F1 | GP HUNGARY, GIAN CARLO MINARDI “MERCEDES HAS MADE THE MOST OF THE DEVELOPMENTS”

Formula 1 has arrived in Hungary for the turning point of the world championship. This weekend will see the start of the second half of the season which promises to be very hot with an open battle between three teams. Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes.

is a track with a very high downforce, and it is the second shortest track of the world championship after Monte Carlo. Amongst other things, the track is not used much during the year. This is precisely why it will not be easy to choose the tyres, and the performances will change positively from session to session. The track is not very severe for tyre wear. In fact, Pirelli has brought the softest compounds, C3-C4-C5.

In the latest grands prix, the updates introduced by Ferrari did not pay off, unlike Mercedes – which personally is optimizing the developments in the best way possible – and McLaren which has always been at ease on tracks with high downforce. On the Constructors’ ladder, Ferrari has only a 7-point lead over McLaren and 83 over Mercedes, the winner of the last 2 GPs. It remains to be seen whether it will be able to defend itself

Verstappen and Red Bull certainly remain the point of reference and everyone will race to defeat them, which has already happened this year.

An important rival, above all for reliability, will be the high temperatures. Entering the second half of the season possible penalties for changing Power Units and the components will also have to be taken into account. Before the summer break they will go to Spa-Francorchamps (26-28 July), a track that is very tough on the engines, followed by Holland (23-25 August) and Monza (30 August – 1 September), another selective track. And let us not forget the Historic Minardi Day at Imola on the 24^th and 25^th August

The last few days have also been characterized by the drivers’ market. In particular, Haas has rejuvenated its line-up, betting on the experience of Ocon (born in 1996) and on Oliver Bearman (2005), as well as having extended the collaboration with Ferrari until 2028 for the supply of the Power Units. The team wanted to give an important signal of peace of mind and continuity.

Carlos Sainz remains the needle of the scales of the latest movements, who interests, in particular, Williams, Alpine and Audi. At Monza we will probably have further details.

Gian Carlo Minardi