F1 – Gp Budapest: THE POINT…by Gian Carlo Minardi

For the first time from the beginning of the season the Gp we saw yesterday in Budapest wasn’t as exciting as the other ones. Everything was so predictable, only two or three overtakings were really dominant, just like the one handled by Alonso on Raikkonen at the beginning of the race, which probably denied the Finn to score a win and the one handled by Maldonado, which cost him a penalty. I think we’re going too far! We want drivers to overtake but even after a slight clash, they are penalised. I think FIA is exaggerating.

Everybody knows that it would have been a difficult week-end for Ferrari and I think that Sunday results represent the current strength of the teams. Once again the Spaniard set his fastest lap at the end of the race, showing a great determination in defending a 5th place, getting the gap down over his direct rivals.
So he can go on vacation after scoring 40 points which are a great success both to him and the Ferrari. But they won’t have to rest on their laurels and there is still much to do. The “family” fight between Red Bull drivers could be a weapon to his benefit, just like Lotus competitiveness and the return of the McLaren. In Budapest we saw an amazing Lotus. If it handles good qualification, it will point straight to victory. We saw also a very good Raikkonen who is constantly in the score zone. Unfortunately they paid off the lack of experience of the pit wall and Grosjean. Spa and Monza will be really decisive, so the second part of the season is expected to be hot and full of suspence.
In the constructors’ World Championship Red Bull is still the group leader, but it hasn’t been flawless. Their performance level was lower than the one of McLaren and Lotus. Webber himself didn’t manage to attack a superb Bruno Senna. Maybe the technical development bordering on the regulations, is having a bad influence on the development itself. The amendments made for the German Gp gave a turn to McLaren and Lewis Hamilton, even if the zero points scored keep him far away from the lead. If the English team maintains top positions, it would be a great help to Ferrari, who is still missing Massa’s contribution.
The Williams’ Brazilian driver Senna handled a very good race and was competitive throughout the week-end. The Hungaroring’s layout brought out his handling of the car and his clean driving style. He was good and handled a good race till the end. In comparison with seven days ago, the two Saubers didn’t handle a good race, this was just because of an extreme strategy which didn’t pay off. Mercedes hadn’t a good week-end as well. Thanks to Rosberg the team scored one point but unfortunately it can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel with Schumacher.
During this month off teams have the opportunity to set the last improvements. On a technical and fast track like the one in Spa, Lotus is a favorite car because it can make a difference in fast corners.
Gian Carlo Minardi