F4 | Joao Vieira towards the Mugello

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More than a months later Imola, and after he recharged his batteries in his green and gold land, Joao Vieira, Brazilian driver at Antonelli Motorsport, is ready to be back on track for the fourth round in the Italian F4 Championship powered by Abarth at the Mugello Circuit.

On the demanding Tuscan circuit, characterized with many rises and falls, he will chase that win that he failed because of some engine complications coming from his Tatuus F4. In addition to the various pitfalls of the track, the heat will be a rival to keep in mind for all the drivers.

“I expect a good weekend because I really like this track and I have always done well. There are many pitfalls and, as usual in this part of the Tuscany, it will be very hot. It is a track where the engine has a prime role. In the first events, the engine was our Achilles heel. With the first round of free practice, we’ll have the first results”, an enthusiastic Joao Vieira explains.

During the collective test, Joao Vieira and the Antonelli Motorsport team had their first good outcomes, moreover they made some set-up tests to find the best balance for qualifying and three races.“It was a positive day and this make us think positively for the weekend that starts tomorrow. In the first morning round, I signed the fourth best time laps, less of 3 tenths of seconds away from the first one, while in the afternoon we entered the track almost at the end of the session. During my fastest lap with new tires, they exhibited the red flag, so I went back to the pit, but up to that moment our results were good”, the driver from the Minardi Management concludes.

OK safety, but don't overdo it

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The start of the British GP behind the safety car is provoking a lot of discussion. Since it had rained few minutes before the green traffic light, Charlie Whiting started the race behind the safety car, withdrawing the safety car not before the fifth lap.

Neither the fans nor the insiders, from the drivers up to the Team Principals, have appreciated his decision. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen opposed this decision, complaining for a too delayed withdrawal. Maurizio Arrivabene agrees with them “In that moment it wasn’t raining so there wasn’t any danger. Formula 1 is the ultimate expression of Motorsport”. In his comment on the Grand Prix, Gian Carlo Minardi has already evaluated this choice negatively. “I could understand if we were in a preliminary championship where there are boys who have to cut their teeth, but here we were in a Formula 1 grand prix. It has seemed me an exasperated decision. We are overdoing safety” the manager from Faenza said and now widens his thought “Doing this way we risk to nullify the show and let go the fans. The same is true for the asphalted escape routes. Silvertsone remains a fascinating circuit, but it has lost something like many other circuits. All the drivers made some mistakes without paying any duties. We miss the gravel. The drivers are more confident and can allow themselves too many mistakes”, Minardi concludes.

F1 | Raikkonen's renewal, Minardi “A conservative choice”

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Sergio Marchionne and Maurizio Arrivabene renewed the agreement for next season with Kimi Raikkonen that will continue his work beside Sebastian Vettel. A decision that want to aim to a work continuity and puts a certain calmness into the team, differently from what is happening at Mercedes and red Bull with internal fight between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton on one side, between Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen on the other.

The arrival in Milton Keynes of a very young and fast Dutch driver is creating some problems to the Australian driver that started the season as a first driver. In just six events, Verstappen has already affected a win (in Spain) and two second places (in Austria and Great Britain) and now he is just 10 points away from his teammate in the overall standings. At Mercedes, there is an open fight and some nervousness between two drivers engaged in the struggle for the world title.

“The team wanted to privilege calmness in a hard moment with technical difficulties. I do not know how much it will an advantage in term of results. Honestly, I would have preferred a different choice, especially after seeing Verstappen’s effect at Red Bull. His arrival put on Ricciardo a lot of pepper that was useful to revitalize the situation with an amazing result. At Mercedes, in spite of a tense atmosphere, the challenge between the drivers forces to do always the best as we could also see last Sunday. Nico and Lewis ignored each other”, Gian Carlo Minardi says.

F1 | Silverstone GP – SCORECARDS

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Lewis Hamilton – 10 He could not do better this weekend. Absolutely a perfect race, but we have also to stress the result in qualifying. After achieving the pole position with a new record, his time was took away. Back on track, he managed to take the pole position again. He is in a great shape and did something exceptional for his fans.

Max Verstappen – 9 he troubled Daniel Ricciardo, managing to keep himself in the first positions not just in race but also in qualifying. An extraordinary race where he optimized his Red Bull that is improving race by race thanks to an almost perfect aerodynamics. This driver excites us not just for his leaps forward and overtakings but is also good at defending his position.

Nico Rosberg – 8,5 he was good at reacting to the new F1 phenomenon, in spite of his gearbox problems. It is a hard moment for him. If there is a problem, it always occurs to his Mercedes.

Daniel Ricciardo – 7,5 he struggled with tooth and nails, especially when the team asked him to push, after Nico Rosberg’ penalization. Anyway, he definitely lost the comparison with his teammate.

Sergio Perez – 7,5 once again he ended the race ahead of Hulkenberg and obtained precious points for force India. He strengthens his fifth place in the world championship.

Carlos Sainz – 7,5 for both qualifying and race. What a pity his mistakes at bend 1 that prevented him from struggling with Force India drivers.

Kimi Raikkonen – 7 too many mistakes, without them he would have had the chance to fight with Ricciardo. He brought home the fifth place after having hard time in overtaking Perez. The renewal did not give him a particular energy. Surely, the fault belongs also to a Ferrari that is not at its best.

Daniil Kvyat – 7 an important point for his state of mind in a hard time of his career.

Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button – 7 apart his mistake at bend 1 that prevented him from reaching the point zone, the Spanish driver signed some amazing lap times. The McLaren is growing on the frame side, and both Fernando and Jenson would deserve something more.

Sebastian Vettel – 6,5 in qualifying, he did not manage to stay ahead of his teammate and during the race made some mistakes. Surely, Ferrari did not support him and showed all its weaknesses.

 

GP3 | Antonio Fuoco prevails at Silverstone

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After Antonio Giovinazzi signed two wins valid for the GP2 Series event at the Baku city circuit, in Silverstone it was Antonio Fuoco’s turn. At the wheel of the Dallara GP3 of the Trident Team, the driver from the Ferrari Driver Academy and ACI Team Italia achieved his first seasonal win. In spite of a slippery asphalt due to the rain fallen few minutes before the start, all the drivers chose slick tires, offering spectators an amazing race. Fuoco dominates ahead of Alex Palou and Charles Leclerc, in second and third position at the finish line respectively, with minimal gaps between 4 and 5 tenths of seconds.

“I did not do a good start, and given the circuit conditions, I decided to handle my position in the early laps. When I started to push, my pace was very good, and I managed to recover up to the first place.My team was saying to me to keep calm through the radio. It has been a very important weekend to us, and we made a great job. In qualifying, we were in sixth and we managed to end the weekend with a third place and a win”, Antonio Fuoco says.

Thanks to his success, Antonio strengthened his position in the overall standings, reducing his gap from the top to 14 points. In fifteen days, the next event will be in Hungary.

F1 | Silverstone GP – THE POINT

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The British weekend in Silverstone offered us a fascinating and animated grand prix influenced by the weather conditions. We saw numerous duels and mistakes made by different drivers. Once again, Charlie Whiting decided to start the race behind the safety-car. Honestly, in my opinion it seems an exasperated decision. I could understand if we were in a preliminary championship where there are boys who have to cut their teeth, but this Formula 1 overdoes safety.

Unfortunately, the standings is still under decision because of the team radio transmission received by Nico Rosberg. After informing his engineers about the problem at the gearshift, the team gave him some suggestions to resolve the problem. In my opinion, his situation is different from Hamilton’s one because the latter has asked the procedure to solve the problem in an explicit way. So I do not agree with a potential penalization against the driver. We must be careful to avoid damaging Formula 1 with unreasonable rules. If we have radio, using them should be ok, especially in such a highly evolved Formula 1.

As we anticipated in recent days, we had a Red Bull at its best that managed to trouble the Mercedes with an extraordinary Verstappen, protagonist in one of the most beautiful 2016 overtakings against Rosberg. Max is proving all his qualities and could be an extra unknown for the Ferrari that shown its problems in Great Britain.Apart from the power-unit, its frame and aerodynamic problems are clear. Next events (Hungary and Germany) could be favorable to Maranello, but honestly, I see an up-and-up Red Bull. The fifth and ninth place are not enough, they made some mistakes.

It is to be applauded the feedback of the British audience because the circuit was sold-out. Great Britain is becoming the real motorsport homeland. After some difficult years and many improvement in the circuit structure, fans were back to see the F1 show and were rewarded with Lewis Hamilton’s win, who deserves a 10 in his scorecard for the weekend.

* After the race, commissioners gave a 10” penalty to Nico Rosberg who is now in third position. P2 for Max Verstappen.

Frits Van Eerd dominates in Monza with the  Minardi PS04/B

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Great protagonist on the Historic Minardi Day in Imola and uncontested queen in Monza. We are talking about the Minardi PS04 of Frits Van Eerd that has dominated in the Temple of Speed of Monza, achieving the win in race-2 and the second place in race 1 valid for the third BOSS GP event.

Frits Van Eerd, along with the Minardi PS04 designed by engineer Gabriele Tredozi for 2005 F1 World Championship, demolished his competitors in a race that at the start saw 29 single-seaters with the Toro Rosso STR1, the Juaguar R5, the Benetton B197, and the Super Auguri SA06.

With three remaining scheduled events, on the circuits of Assen, Brno and Imola for the final, Frits Van Eerd holds the fourth place in the overall standings with 83 points, in the same position of his fellow Dutch countryman Klaas Zwart with the Juaguar F1.

Gian Carlo Minardi congratulates Frits Van Eerd and all his staff warmly for their amazing win. “In September, we will be at the circuit of Imola to support Frits”.

Karol Basz in Mugello with the Lamborghini Huracan

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Strengthened by his incredible recovery in the Final of the third event in the European karting championship disputed at the circuit of Portimao, Karol Basz has signed his debut at the demanding Mugello Circuit, at the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracan of the Antonelli Motorsport.

Thanks to the fourth place gained in pre-final, the Polish driver of the Kosmic Racing keeps his high position in the championship standings, at just five lengths from the top. Unfortunately, in the Final he was victim of a collision that forced him to move back up to the 28th position. With a great determination, he managed to recover up to the eleventh position, also signing the fastest lap of the race. After the pause at the circuit of Vallelunga earlier this year, waiting for the final event on the Belgian circuit in Genk scheduled for the end of the month, Karol is back at the wheel of the powerful supercar of Sant’Agata Bolognese. He is improving his feeling with the car, protagonist of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, and is becoming familiar with the Tuscan circuit and its 5.245 meters.

“We are really satisfied about the first real testing day with the Lamborghini Huracan. We went into the circuit of Mugello with just 20 laps-experience that we did seven months ago in Vallelunga. In spite of his inexperience, Karol has emerged with an advantage of ’51”7 with used tires. We knew he would have done well, but he surprised us anyway. Now we must work to give him the opportunity to present himself on the grid of the 2017 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship.Obviously, a special thank goes to the Antonelli team and to its team principal, Marco, who gave us this opportunity. Tomorrow we will focus again on the seasonal events. The last engagements in the German and European championships are awaiting us” manager Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti say enthusiastically.

“It has been an amazing day to me. Another important experience with this marvelous Lamborghini Huracan in a very nice circuit. I must to thank both Minardi and Europart for this amazing experience. Now I am going to dedicate myself to the last karting events to complete the season at the best”, Karol Basz says.

Historic Minardi Day | The best of

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Let’s come back to Imola for a moment, with our mind and eyes, to live again the most exciting moments of the Historic Minardi Day. Enjoy the new video. 


F1 | British GP, Preview

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The biggest unknown in the British grand prix will be the tension at Mercedes after the contact between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton at the last lap in Austria. We left the Red Bull Ring with many unknowns. On one hand, it can be a good thing to race again immediately, on the other hand there is a few time to calm everyone down. The team has to make important decisions to prevent these kind of episodes from happening again.

As usual, the weather will affect the race, with unexpected changes that bother the devised choices. We will get to a fast circuit where the aerodynamics has a certain importance. Mercedes will be the favored, and Ferrari will have to defend itself from a strongly growing Red Bull also backed by the French Power Unit. The tires brought by Pirelli and temperatures won’t favor the Red cars that will arrive in Silverstone with a new aerodynamics set.Last year, Williams emerged strongly both in qualifying and in race, even if this year, they seem to have more difficulties.

We have entered  a decisive month with four races in just five weekends. After Silverstone and before the summer break, we will race in Hungary and Germany. We will have a little time to react and to absorb the results in the best way. We could resolve a good chunk of the world championship in this month. We have to keep the head cool.

F1 | Austrian GP, SCORECARDS

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Max Verstappen – 9 he deserve the highest mark, thanks to an extraordinary race. Once again, he proved to be a racing bulldog in spite of his mistake on Friday.

Jenson Button – 8 thanks to his struggle, in spite a low-performing McLaren. A sixth place that counts as a victory.

Pascal Wehrlein 8, a point that is worth gold for him and for the little Manor that excluded Sauber from the top ten.

Lewis Hamilton – 8 good at the start. This time he did not any mistakes. I know to be against the tide, but I have not liked the play towards Rosberg, especially because it arrived at the last lap. This time, the luck backed him, and he brought the win home.

Kimi Raikkonen – 7 once again he completed his task without being trenchant. He gained the podium, thanks to the others. He never assaulted Verstappen seriously and when he tried to do so, he found the Dutch driver’s defense.

Romain Grosjean – 6,5 he is not in a winning team, but he took advantage of the occasion, bringing Haas important points for the championship.

Nico Rsberg – 6,5 I know to be against the tide, but in my opinion the fault must be split with Hamilton. Anyway, Nico have to start thinking to the world championship. A second place would have guaranteed him a more important booty in terms of points.

Daniel Ricciardo – 6 he definitely lost in the comparison with his teammate.

Felipe Massa – 6, the race of the Brazilian driver has been uncolored and little trenchant. He is definitely different compared to a year ago.

Nico Hulkenberg – 5 after an amazing qualifying, he lost his way during the race. It is a pity.

Sebastian Vettel – without judgement. He had some problems in the weekend and the tire explosion at race is not his fault. Anyway, a champion with his experience should intervene in team choices.

F1 | Austrian GP – THE POINT

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A fascinating grand prix with coups de théâtre up to the last lap. Rosberg managed to lead, from the sixth place, and tasted the win. At the last lap, he arrived a little bit late because of the fact that he had little oxygen in term of tires. Anyway, I found Hamilton’s maneuver quite aggressive. As we are writing, there is an ongoing investigation and I hope that no penalty will arrive. These are race accidents and normality in a race like this one.

If they want a penalty, they should distribute it equally between both Mercedes standard-bearers, giving the victory to a great Verstappen who, once again, gave us some amazing overtaking, setting himself in third, settling in third place and finishing the race in second place thanks to the contact that saw both Mercedes drivers as protagonists.

Still out of shape Ferrari that has definitely hazarded too much in trying to nullifying its stratospheric gap with Mercedes by keeping Vettel on track too long. This way, the German driver saw his rear tire exploding at the 27th lap. Nothing in particular came from a not very aggressive Raikkonen. In the Final, he failed to annoy Verstappen in trouble with his tires that had already covered 55 laps.

At Mercedes, Toto Wolff will struggle to calm everyone down. The relationship between Nico and Lewis is at a historical low. We can expect a boiling July with 4 grand prix in just 5 weekends.

On one side, it is good to come back on track immediately, even if there is no time to calm everyone down. A very different state of mind at McLaren, Haas and Manor that gain important points. Very good Jenson Button that managed to optimize his tires and his car, bringing them to the finish line in sixth.ahead of Grosjean and Sainz.  Manor gains his first world point thanks to Pascal Wehrlein outdoing  Sauber.

* At the end of the race, Nico Rosberg had a 10″ penalization that earn  that enarn him the fourth place at the finish line.