Archive for category: F1

The winner of the weekend is the audience that deserves 10 because of its cheerfulness and its large presence.

Lewis Hamilton – 8.5 pole-position and win, but the small imperfection of the first bend remains. A mistake capable to  prevent him from winning the world championship without these modern escape routes.

Sebastian Vettel – 8 with an illegible car and a Ferrari in regression compared to 2015 that abandoned its dream of grasping the vice-champion title among the constructors in favor of Red Bull, was protagonist of a strong race. I didn’t appreciate his comments on the team-radio.

Nico Hulkenberg – 8 a good race that stresses how much it is strong Force India despite its problems. He has almost achieved the fourth place in the world championship against a giant like Williams.

Nico Rosberg – 8 someone says that he didn’t make his best, I would say that he managed the race at the best, optimizing the result. In Brazil, he could attempt the success since the track suits him. It is good to spare the car.

Williams drivers – 7 a good race for Bottas. It is nice to see that Massa still desires to fight in spite of the fact that there are just two race to the end of his career and that he hasn’t a top car.

Daniel Ricciardo – 7 he showed good actions in race, even if the first pit-stop didn’t bring great results.

Kimi Raikkonen- 6.5 he made an anonymous race unlike what he usual does on Sundays.

Max Verstappen – 5 he cannot continue to race against everybody, and they should reprimanded. Unfortunately, his team defends him, without helping his growth. His strategy is wrong. Excepting the Dutch, his fans are going away.

Sports commissioners – 5 I haven’t agreed with their decisions since a long time. Ecclestone should make self-critics.

It’s with Gianni Morbidelli that the Minardi Team achieved the best result at the Hermanos Rodrìguez Circuit. On 16 June 1991, the Circus was in Mexico City for the sixth event of the World Championship.

That year, the stable founded by Gian Carlo Minardi deployed Pierluigi Martini at his fifth season with the team from Faenza, and Gianni Morbidelli, 23 years old, at the wheel of the Minardi M191 motorized by Ferrari. For the first time in its history, the Prancing Horse Stable had supplied another team with its engine.

On a bunch made out of thirty-four single-seater, twenty-six of them took part in the grand prix, surpassing the pre-qualifications and qualifying.

The Minardi car, at its seventh season in the world championship, places “Piero” Martini in the fifteenth place and Gianni Morbidelli in the twenty-third, respectively at 2.5 and 3.6 seconds from the pole position of Ricciardo Pratese’s Williams.

If the race of Martini – maker of a spinning –  lasts just four sessions, Gianni Morbidelli was protagonist of an important recovery that ended at the seventh place, almost touching the points zone (in those years, F1 gave some points only to the first six classified), a lap away from Riccardo Pratese (Williams-Renault), Nigel Mansell (Williams-Renault) and Ayrton Senna (McLaren-Honda). With the retirement of both Ferrari drivers, Alesi and Prost, Maranello crosses the finish line thanks to Minardi.

With the current scoring system, Minardi would have already hit the point zone in 1986 Mexican Grand Prix – at its second F1 season – thanks to its eight place signed by Andrea De Cesaris (who started from the 22th place in the grid) at the wheel of the Minardi M186 motorized by Motori Moderni.

Those were the years of the turbo engines, and the Minardi Team fought against giants like BMW, Renault, Honda, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, with a private engine. Alessandro Nannini closed in the fourteenth position.

In 1988, the Spaniard Luis Perez-Sala, paired with his compatriot Adrìan Campos, carried the M188 into the eleventh position.

Lewis Hamilton – 10 perfect both qualifying and race. He managed the whole weekend with calmness and serenity, despite the world championship pressure.  The Gran Prix  appointments are decreasing inexorably and  just three races remain .He comes from difficult weeks, but has reacted as a champion.
Nico Rosberg- 9 in spite of an imperfect start, he managed his emotions well, bringing home a perfect result for him, with other three second places, the World Championship will be in his hands.
Daniel Ricciardo – 9 very good in qualifying where he put his car ahead of his team mate. Very good at the start when he inserted his Red Bull between two Mercedes.
Fernando Alonso – 8 his race was amazing. He managed to handle his McLaren very well and signed a series of fast laps, improving his performances constantly. Important his overtakings on Massa and Sainz, that are worth the fifth final place.
Carlos Sainz – 8 in qualifying, conquering the Q3 he made a master-piece. Considering his 2015 Ferrari engine, a sixth place in race is important.
Sebastian Vettel and kimi Raikkonen – 7 giving a low mark would be difficult because their performances are proportional to the quality of their cars. They are doing their best with enthusiasm and determination. They are aware of the hard time at Ferrari.
Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez – 7 they could fight tenaciously and conquered important points. In the last race, they will compete for the fourth Constructors’ place.
Romain Grosjean – 7 he reached the point zone at home circuit.

Luckly, there is Nico Hulkenber, we would be tempted to say observing the silence in the days between a gran prix and the other. Force India, renault and Nico Hulkenberg have announced the moving of the German driver from Silverstone to Enstone at the end of the season.

Austin, Mexico, St. Paul and Abu Dhabi are the last appointments for him, 29 years old, along with Sergio Perez with the color of Force India that is the true wonder of this world championship with its 134 points that confirm it at the fourth place in the Constructor’s standings, ahead of Williams (124 points). Definitely an unsatisfying season for Renault that is again in the world championship as a constructor with only 8 points. Thanks to the experience of “Hulk”, winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans in 2015, with six seasons in the world championship on the shoulders, the French constructor will try to move up the standings, also thanks to the change in the regulation in 2017 that will affect the season of the Circus. Who will leave the place between Magnussen and Palmer hasn’t been announced yet. “The moving of Nico into Renault will launch other repositionings. Force India comes from several growing seasons and its seat is desired, in spite some economic issues”, Gian Carlo minardi says at the Mugello Circuit where is taking place the last event of the Italian GT Championship.

Look for F1 heroes

“Given the bond between Force India and Mercedes, I’d like to see the arrival of Pascal Wehrlein“, the manager from Faenza continues, stressing the importance of rebuilding Formula 1. “Observing specialised newspapers, the announcement went pretty unobserved, excepting of some short articles. This Formula 1 has to be attractive again and we must to become passionates of this sport, independently from Ferrari results on track. To reach this aim, we must intervene on the show and on regulations urgently. In Mugello, many fans have come to watch the last appointment of the GT Championship where there are three crews fighting for the title, in addition to the return of a champion like Alex Zanardi. We need some heroes”.

Minardi stresses the difficult economic situation of the Circus. “In the last weeks, the temporary calendar for 2017’s season was announced with three circuits needing a confirmation: Montral, Hockenheim and San Paulo. From what I have understood there are still six or seven circuits in difficulty. This F1 is to be renewed“.

Vettel-Ferrari

A complicated situation also at Ferrari. Luca Baldisseri, in the interview released to Corriere dela Sera indicates Marchionne and Arrivabene, respectively President and Team Principal, as one of the issues at Maranello. “Unfortunately they have no experience in races, nowadays the top brass of the stable lack this knowledge . Within the team there is an atmosphere of terror”, states the engineer of Irvine and Schumacher. Mattia Binotto, new technical director after Allison is apreciated. “Mattia has a great experience and is a great motivator, but I would prefer him as a team principal” continues the engineer who is now along with the young Stroll in the sphere of Williams.

After the GP in Japan, the ex Constructor from Faenza had stressed the tension between Vettel and Ferrari. “The relationship between Seb and Maranello isn’t idyllic and you can sense it through so many signals. It seems to be back at the times of Fernando Alonso, but I do not think that the German will wait four years”.

Hamilton-Mercedes

We also have a tense situation at Mercedes, where they console themselves with their successes and with the constructor’s title (the third in a row) already gained. The drivers’ title is only a matter of time. “The behavior of Hamilton has not gone unnoticed” Minardi contiunes making clear references to the events happened in Malaysia (English yelled about a sabotage) and Suzuka (he publicly called idiot a member of his team) “It is started an arm wrestling between him and the team, so much so that he has not tried the new Pirelli wide tires unlike Rosberg and Wehrlein. After that math will have crowned the new world champion, some newness could happen at Mercedes“, Minardi concludes.

As it happened in Malaysia, also in Suzuka Lewis Hamilton didn’t spare some criticisms to Mercedes, in a severe way. Maker of a mistake at the start and of a fight for the second place with Verstappen in the last part of the Japanese GP, the English has called “idiot” a member of his team for his appealing to F.IA against the Red Bull driver’s behavior on the track. The appeal was then nullified, and all the declarations were cancelled.

In Sepang, after a yielding few laps to the end while he was leading the race, Hamilton attacked his team, claiming he had been sabotaged. “It is an unacceptable behaviour toward his employer and toward such a prestigious and winning constructor as Mercedes. It is the second time in a week that Hamilton has attacked his team heavily, and I am sure that it won’t be unnoticed”.

“Now, the English is in a complicated moment and the management knows to have the best car for many future years. We’ll see the consequences of his action, when the title will have be assigned. At the moment, Hamilton’s behaviour goes beyond the race department. The chairman of Mercedes can’t be satisfied about his employee’s declarations” Gian Carlo Minardi says.

Ferrari is also in a complicated situation with its team principal Maurizio Arrivabene that calls to order Sebastian Vettel. “In my opinion, you should use other means to stimulate a driver, especially when you give him a worse car than the previous one. I sense that in Maranello it is back the era of Fernando Alonso, but I don’t think that Seb will wait four years. We should remember that in 2017 his agreement will be about to expire”“, the manager from Faenza concludes.

A week later Sepang events and the double win of Red Bull, Formula 1 comes to Japan on a historic and technical track like that in Suzuka, with few escapes, where every mistake is costly for the drivers. We comes to the home of Honda that strengthened by Alonso’s and Button’s performances in Malaysia, along with a growing McLaren, will try to conquer some extra precious points for a more satisfying 2017.

A special plaudit has to be done to the Japanese audience who always rushes in the the bleachers, proving a great love for the Circus and also for the Minardi Team. After Ayrton Senna’s passing, the audience had decreased, but the old splendour is back little by little.

This weekend we are at less than five grand prix away from the end of the World Championship with Nico rosberg ahead of a very nervous Lewis Hamilton. Post-Sepand declarations made by the English driver are shameful. Such attack towards his employer is unacceptable. The problem could be caused by some tests for the upcoming season, mainly regarding the lubricants.

At Ferrari Sebastian Vettel will pay a three places penalty on the grid for the contact at the start. It is the least he could get by the commissioners. Ferrari in this final season is showing all its limits, not just against Mercedes. In Malaysia, Kimi Raikkonen collected the maximum with the fourth place, and this was also sensed through the team-radios between the driver and the pit.

In terms of tires, Pirelli will bring the Hard compounds, Medium and Soft. Ferrari focuses strongly on soft tires with nine sets for Vettel and Raikkonen, against the eight sets for Hamilton and Rosberg and six at Red Bull. A different solution at Mercedes with three sets of hard and two of medium for Hamilton against two hard and three medium for Rosberg. Only one white medium tire compound for Vettel and three red hard. Two sets of hard and medium for the Finn. Another component could be the weather, still very variable with temperatures around 20 ° C and a chance of rain for Saturday.

There are all the features to enjoy an interesting race on a historical and technical circuit with several overtaking opportunities. We will have the fight at Mercedes with a nervous Hamilton,determined to take a revenge, and Ferrari compelled to react after Kimi Raikkonen’s fourth place and Vettel’s mistake at the start.