Archive for category: The Point by Gian Carlo Minardi

Also this season is ended quickly, consisting of fascinating Grand Prix, even though almost all branded Mercedes. It’s a pity that this final deprived us of Nico Rosberg, who was slowed by a problem of his car. It wold have been amazing to see them fighting till the end. I have to congratulate him both for his nice gesture against Lewis in the race over, and for wanting to stop at all costs the Grand Prix.

It’s been a championship in growing, despite technical concerns at the beginning. The times have lower quickly until approaching the various records, just like Rosberg’s Qualifying time scored yesterday, which was really close to Vettel’s track record – 2009.

It’s been a season with so many variables: Williams, after a difficult 2013, has become the third force in the world, closing the season with a double podium. It revived Felipe Massa and formed one of the most promising young driver, Bottas. Talking about chassis, Red Bull has shown that have a competitive car, despite too many smarts. Developing as Power-unit, it would certainly have something to say. Ferrari, among many difficulties, has confirmed as the fourth / fifth force of world championship. Fernando said good-bye to the team showing things that only a champion can do, like the overtaking on Kimi and the fast change of strategies, entering first for pit-stop. Button has digested perfectly his last GP. Alongside Ferando, in fact, there’ll be Kevin Magnussen. Therefore, from Tuesday, the new McLaren-Honda era will start.

A season that ends with so many changes, both for drivers and for technical aspect. Vettel instead of Alonso in Ferrari. Alonso instead of Button in McLaren (missing only the announcement). Kvyat instead of Vettel in Red Bull. The Russian has been unlucky in some circumstances, but from the beginning he has imposed very well. He will be alongside to Ricciardo that even today has proven to be a first lead. In Toro Rosso, instead arrives the young Max Verstappen. To decide who will be his partner. For tests, the team from Faenza called Carlos Sainz jr. At this point, I would say that for Vergne the doors close, although he was the author of a good season ending. Verstappen-Sainz, a young team will be a good bet, though not easy. On the technical side, we have seen many changes, especially in Ferrari, where, however, the news are not over. The rumors speak of a new change of leadership, between Mattiacci-Arrivabene. If so, it would be quite a good shot. Arrivabene is very familiar with F1, Ferrari’s environment and the Agnelli family. In short, there are still many pieces to put in place.

During the tests in Abu Dhabi, we will have the chance to see in action even Raffaele Marciello, at the wheel of Ferrari. I’ll follow him very carefully, having observed him closely, since his first steps in this world.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Lewis Hamilton is a “race-animal”. After losing the comparison with his team-mate in Qualifying, he was outstanding in race, scoring an overtaking that proves who’s the best team right now. The advantage points are now 24 (of 75 still to be assigned between Brazil and Abu Dhabi) and the “end” word could get in a week. It’s just a matter between them. At the moment, there aren’t other players that can bother them.

It has been a Grand Prix in which Williams has disappointed me. Honestly, I would expect to see both Massa and Bottas fighting for third place. However, Daniel Ricciardo, author of an incredible overtaking, has been fantastic on this front. He absolutely proves himself to be a team-leader, optimizing at his best this Red Bull, which never stops surprising us, “killing” – sportingly speaking – the team-mate Vettel.

Sincerely, I didn’t understand Vettel’s strategy – forced to start from pit-lane – even if he grabbed the seventh place just at the end.

Well done for Lotus, which has risen with a point of Maldonado, and Vergne. The French proved not to be scrapped. He may still be useful for Toro Rosso and Red Bull in a global context, leading important points to Faenza. The team is growing and he can be of help.

With regards to Ferrari, Fernando Alonso continues his positive trend, ridiculing Raikkonen. Unfortunately, the comparison with the Spanish is embarrassing.

As might be expected, Marussia and Caterham’s forfeit case dominated this weekend. We’ll have to wait to understand which way will take this F1, as there’s a lot of irons in the fire, considering third car and new dividing up of rights. Honestly, I don’t think that the third car is the best solution. However, I promise you to analyze problems more patiently later.

Gian Carlo Minardi

A really lively weekend at the spectacular Suzuka Circuit. Before starting to analyze this Grand Prix, we should comment on Red Bull’s public statement, which anticipated the consensual decision to end Vettel‘s relationship and the arrival of Kvyat in his place (we maintained this possible replacement in our Silverstone GP preview). Now, the possible arrival of Sainz in Toro Rosso would start off “the youngest team of all times”.

Certainly, we are experiencing a new course at Ferrari; I believe that for the first time in its history, men of Maranello have been caught off their guard by open games of other Circus actors. Fernando and his management does not seem to have managed the situation too; a sabbatical year of the strongest pilot ever becomes more likely, waiting for winning opportunities in 2016. After many victories together, Vettel and Red Bull relationship, which started 15 years ago, has stopped. Won four world championships at 27, Sebastian felt the need to face a new technical and sporting experience, to try new ideas and incentives, and to regenerate after a season where his team-mate Ricciardo, on several occasions, caused difficulties to him. Waiting to know, even if it’s already taken for granted, where Vettel will race in 2015, we enter in comments of this Grand Prix, expressing later my personal thoughts on these market movements.

The rain – fully forecasted – has affected this GP. Start with Safety Car for two laps, then red flag and restart with the Safety until 10^th lap, when, finally, the real race starts. It was a race, obviously, affected by rain and countless tyres changes: wet at the beginning and intermediate in subsequent pit stops.

Stellar Mercedes, as usual; Hamilton at ease ahead of a wet Rosberg, who was in trouble with the set up of his car. We experienced very interesting duels with certainly engaging overtakings, especially through the work of Red Bull, in a bad day for Ferrari because of Alonso’s retirement at the restart after the first red flag, and a colorless race for Kimi, who struggled throughout the race with grip problems. But this appointment leaves us with a bitter taste in our mouth for its final conclusion.  

The accident of Bianchi, who crashed into the emergency vehicle that was recovering Sutil’s Sauber, get off track just before, suspends any other sporting assessment to stay close to Jules and hope the best for him.

Gian Carlo Minardi

We have experienced a lively Grand Prix, with too many mistakes and the first seasonal retirement for Fernando Alonso, after so many races. It’s certainly not been a good weekend for the colours of Maranello, both in terms of performances and reliability. In fact, Ferrari says goodbye to the home race with a disappointing ninth place and only two points in world ranking for Kimi Raikkonen. The attention at Ferrari’s has been drawn by the statements of both Ferrari President, Luca di Montezemolo: “In March I told the shareholders and especially the people at Ferrari, who I’m very close to, that I would be available for another three years”, and Fiat-Chrysler CEO, Sergio Marchionne: “No one is indispensable, but the change of Presidency is not on the agenda”. Are these words that may herald a future in “Red” and a stock exchange appearance?

With regards to the race, we saw a determined Hamilton, who has taken his revenge on his teammate, winning the race after a certainly not brilliant start, taking advantage of two Nico’s mistakes and gaining the sixth place of the season and the tenth for Mercedes. Now, the gap with Rosberg is 22 lengths (216 points against 238 of the team-mate). Mercedes is, instead, increasingly alone at the top with a “spoil” of 454 points, compared with the 272 of Red Bull, which says goodbye to Monza with the fifth and sixth place.

Fantastic comeback-race for Daniel Ricciardo, that closes once again before his teammate. After an imperfect start, he managed to put together an amazing comeback, taking up to the fifth position and overtaking on the final also the teammate, who tried to defend himself. No doubt about it. The Australian is now a certainty for the team, which can definitely count on a pilot of the first band. At RB’s, they are certainly covered by a probable Vettel’s change of team, considering Kvyat’s good performance (mistake aside) with Toro Rosso. Forced to burst forth from the bottom of the group, he got closer to the score zone.

Astonishing comeback also for the Finnish of Williams, Bottas, who promptly recovered a disappointing start, finishing just off the podium and immediately behind Felipe Massa. The confirmation of its pilots by the British team is the first sign of stability. Consequently, I also expect the confirmation of Hamilton, at least for 2015.

At this point, the only missing piece is at Honda’s. The court of Sebastian Vettel continues and he asked a few more days to make his assessments. Considering how his season is running, he should change his scenery, in order to find new challenges and incentives. At worst, Honda-McLaren could think of doing another year together with Button, confirming concurrently the present pair.

They are now outlining the forces in the game, with two Mercedes, two Williams and two Red Bull. Mercedes’ Power-Unit raised McLaren in these conditions and market rumours seem to have restored vitality to the ex 2009 World Champion.

The eleventh GP of the season has been enlivened since Qualifying, where human mistakes, see Magnussen, strategy mistakes, see Ferrari with Kimi, and reliability mistakes, see Hamilton’s Mercedes and rain in Q3, livened up the last five minutes of test. In a few moments, a succession of fast laps confirmed a sensational Mercedes, which set with Rosberg a time of 1’22″715 – nearly close to the time that the F1 scored a year ago – before a wild Vettel, a reconfirmed Bottas, a Ricciardo that in the last lap overtook a tenacious Alonso, who could not do better than a 5th place, even though improving  his time lap after lap with a 1’23″909.

The race was spectacular, thanks to the dramatic turn of events. Over all, the weather variability: rain thoroughly soaked the track and forced all teams starting with the Intermediate Rain. Secondly, the two safety cars, which intervened following accidents. Finally, the strategies used by teams: at Mercedes’, there were choices of different strategies for the two pilots; at Ferrari’s, an aggressive and risky strategy; at William’s, incomprehensible choices. There was a perfect choice at Red Bull’s, for Ricciardo’s car. With great sense of timing, Daniel used the pit wall’s recall, entering immediately the pits, as soon as the first safety car get out the track, taking advantage of the fact that the first ahead four cars had already passed through the pits’ entrance.

Great Fernando, a phenomenon that has been able to fight and complete 30 laps with Soft tyres in the final stint, achieving an outstanding result for the team and proving, once again, that he is the number one.

We saw also some nervousness mistakes by various actors; we mention a few. Vettel first; only the good luck allowed him to cross the finish line, even though he touched the wall on the pit’s straight. Mercedes’ pit wall, that, in my opinion, made strategies mistakes and, anyway, delayed too much Rosberg’s last pit stop. Williams, that inexplicably used medium tyres on both cars, compromising its drivers’ performances – nevertheless, everyone knew that there was more than one second per lap of performance difference between Soft and Medium tyre.

However, this F1 Championship is always showing a thrilling aspect, with amazing overtakings, races driven until the last lap and growing performances, that make us forget all the critics on this Championship circulated at the beginning of the year.

Now, everybody on vacation for three weeks, with the aim of recovering energies and renew ideas, to deal with the last eight GP, with the hope that the players of this amazing Championship will offer an even more spectacular final.

We started the weekend with the wrong strategies at Ferrari’s and Williams’, but then the ninth round of the Formula 1 World Championship turned out to be the best race of the season so far, with plenty of duels and with Bottas – uncontrollable from the very first steps –that conquered the second podium of the season and of his career.

It has been a high-voltage race, with two World Champions, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, ready to perform duels of other times. With the initial ingenuity (resulting in a 5’’ penalty at the pit-stop), Alonso compromised one or two positions for the final results. Perhaps he could have stayed with Button and Ricciardo. The errors on Saturday and Sunday are a sign of the strong tension at Ferrari. Silverstone has been characterized also by the incident of Kimi Raikkonen – that has irreparably compromised the Sunday of Felipe Massa – and by the consequent stop of more than 40 minutes, that however represents a great achievement for safety. It was estimated that the violent impact caused a deceleration of 40G… Fortunately the Finnish driver got away only with a few bruises.

At Mercedes’, the bad luck struck this time Nico Rosberg, thus denying him the satisfaction of putting his signature on the fourth race of the season, in favor of his team-mate that, with this success, is only 4 points far from the top of the ranking. Reliability confirms to be the only Achilles’ heel of the W05, although the technical advantage is so high that the fights remain always “within the family”.

As we announced, with the hard tyres McLaren is reborn, especially with Jenson Button who gives his team an important fourth place. The English driver, on his home track, was able to give something more, proving to be at ease with these compounds.

With any specific technical problem, the two Toro Rosso confirm to be top-ten cars and also at Silverstone Kvyat and Vergne enter in the score-zone with the ninth and tenth place.