place from 9 am to 11.50am. The two qualifying sessions will determine the starting grid of race 1 and 2. The 70-min. first race will start on Saturday afternoon at 4pm and the 50-min. second race will start on Sunday at noon.

Canadian GP – Up & Down

/in /by

After the Canadian GP has taken place at Montreal. Gian Carlo Minardi takes some votes on the drivers

Sebastian Vettel 9 – There is nothing more to say. If he hadn’t made those two little mistakes he would have deserved a 10.

Fernando Alonso 8.5 – He didn’t dishearten after driving a disappointing qualifying race. He drove an aggressive race, setting good lap times.

Lewis Hamilton 8 – He was very performing in qualifying and during the race. Despite he had some tyre issues; he was able to give Fernando a hard time before and after being overtaken by the Spaniard. Three world Champions got a podium finish. They fought against each other to entertain us.

Jean – Eric Vergne 8 – He was so good at leading his Toro Rosso to the Top 6, which I consider a very good position, since in the past it marked the zone points limit. He was very competitive both in qualifying and during the race on every kind of tyre.  He didn’t make any errors.

Paul Di Resta 7 – He deserves a good vote because he was determined. He has to share his success with his team which is 7th, ahead of McLaren.

Felipe Massa 7 – Despite he made a serious fail to be such an experienced driver, he drove an aggressive race, recovering several positions. After the terrible accidents occurred in Monte Carlo, we have to understand him. He scored important points.

Valtteri Bottas 7 – He drove an excellent qualifying race. He’s giving a non-performing Maldonado a hard time.

Nico Rosberg 6.5 – After a fabulous win in Monte Carlo, we were expected him to be more performing. He suffered Pirelli tyre degradation more than his team mate.

Webber, Maldonado and Raikkonen are unsatisfactory. The Finn gets excited when he drives a performing car but he’s non-performing when he has to face hard times.

Canadian GP – THE POINT

/in /by

As it has happened many times since the beginning of the season, last weekend was a double-faced weekend for Ferrari and a one-sided one for Red Bull. Once again the final result was influenced by weather and tyres.

It was a very difficult Saturday for Ferrari but excellent for Red Bull, especially for Vettel who achieved Sunday’s great success thanks to a very good qualifying session. He ran very fast since the beginning, taking a good advantage over rivals. They were so good at turning a difficult situation around to their benefit, but they were also so lucky, because, despite Sebastian brushed a wall and ran off the road on the first corner, he didn’t break his stride. The two driver errors are a clear symptom that even the German driver can make mistakes.

Fernando Alonso drove an excellent race; the Spaniard showed to be a crushing driver, as he ran an aggressive race. His second place tastes like a victory. There’s also a little bit of regret for losing time, being held up by Rosberg and Webber. Felipe Massa delivered a positive performance, as well. After an accident ruined his qualifying session, he was able to gain several positions and set excellent times, driving a very good race and scoring precious points.

Mercedes demonstrated to have solved tyre issues, finishing 3rd with Hamilton after a hard struggle against Alonso.  They can play the role of Championship’s arbiters. Among the four teams Lotus could be the less dangerous, as I’m not sure the team will have enough financial resources to carry out the car development programme until the end. I hope that Sunday’s performance doesn’t sound like an alarm bell for the team. I think that track’s low temperatures had a bad influence on their performance: 28°C is a too low temperature for them. Despite that, Kimi was able to finish in the zone points, unlike his teammate.

Congrats to Vergne and Toro Rosso. They not only finished in the zone points, but also in the top 6, fighting against top teams on equal terms. In the past the top 6 limited the zone points, luckily today the zone points limit has been broadened to the top 10. Nowadays, finishing 7th or 8th is an important result, while in the past it meant to finish outside the zone points. This is the reason why, finishing 5th means achieving a very good result for a second-tier team’s driver. Sunday’s result was the Faenza-based team’s best result achieved after the victory at Monza and demonstrates the team is going to the right direction. The Italian team’ drivers are very competitive.

Force India demonstrated to be an excellent outsider once again. The Indian team finished 5th ahead of McLaren, which didn’t manage to finish in the zone points.

F.1 will be back to Europe in three weeks. Races will be run on European historical tracks; teams have two weeks to make further upgrades.

Giovanni Minardi “Rigon? He’s a sheer talent”

/in /by

After the Blancpain Endurance Series’ second racing weekend at Silverstone, the manager from Faenza Giovanni Minardi has talked about Davide Rigon, focusing on the driver’s technical skills, thanks to that he has always driven successful Championships “Davide is a very talented driver, but he’s misunderstood by racing specialists. He’s a very good person and a very skilled driver. Drivers like Alonso, Vettel, Rosberg or Hamilton aren’t any better than him”, says Minardi who celebrates his motorsports management society’s 10th anniversary this year, “ Despite he’s one of those non-paying drivers , he has always won all the Championships he has taken part in, only relying on his skills.”

The 26-year-old guy from Vicenza started his career by winning the F.Azzurra open-wheel Championship in 2005. The following year he became F.3 Italia’ s deputy-champion and scored a double win in the Italian and European F.3000 Championship in 2007. In 2008 he also took part in the Spa 24 H race for the first time, as a FIA GT World Cahmpionship’s driver, driving a Ferrari. He won the Belgian famous competition before winning the Superleague Formula in 2010 “The only Championship he has never raced in is the GP2, because of misfortune. In 2009, it was a turn of events that didn’t allow him to hit the big time. In Montecarlo, for example, he finished 9th in race-1, almost getting the pole which was assigned to the driver who finished 8th”, remembers the manager from Faenza  “If he had started from the pole in race – 2, he would have almost certainly won the race. We know that Montecarlo gives you different opportunities. In 2011 he was in a very good shape, as he demonstrated during winter testing. Unfortunately he drove a very unlucky first race, as he broke his fibula and shinbone as a consequence of a terrible accident. Due to that, his racing season was over. Filippi, who is a fast driver, just like Davide, replaced him. The driver from Savigliano dominated the Championship. If the driver from Lugo di Vicenza had raced the whole season, he would have won even this Championship to Grosjean’s detriment. The Frenchman entered F.1 that year and he’s still a top category’s driver. “

Giovanni also focuses on another important issue “Davide’s greatest misfortune is that he’s Italian. If he weren’t Italian, he would have been a F.1 driver for a few seasons. In Italy nobody invests on young drivers and sport in general. Only the Minardi Team did that. Luckily today there is the FDA program that is dedicated to young drivers.  The FDA has two good drivers who are achieving good results. Unfortunately the program started a little bit late, but I think it will soon begin to bear fruit.”

In the Blancpain Endurance Series’ first racing weekend Rigon, alongside his teammates Cesar and Daniel, led the Ferrari 458 to success “It was a great victory and he drove an almost flawless weekend. He was consistently the fastest driver on track and kept an unbeatable pace throughout the race, without making any mistakes. He’s in a very good shape. He fully recovered from that terrible accident. It will be hard for any other driver to get a leg up on him. He really deserves to get the brilliant results he used to get and demonstrate that nobody’s better than him in every Championship”, ends Giovanni Minardi.

 

Minardi “Yes to F.1 tests but with a rookie driver alongside the regular one”

/in /by

Finally. It took a scandal like the one involving Pirelli-Mercedes-FIA, to talk about test introduction during F.1 racing season, again. According to rumours, in 2014 4 test sessions to last 2 days each will be conducted on European tracks.

“I am very satisfied with this choice. As I’ve been saying for a long time it would be very important, for every team to deploy a rookie driver, alongside the regular one”, says Gian Carlo Minardi who, after launching several young champions into F.1, continues to focus on the drivers of tomorrow, who represent motorsport’s lifeblood.

“After a fuss has been made, it was inevitable, but paradoxical at the same time, thinking about cutting down costs by eliminating tests and replace them with simulator sessions, indoor practices and wind tunnel tests. I’ve been saying that for many years, now, finally, the matter has been raised again. Certainly F.1 has to try to limit costs instead of forbidding” ends the manager and current supervisor for Ferrari Driver Academy, “let’s see what is going to happen next weeks”.

Canadian GP – Preview

/in /by

After a short staying in Europe, F.1 is no ready to leave our continent to move to Canada. The European part of the Championship has been featured by arguments about Pirelli-Mercedes tyres test at Monte Carlo and some extra sport gossip. Contrary to what was stated in the last few weeks, Pirelli is going to bring to Montreal the same tyres used until now. Teams will have the chance to test Pirelli’s new tyres only during free practice 1. The new tyres will make their debut at Silverstone.

In Canada, teams and drivers will use Medium and Super-Soft tyres.  There’s a big difference between the two compounds in terms of degradation, so tyre management will be a key to success and the driver who will manage Super-Soft tyres at best will make the most of it. It will be a very interesting weekend even if it won’t be easy at all, as the Canadian track is a mix between a street circuit and a permanent one and it’s also full of pitfalls. There’s a long straight where drivers can make use of the DRS (even if for a shorter stretch). The straight leads to the last famous chicane, characterised by the “wall of Champions”. Brakes will play a key role, as cars will have a higher fuel load because they will burn more petrol than in any other circuit of the world. North wind can change conditions so quickly.

We’re entering the “hot stage” of the season; Red Bull is the leader, even if it hasn’t demonstrated to be unbeatable, Mercedes will have to demonstrate to be able to maintain the same strong performance displayed in Monaco. In that case the German team will become a troublesome rival. Ferrari demonstrated to feel comfortable on Medium tyres, but the Italian team still doesn’t feel comfortable on Super-Soft. The team will have to recover and shorten the gap with Vettel.

Obviously we don’t have to forget about Lotus. The team is taking strong performances since the beginning; the car demonstrated to feel comfortable on all tyres and maximized its performances on a single lap. Given the difficult financial situation, it twill be difficult for them to keep the pace of top teams, carrying out 2013 development work and beginning to develop 2014 new turbo project at the same time.

Thinking about my past experience in F.1, I have some regrets relative to the Canadian gp. We never managed to finish in the zone points (top 6), but we finished in the top 10 ten times out of 20, thanks to Martini, Fisichella, Badoer, Fittipaldi, Marques, Verstappen and Baumgartner’ strong performances in 2004. In such a demanding GP, finishing in the top 10 was certainly an excellent result for a second-tier team. Unfortunately at that time only the first six drivers finished in the zone points.

 

Canadian GP Schedule
Friday June 7th
16:00 – 17:30, Free Practice 1
20:00 – 21:30, Free Practice 2
Saturday June 8th
16:00 – 17:00, Free Practice 3
19:00 – 20:00, Qualifying Race
Sunday June 9th
20:00 Race