F1 | Gp Mexico, THE POINT by Gian Carlo Minardi “Well done Verstappen” Hamilton champion

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With the win in Mexico Max Verstappen capped an almost perfect weekend in which the only thing missing was pole position which slipped his grasp thanks to an equally fantastic Sebastian Vettel. Red Bull’s Dutch driver was the protagonist of a great start which was also helped by his own recklessness and by being free of pressure. In fact, compared respect to Hamilton and Vettel he had nothing to lose and then he conquered first place arrogantly by then setting the pace,

It is a world championship that reflects the forces in the field with Red Bull in full-growth and Renault working very well in light of 2018.The initial contact was a normal racing incident, even though it deprived the race of its two top players. Bravo Vettel who managed to climb back to the base of the podium although sadly it was not enough for him to keep open the title race which finished in the hands of Lewis Hamilton for the fourth time. The two zero pointers weighed heavily on the title.

Even the driver’s title has been assigned, but the next two grands prix will be very interesting, above all with an eye to 2018 and, considering that they now have nothing to lose, I am convinced that Mercedes will finally squeeze its car and power-units. The two drivers will be free to fight and we will be able to see their real potential.

A dull race finished well for Mercedes and Ferrari’s second drivers. The podium is always a positive result, but the gap by Bottas and Raikonnen in regards to Verstappen was too wide. Only the problems that hindered their respective teammates gave them the chance to be in those positions. This much is certain.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP Mexico, Gian Carlo Minardi “Le’s hope will be a weekend without penalties”

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It’s already time for the Mexico Grand Prix. We come to a peculiar circuit which is more than 2,000m above sea level and requires a suitable configuration of the power-unit with a straight that is so long that in 2016 Bottas set a new speed record of 372.5km/hour with his Williams. Last year we experienced a decidedly chaotic weekend with a number of penalties which changed the final ladder. A little like what happened in Austin last week.

Nonetheless I hope that it will be a tranquil weekend which will be open to various evaluations. In regards to today’s F1 an intervention on the work group around the race director, which should be the same for the entire season, is a priority. Only in this way will it be possible to limit the damage as much as possible errors of evaluation in individual race episodes. Having the same group would have a single metre of judgment and thus avoiding unpleasant episodes which surely do no good for the image of this sport.

I am convinced that Liberty Media should intervene in this very area together with the other changes that it is introducing and is also considering to increase the Circus’ appeal. In fact, there are rumours of increasing the number of grands prix to 25 and eliminating Fridays practice session. 25 grands prix would be a great commitment for both the protagonists, the teams and drivers, as well as for the spectators.

Going back to the grand prix, Pirelli left home the medium mixes it used last year and make space to Soft, SuperSoft and UltraSoft. It is a grand prix in which Ferrari must think about defending the title of vice champion in the drivers’ and the constructors’ championships, especially from Red Bull which last year went very well. It will be an uncomfortable and very strong client also this year.

After having celebrated the constructors’ title at Austin, Mercedes will try to double the celebrations with the drivers’ title. After the success in Texas Lewis Hamilton is truly just a step away. The struggle that is still very open is that for fifth place in the ladder with four teams within a handful of points. Toro Rosso will again start with a new line-up. The point gained at Austin was not enough for Kvyat to earn confirmation and the trust of Red Bull and he will make way for the return of Gasly at the side of the 28 year old Brendon Hartley.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP USA, THE POINT by Gian Carlo Minardi

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If the conferral of the driver’s title has only been delayed, House Mercedes began celebrating its victory in the Constructors’ title. We give them our warmest congratulations. In Austin Lewis Hamilton once again dominated the race from start to finish. The difference in performance between the two cars is important and we saw it both in qualifying and after a few laps with the overtaking manoeuvre suffered by Vettel who had been the author of a great start.
Following the debacles in the latest races Ferrari found a compromise between performance and reliability. It had most probably sacrificed some of the latest developments, especially those linked to the power-unit, thus conceding another advantage to its rivals. Even though mathematics still gives Sebastian Vettel a chance the world driver’s title can be considered closed. Ferrari must think about 2018 while the German driver has to try and bring home the title of vice-champion at the expense of Bottas who seems to be in difficulty in the final part of the season as the chronometer shows.
The grand prix gave us some tussles and overtaking manoeuvres, as well as the initial novelty of the very American setting. Max Verstappen’s comeback was fantastic and it showed us how much he has grown in Red Bull. It was a pity that a questionable regulation denied him a well deserved place on the podium. It will be important to see how FIA will behave in front of the heavy comments that the young Verstappen directed at the marshals. Unfortunately there is a regulation and as such it must be respected. We see this type of infraction daily in Formula 4 and I believe that the world championship must set the good example.
With the wide track and asphalted runoffs Verstappen was the victim of a modern circuit. Coincidentally this does not happen on the historic tracks since the risk would be to get stuck in the sand. I have long believed that it is wrong to have a different work group for each grand prix since it is difficult to achieve the same measure of judgment when evaluating episodes. This risk is that the judgment will be subjective rather than objective. Just as there is a single race director in the person of Charlie Whiting, it would be correct that his work group always be the same from the beginning of the world championship. It does not seem something so impossible and difficult to apply
Renault’s winning move with the “purchase” of Sainz must also be underlined. He has already brought home important points, and thus halved the gap from his ex team, Toro Rosso which had to settle for a single point, closing the weekend behind Felipe Mass’s Williams which reinforced fifth place in the constructors’ title.
Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp United States, Hamilton beats Vettel 4 – 1

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This weekend at Austin will be the start of the final four grands prix the will take us to Abu Dhabi, passing through Mexico and Brazil, for the grand final, thus giving us the new world champion. The Formula 1 Circus arrives in Texas, a demanding circuit with twenty curves and several dropouts, as well as being fertile ground for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes which have triumphed here a fine four times in the last five editions of the race, leaving his direct rival Sebastian Vettel only one win, but he is still winless here in Ferrari’s colours.

After the latest debacles Ferrari is called upon to give signs of resurgence and to show us that it has left behind the troubles and solved the problems of reliability. They will probably be forced to take a step back in the development process that showed an increase in performance but at the same time lost reliability. It will not be a weekend to try to attack the British driver, but to defend second spot in both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles from Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull.

Williams in the sights

The challenge in the rear is taking off with four teams grouped within barely twenty four points. Opening the parade is Williams in fifth place which is defending itself powerfully from the assaults from Toro Rosso, Haas and Renault. At the moment the team lead by Franz Tost is the team in most difficulty as it has to deal with the new political relationship with Honda that wanted Gasly to try and win the Super Formula title in Japan which forced the team to put Kvyat on his return at the side of the rookie Hartley while Renault will be able to put its trust in the ex “torero” Carlos Sainz to win the points it lacks to leave eighth place. Amongst the “minor” teams only Force India will be able to sleep peacefully from here until November 26th thanks to its exceptional championship in which it manage to assert itself for the second straight year as the fourth force of the world championship.

Vettel meets the young drivers

During the training stage at Fiorano between the drivers chosen by the FDA and the Federal School in preparation for the Supercorso ACI Sport that begins in November Sebastian Vettel made a surprise visit and spent time with the lads. The work and the union between the Federation and Ferrari aimed at the growth of the young drivers beginning from kart continue. This weekend at Monza the curtain will be drawn on the Italian Formula 4 championship with the Italian Lorenzo Colombo committed to defending third spot

Gian Carlo Minardi

Carlos Sainz ready to trip up Toro Rosso

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The Japanese Grand Prix was Carlos Sainz’s last race in Toro Rosso’s colours. Beginning with the trip to the United States he will share the Renault pit with German driver Nico Hulkenberg, taking the place of Palmer who has been left on foot.

The forecast is for an incandescent final in the support positions since the gap between between Toro Rosso (sixth in the constructors’ ladder) and Renault (in eighth place) is only ten points. In the middle is the American Haas team with a single point advantage over the French constructor.

Franz Tost will be called upon to confront a true driver alert. Having been left without the driver with a pedigree able to make 48 of the 52 points (the other four were gained by Kvyat) who dragged the team in the wake of fifth placed Williams, in a week’s time he will have to do without the young Gasly who was called upon to replace Kvyat in the Malaysian Grand Prix. In fact, the Frenchman will be involved in winning the Super Formula Championship in the final round Japan. Honda decided not to let the driver go.

If on the one hand Carlos Sainz will try to help Renault to climb the ladder at his ex team’s expense, Toro Rosso will try to counter the comeback with the return of Kvyat to the wheel of the STR12, while it is still uncertain who will take the second seat.

The transfer of the Spaniard to Nico Hulkenberg’s side is part of the negotiations that in 2018 will bring the Honda motor to Faenza which leaves the French power-units early while they will continue to power the Red Bull of Verstappen and Ricciardo.

“I hope that the eventual decrease in income from the lost television rights will be compensated by financial agreements of which we know nothing since for the moment Scuderia Toro Rosso comes out weakened. They have been denied their top driver who has gone to their direct rival at a crucial time in the season. They could attack Williams’ fifth place, but they could also slip back to eighth spot with serious losses in terms of the budget for 2018” commented Gian Carlo Minardi.

F1 | Japan GP, THE POINT by Gian Carlo Minardi “Ferrari paid the steps towards development”

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Waking up this morning was not a happy experience for our friends who are Ferrari fans. They expected a quick comeback and instead came Sebastian Vettel’s second retirement in three races. The Suzuka retirement was possibly more painful because it was a sort of last stand to try and keep open the world championship and to contest Lewis Hamilton who is racing to save his Mercedes on consideration of the final races.

Ferrari is paying, with its reliability, the great steps forward in the development of the power-unit and aerodynamics. Ferrari has shown that it is competitive, even if it does concede some tenths of second in qualifying to its direct rivals, but it does have a say in setting the rhythm of the race. Instead, the team that profited was Red Bull who filed away another two podiums by closing the race by placing second and third in front of Valtteri Bottas and is getting ready to go on the charge for second place in the constructors’ title at the expense of the team from Maranello which ended the weekend with an advantage of only ten points after the fifth place by Kimi Raikonnen who committed some errors. The Finn paid the price for the team startegy and for the penalty of five positions for the change of gearbox. He delayed the pit stop to slow Verstappen and in fact removed him from the struggle for the podium. Obviously his role is that of second driver.

There are still four races remaining and the mathematics still do not condemn Arrivabene’s men, but it would take a real catastrophe to stop the triumphant march of the British champion and the German battleship. Ferrari must keep working to quickly resolve the problems of reliability that are assailing the SF70H, by exploiting the final races in consideration of the lack of tests, above all with an eye to 2018.

A word of praise for Force India which continues to surprise by bringing two cars into the points zone and in front of its direct rivals confirming its fourth place in the constructors’ title. On the other hand Carlos Sainz will replace Renault’s Palmer beside Hulkenberg in two weeks time at Austin with Kvyat returning to Toro Rosso. It is probably a move dictated by the commercial agreements between the two parties, but I do not agree with this move at this time of the season with Toro Rosso committed to defending sixth place as it tries to go on the charge against Williams.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Japan, Minardi “Vettel must find his peace of mind once more”

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It’s already time for the Japan Grand Prix, a vital appointment for Sebastian Vettel after the last two weekends marked by negative episodes. There will not be another final trial, even though it is pointless crying over spilt milk.

Regardless of what happened at Sepang and Singapore and despite the strong declarations by Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne, which I do not share since we are faced with a young team that must work one step at a time to build a winning cycle, they must look forward and at Suzuka the German driver will have to rip points away from Lewis Hamilton. It is certainly a hard task. Ferrari is called to confront five finals.

There is certainly bitterness for the lost chance because, looking at last week’s race and his race times, Vettel could have won the 25 points bringing himself 10 points closer to the British driver.

We are coming to a historic circuit which is fast and demanding where any error could carry a heavy price since the runoffs are reduced. Despite Hamilton’s statements I do not yet see Red Bull on a par with Ferrari and above all Mercedes but the aerodynamics could overcome any lack by the Renault power unit and it could put itself once more between the two pretenders to the title. The eight points taken away from the British champion by Verstappen are vital lifeblood for Seb. In addition, Mercedes’ difficulties could be a weapon for Arrivabene’s men, even though the temperatures in Japan will be very different from those in Malaysia and Singapore.

For his part Vettel could show that he is a world champion who is able to avoid being affected by negative episodes by quickly finding once more his peace of mind. In recent times I have seen a driver lacking tranquillity, also in his declarations, and the contact with Stroll in the victory lap was a blazing example.

We expect an interesting weekend and hope to witness again a race full of emotions.

Gian Carlo Minardi

GT Italian | Karol Basz at Mugello to close an exciting season

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The Mugello circuit will close the Karol Basz’s debut season in GT with the seventh and final round of the Italian Gran Turismo championship. After having missed the Vallelunga round due to a clash with the CIK FIA kart world championship the Polish driver will once again be at the wheel of the Antonelli Motorsport team’s Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup with which he put himself in the spotlight in his first race by taking pole position in the debut weekend at Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit and going on to take podium finishes and collecting points.

It was in July on the demanding Tuscan circuit in the fourth round of the Italian championship that Karol convincingly took the podium in both races with second and third place in race 1 and 2 respectively, gathering a harvest of twenty seven points of the season’s sixty eight points.

“I am really happy to be able to close my first season in GT at Mugello. It is a track I like a lot where I had one of the best weekends of the season with the double podium. I am ready and after having missed the round at Vallelunga I am anxious to get back behind the wheel of the Lamborghini. It has been an intense and positive season which I will try to close in the best way possible,” commented Karol Basz.

“We are coming to Mugello after nearly a month away from GT racing, but Karol is determined to close the season in the best way after the disappointment in the kart world championship. He put a lot of work into the simulator and we hope to file away the first season with a deserved win after two podium finishes in July. The car has always performed well and Karol really likes the track,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The green light for race-1 will come on at 5.05pm on Saturday 7th while the curtain will come down on the season in the second race scheduled for 12.35pm on Sunday 8th.

F1 | Gp Malaysia, THE POINT by Minardi “An opportunity lost for Ferrari"

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In its final appearance in the Formula 1 World Championship calendar the Sepang Circuit gave as one of the most exciting weekends of the season with important duels at both the head and the base of the ladder, as well as with Sebastian Vettel’s comeback after being forced to start at the back of the grid following problems in qualifying. After nineteen editions Malaysia says goodbye to the Circus, even though I hope to see it again in the near future.

Ferrari’s dark weekend ended with fourth place. It was a result that was decidedly tight for the men from Maranello in light of the times made by Vettel and his perfect race, including the fastest lap. It was really a pity because in two races Ferrari had shown it was a true presence and saw its great competiveness annulled by problems of reliability and mistakes by the drivers. Singapore and Sepang would have been important results in the fight for the title. The comeback on Ricciardo in the last part of the race caused increased tyre wear and thus denied him the final surge. Ferrari paid a very heavy price here in Sepang and now the German driver is called upon to make a difficult, but not impossible, comeback. There is also some bitterness for the problem that affected Kimi Raikonnen.

On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton came out of the weekend in a stronger position despite a victory that slipped away in favour of a Verstappen and a Red Bull that are confirming themselves as the true gauge of the championship. The Dutchman’s overtaking manoeuvre at the expense of the British champion was truly excellent.

This world championship is proving to be one conditioned by errors.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Singapore, THE POINT by Gian Carlo Minardi “A great pole was undone in a few metres”

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It was a grand prix, the first run under the rain in Singapore, that ended after only a few metres from the start with the exit of Vettel, Verstappen and Raikonnen, three of the five protagonists of this year’s world championship.

An extremely negative day for Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton almost became a triumph since only the double was lacking thanks to Daniel Ricciardo the cannibal who is always capable of exploiting any chance that presents itself. Red Bull is a car that shows that it is at ease in these twisting tracks.

It was a very grave zero score for both Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari in view of the championship even though there are still six races before the end. The pile up was set off by the German who made what could be a fatal mistake and dragging in the blameless Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikonnen, the protagonist of a great start.

In a few metres the work of a fantastic weekend by the men from Ferrari and Vettel himself, the author of an incredible qualifying session, was undone. As I previously emphasized on a number of occasions this is a world championship conditioned by mistakes. The driver who makes the least errors will probably be crowned world champion.

For his part, Lewis Hamilton was skilful in managing the race without taking any futile risks, bringing home a win that was worth its weight in gold.

Carlos Sainz was also very good with the fourth place for Toro Rosso which is the first of the second stream teams. He was the author of a race managed with sheer grit which won important points for Toro Rosso in the struggle with Williams for fifth and sixth places. It was a Williams that played in defence with the young Lance Stroll.

Now we wait and see what the marshals will decide after having heard the three protagonists of the pile up at the start.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gian Carlo Minardi “Important moves for all of F1”

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Everything went according to the script. It was an open secret over the last few weeks and at Singapore came the shower of official releases which completed the mosaic, launching a 2018 season which will be rich with new developments in the technical field.

After three rather disastrous seasons the wedding between McLaren and Honda came to an end (more than 200 penalties inflicted on the grid) with the English team ready to embrace the next three seasons (beginning in 2018) with the Renault engines freed by Toro Rosso. In order not to abandon the Circus, the Japanese colossus in turn had recently reactivated its contacts with the team from Faenza and today announced a three year agreement.

“These were positive moves for Formula 1. On the one side the arrival of Renault at Woking could bring McLaren to the upper reachees of the ladder pointing towards becoming the third-fourth force in the world championship beginning already in 2018”

“Despite Honda’s obvious difficulties the three year agreement with Toro Rosso is very important as it brings an important guarantee to the team. A second string team will be able to count on the technical and financial support of an official house.

“In recent seasons Toro Rosso changed many suppliers, slowing down the planning and development of the racing car. I personally experienced this situation. To find yourself in September, or worse still in November, without an agreement is destabilizing for the team. I hope that the Japanese find the right road” was the analysis of Gian Carlo Minardi, interviewed at the microphones of www.minardi.it after the official communiqués that came from Singapore.

There was also news from the drivers’ front. After three seasons the Spaniard Carlos Sainz will say goodbye to Italy’s Romagna region to move to Enstone taking Jolyon Palmer’s place at Nico Hulkenberg’s side. Despite the indiscretions that spoke of a turnover beginning this year (from Sepang) the Spaniard will transfer to the Renault team only beginning at the Australian Grand Prix and remaining under contract with Red Bull, thus surely forming a very interesting pair with the German.

“Renault must keep out of this tricky situation. An official house cannot find itself struggling for the seventh/eighth place caught in the middle of client teams. The first step is working on the pair of drivers. There will surely be other moves. Today some of the most important pieces of the 2018 puzzle were put in place.

The excellent work by Giovanazzi for the Haas team must be emphasized, closing within a few tenths of a second from Grosjean as he undertook the practice aimed for the grand prix” concluded the manager from Faenza.

F1 | Gp Singapore, Minardi “A tactical race. Qualifying will be important but not decisive”

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Formula 1 is in Singapore this weekend, the stage for the first night grand prix in the history of the Circus which this year will celebrate its tenth edition. The Maine Bay Street Circuit is one of the circuits that is not yet sure it will have a follow up on the calendar. Losing this round could mean losing a piece of “made in Italy” since the entire lighting system was made by a company from Italy’s Romagna region.

It is a very demanding track (5,065m) for cars, motors, drivers and tyres. Even though it is run at night the humidity is very high and the 23 curves put extra strain on the left rear tyre and Pirelli has chosen the softest mixes with Soft-SuperSoft and Ultra-Soft. Traditionally the race runs right up to the two hour race limit also due to the presence of the safety-car which, because of the particular layout of the track, is a constant presence in all the previous editions.

The slow curves and the many changes of direction could favour Ferrari which will be called upon to react after the time gaps suffered at Monza. Singapore could represent a real watershed for the development of the championship. Should Ferrari stay in front of McLaren we could hope for an absorbing end of season. A new success by Toto Wolff-s men could mean the curtain coming down. Sebastian Vettel is the driver with most wins at Marina Bay (four) against the two wins each by Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Last year it was Nico Rosberg’s turn to sign onto the winners’ list.

It will be a very tactical race where qualifying will give a great hand even though pole position does not guarantee victory since the slightest error comes with a heavy price due to the closeness of the barriers. The end of the contract between McLaren and Honda is almost certain with the arrival of Renault at Woking and the Japanese colossus ready to move transfer to Faenza (Toro Rosso) although the news is still not official. There are also important moves on the drivers’ front with Carlos Sainz ready to say goodbye to Faenza to a new home at Enstone next to Nico Hulkenberg. Gasly could be promoted by Toro Rosso. Matsushita could come with the new Japanese engines thus leaving the Russian Kyvat on foot.

There is also talk of the future of the category and how to structure the weekends. I like reading that Ross Brawn is open to Friday mornings dedicated to drivers from F2. For years I have been maintaining the importance of this initiative with the aim of promoting young drivers.

There is a much meat on the fire and at Sepang (Malaysia) we could already see some movement. Let us go one step at a time. Now it is Singapore’s turn.

Gian Carlo Minardi