F1- GP Spain: the point…….by Gian Carlo Minardi

BARCELONA- The fact that we have 5 different winners in many Gps is really interesting. It’s really appreciable that an understimated driver like Maldonado, has managed to get such an important goal both for himself and his team. The Williams is getting more and more powerful. I think it can fight for the fifth or the sixth position, even if it can only rely on one driver.

I hope the accident occured immediately after the race won’t compromise his progress. In Montecarlo Pastor has always been very good both in World Series and in GP2. Despite Cosworth engine, also in the past season he could have got a very good fifth place. The driver from Venezuela can show everybody not to be only a flash in the pan. I had the opportunity to see him driving one of my F1 car in Misano, so I think he has got all the abilities to be a F1 driver.
The podium and the standing of the Spanish GP show once again that more and more teams can get high positions. In fact we have more and more teams that not only can fight to reach the score zone, but also can get up to the first step of the podium. Kobayashi himself, with his fifth place has taken away from Vettel important scores. Surely, the more the season go ahead, the more difficult it is for little teams to keep up the pace with top ones.
We’re living a fightened championship, full of uncertainties because of tires, which are very sensitive to temperature and pitch changing . These are two of the most important issues that have been making things difficult for some teams. It takes only few minutes to go from a positive result to a negative one.
Despite the Ferrari still has much to do, it has made a great step forward thanks to an amazing Alonso who, during qualifications, has made a perfect lap and got the first row ( after Hamilton’s disqualification). During the race as well, despite he hasn’t been so fast, he has been constant and accurate in trying to attack an unapproachable Maldonado. The Red still has many issues concerning drive and speed in straight stratches. The main issue of the GP I think It’s Maldonado’s amazing lap and the 2-3 laps Ferrari had to run to bring tires to a right temperature.
I’m disappointed about McLaren because it keeps on making bad mistakes. Because of a big mistake during qualifications, Hamilton had to start from rear rows. Lotus team has to modify its strategy as well. It could win. Raikkonen and Grosjean ran almost 1 second faster than the other drivers in the final part of the race and they didn’t have any tires consumption. Surely we have to keep an eye on that car.
It has been a bad week end also for Mercedes and Schumacher. Such a good champion can’t make that kind of mistakes. There are 24 cars on track and, instead of accusing the slowest drivers, It should be better to follow the rules when overtaking. They are in trouble just like the Red Bull who had to change car’s nose to improve performances. No doubt this move paid off, but this means that the “Toro” has problems in managing Pirelli’s tires, too.
Vettel and Massa have been overpenalized. Even if there were yellow flags, the car they were moving was very far. What is more, I don’t think they’ve had such a great advantage. The german driver has focused on the final result, getting up to the sixth position, Massa, on the contrary, has been deeply affected by the penalty. The driver has been hardly adjusting to tires.
We’re moving towards the core part of the championship. This could be to Nando’s benefit. We have to wish that the Red could be some tenths faster than it is now.
Gian Carlo Minardi