F1 |HEADING TO QATAR WITH GIAN CARLO MINARDI “I AM CERTAIN EVERYTHING HAS BEEN RESOLVED IN FERRARI. THEY MUST WORK FOR ONLY ONE GOAL. THE CONSTRUTORS’ TITLE”

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The world championship is drawing to a close, with the drivers’ title awarded to Max Verstappen (his fourth) and an open fight in the constructors’ title for both first place and sixth. Compared to the previous edition, this year’s round has been postponed more than a month to limit the heat that last year, together with the high humidity, tested the drivers’ resistance.

It will be run at night again this year, but constant temperatures around 25° are expected, definitely different compared to a week ago in Nevada. Major changes have been made to the curbs that created quite a few problems for the tyres in the 2023 edition, with the Federation imposing pit-stops every 18 laps.

Pirelli has worked hard on this aspect as well, bringing the hardest compounds, from C1 to C3. Qatar will host the sixth and last Sprint-Race. Therefore, the teams and drivers will have only one session of free practice to think about the cars. The challenge for the constructors’ title has fired up, with Ferrari and Red Bull chasing after McLaren, along with the challenge for sixth place between Haas-Alpine-Red Bull.

We said goodbye to Las Vegas with the Mercedes one-two, the title won by Verstappen and the third and fourth place for Ferrari with not a few sparks between Leclerc and Sainz. I am certain that everything will already have been resolved, also because it was the result of the tension of the race. The common is shared, which is to bring the constructors’ title back to Maranello. By the way, for the team this situation is nothing but an appetiser for 2025 when it will have to manage two drivers of the calibre of Leclerc and Hamilton, in my opinion, much more incandescent than the current pair, especially if they will be able to take a competitive car onto the track.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 GP LAS VEGAS, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “LECLERC-SAINZ: DIRTY LAUNDRY IS WASHED AT HOME. AN EXCITING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RIGHTLY IN VERSTAPPEN’S HANDS”

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We are witnessing one of the best, if not the best, season in Formula 1 history. Las Vegas gave us an exciting grand prix made up of a lot of correct overtaking that did not require the intervention of the safety-car or the virtual one.

Once again, the predictions were overturned with a Mercedes that was one of the great protagonists right from free practice. It knew how to make the most of its advantage in these particular conditions, taking the one-two.  Just a few months ago I had pointed out Mercedes as one of the possible arbiters of the constructors’ championship, which is occurring in the McLaren-Ferrari challenge.

This is a championship in which the slightest slip is enough to find oneself in the rear, especially in qualifying in which there are six drivers within a handful of tenths of a second. We saw this with Hamilton. He started from tenth place and climbed up to second place.

With third and fourth place Ferrari reduced the gap from the leadership to 24 points, even if what happened between Leclerc and Sainz must give them food for thought. It could be a foretaste of 2025 with the arrival of Hamilton in the red car. I do not want to blame one or the other. They are both right, even based on the agreements made at the start of the race. Sainz managed the tyres better, but what I did not like were the comments Leclerc made on world vision. He is a champion and dirty laundry is washed at home. The team has to learn how to manage its drivers in that it will have a hard season under this aspect. It will be much harder to manage Leclerc-Hamilton compared to the current pair.

Las Vegas gave us the first verdict. Max Verstappen took out his fourth world title. An absolutely deserved result, the result of great professionalism, preparation and seriousness. Despite the difficulties with his car he did not relent, fighting and taking home fifth place ahead of his direct rival who consoled himself with the fastest lap. Once again, Verstappen made the difference within the team, even if, this time, at least Perez contributed with a point.

The duel in the rear is also very nice. Haas goes one point ahead of Alpine (forced to retire with Gasly), but the Racing Bulls also reduced the gap with the usual Tsunoda, with an excellent ninth place.

We are approaching the last two rounds with trepidation. Qatar and Abu Dhabi within just two weeks.  In between the two Grands Prix, the sixth, and last, Sprint scheduled for Saturday.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP LAS VEGAS, GIAN CARLO MINARDI “COLD WEATHER IS ANOTHER UNKNOWN FACTOR FOR THE TYRES”

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We have come to the twenty second Grand Prix of the season, less than three rounds from the conclusion. The challenge for the constructors’ title is back on with three teams, McLaren-Ferrari-Red Bull, in contention. Currently Ferrari is 36 points behind the team from Woking, while Red Bull is 49 points behind. Considering the points still up for grabs, I would say anything is still possible. So far Red Bull has lacked the support of Peres, who is increasingly in difficulty. Ferrari will bring some important innovations just for this end of the season.

The situation of the drivers’ title is different. Despite a McLaren in great form, in any case, two weeks ago in Brazil it could do nothing against Max Verstappen. For me, a comeback by Norris is improbable.

They come to Las Vegas; a track characterized by three straights. 17 bends and abrupt braking with fairly cold asphalt that creates a reduction in grip and an acceleration in wear. In fact, we are in a area with a considerable difference in temperature between day and night. They will race at night, starting at 5.00pm in Italy. Pirelli has brought the softest compounds for the GP, C3-C4-C5, and the strategy should be geared towards two stops, even if lately we have been proved wrong. Watch out also for the possible entry of the safety-car and/or the VSC.

After Spa-Francorchamps, this is one of the longest circuits of the world championship with its 6.12km to be run 50 times, and, in addition to the challenge at the top, also keep an eye on the three fighting for sixth place between Alpine, Haas, and Racing Bull. After the exploit in Interlagos, Alpine leads the group by three points from the American team.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | GP BRAZIL, THE POINT BY GIAN CARLO MINARDI “VERSTAPPEN OUT OF THIS WORLD. RACING BULLS DEPRIVED OF AN IMPORTANT RESULT BY A RED FLAG WAS SHOWN TOO QUICKLY”

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As long as the Brazil Grand Prix continues to be scheduled in this part of the year, we will have races strongly affected by the rain and the weather.

We witnessed a Sprint Race won by Norris, ahead of Piastri with Max Verstappen the protagonist of some mistakes that took him to a penalty, something that he did not do during the grand prix managing to outclass the direct rivals. From the 46th lap he made himself the protagonist consistently setting fast laps, outpacing his adversaries by more than five tenths of a second. The second fastest lap of the race is found a more than second slower (Verstappen: 1:20.472  – Norris: 1:21.517).

He gave an important signal, making it clear that his three titles were not won by chance, and that the fourth is coming. Let us not forget he started from sixteenth place on the grid. It will certainly not be easy for Norris to make up the 62-point gap, not only because there are only three rounds, but above all because he is up against a great driver who, once again, cancelled his teammate: absolutely irrelevant for the whole weekend, the protagonist of various mistakes and also ridiculed by Lawson.

After the last two grands prix won, Ferrari partially disappointed with Leclerc only fifth. Who disappointed in particular was Carlos Sainz, who made mistakes in both qualifying and the race.

It was a decidedly favourable weekend for Alpine that, thanks to the double podium, took sixth place on the constructors’ ladder. An unhoped-for result only a week ago, which certainly came thanks to the weather conditions that mitigated the problems of the power-unit, but also to excellent work by the team and its two drivers. In these difficult conditions they were competitive.

Instead, it was decidedly underwhelming grand prix for McLaren that ended the long Sunday with only sixth and seventh places, and a number of mistakes by the poleman Norris.

It was a weekend decidedly conditioned by the bad weather that put a strain on the drivers – who made various mistakes – but also the race management that was first forced to delay qualifying until Sunday morning, and then to abort the start following Stroll’s  mistake in the formation lap, until the red flag was shown due to the difficult track conditions  and Colapinto’s  going off the track.

Precisely Williams was the “victim” of a number of incidents which had a major impact on costs. I believe that Colapinto could come into the financial operation aimed at balancing the finances considering that the team from Grove already has two drivers under contract for 2025 (Albon and Sainz) and that Red Bull is racing with only one driver…

So far, the race marshals have not commented on the investigation begun due to the departure of some drivers, despite the display of the flashing lights for an aborted start. In fact, at different times, all the drivers left the starting grid (with the sole exception of Sainz who started from pit-lane). I am of the opinion that any penalties should be assigned quickly, but, in any case, the track has already given its verdict.

In addition to the bad weather, the race was also strongly conditioned by the red flag, which was shown too quickly because they then restarted with the same conditions and tyres (intermediates). Among other things, it was shown in a time that strongly affected in a negative way the Racing Bulls that had guessed the strategy and the best moment for passing onto the full-wets. I find that the team was deprived of a very important result. It could have found itself in Alpine’s place.

It was certainly not easy for the race marshals and the Federation to manage this type of race, but I believe it would take a uniform work group throughout the season, especially for minimizing possible non-uniformity of views.

We leave this demanding weekend behind and prepare to experience the final three rounds in which rain should not be a problem.

Gian Carlo Minardi