Formula 1 history was made at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday. Lewis Hamilton claimed his first-ever victory as a Ferrari driver, strengthening his hold on second place in the Drivers’ Championship thanks in part to Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s retirement.
If Ferrari can maintain the level of performance it displayed in Spain, the prospect emerging on the horizon is an all-Italian title battle in 2026 between a driver and a team. Speaking after the race, ACI Sport CEO Gian Carlo Minardi reflected on the increasingly competitive situation at the front of the championship.
“We are at a stage of the season where it takes very little to change the outcome of a race or even influence the world championship standings,” Minardi explained. “For this reason, I believe the battle between Ferrari and Mercedes is only going to intensify in the coming weeks.”
“In qualifying, we had seven cars covered by just 411 thousandths of a second on a circuit that everyone knows perfectly and where the teams brought significant upgrades. That demonstrates just how close the competitive order is and how every single detail can make a difference.”
Hamilton’s performance impresses Minardi
Discussing Lewis Hamilton’s performance, the Italian praised the seven-time world champion for delivering a drive worthy of his reputation.
“He produced the kind of race you would expect from a seven-time world champion, confirming throughout the weekend just how extraordinary he is. I have the feeling that Ferrari is increasingly understanding and implementing the feedback and experience of its driver, and that this work is now beginning to generate concrete results. The Barcelona victory could represent a very important step in the growth of the project.”
Reliability and development remain crucial
However, as Frederic Vasseur has also highlighted in recent weeks, reliability could prove to be one of the decisive factors in the championship battle. Ironically, both Ferrari and Mercedes encountered technical problems during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, underlining just how critical reliability and continuous development will be over the remainder of the season.
“The season continues to produce twists and turns, and reliability is becoming increasingly important,” Minardi said. “At the moment, Mercedes, as well as the customer teams using the same power unit, are not going through an easy period in this regard.”
He also expressed sympathy for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, whose impressive race ended in disappointment.
“It’s a real shame for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. He was driving a very intelligent race, managing the tyres better than his team-mate and once again showing extremely competitive pace. The overtake on George Russell with four laps remaining was one of the highlights of the race, but the technical issue that forced him to retire erased a result he fully deserved.”
“George Russell continues to prove very effective over a single lap, but in race conditions Antonelli once again demonstrated that he can be extremely competitive over the distance.”
A positive moment for Italian motorsport
Minardi concluded by pointing out that Barcelona was not only an important weekend for Ferrari in Formula 1 but also for Italian motorsport in the junior categories, thanks to the performances of Brando Badoer and Gabriele Minì.
“Important results also arrived from the feeder series. Brando Badoer secured an excellent fourth-place finish in Formula 3, while Gabriele Minì claimed a second place and a third place in Formula 2, once again confirming his talent. These are important signs that reflect the great work carried out over recent years and should make us proud of the positive moment Italian motorsport is currently experiencing.”
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