Through the columns of his official website, the founder and managing director of the now-defunct Minardi Formula One team, Gian Carlo Minardi, analyzed the main events of the 2023 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, focusing on the protagonists both in a positive and negative light. Among the latter, of course, is Ferrari, which finished in seventh and eighth place at the end of a lackluster weekend marked by some big errors.
Gian Carlo Minardi’s considerations:
In Hungary, a new qualifying format was introduced, where drivers had to tackle the three sessions with the designated tire compounds. An experiment that Gian Carlo Minardi seems to have appreciated: “It needs further assessments, but I found some very positive signs. It may have a future. We witnessed a beautiful fight with hundredths of a second separating the cars. In Q2, sixteen cars were within a range of just 7 tenths. In Q3, ten cars were separated by a little over 5 tenths, with Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Lando Norris within 85 milliseconds. I’m curious to see it replicated at Monza.” – the 75-year-old pointed out.
The Italian manager also has words of praise for the race winner and the drivers of a resurgent McLaren: “Max Verstappen was outstanding, supported by a great Red Bull. They are absolutely unbeatable. Lando Norris was excellent in second place with McLaren, confirming the significant progress already shown in Austria and England. Oscar Piastri confirms what I have been saying for a while, growing race after race, especially since the Championship arrived at tracks he already knows. Moreover, he is now also supported technically. Perhaps he is slightly disadvantaged in the strategies in favor of Lando Norris, an English driver on an English car.” – he added after the Hungarian GP.
The Hungarian weekend could have gone better for Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez: “It’s a shame for Lewis Hamilton. With an imperfect start, he nullified his chances for the podium, finding himself quickly behind not only Max Verstappen’s Red Bull but also the two McLarens. Sergio Perez completed his task, considering the car at his disposal. After a disastrous Saturday, he recovered to the podium, the minimum result. Probably the overwhelming performance of his teammate demoralized him. His serious mistake on Friday, in the wet conditions, was costly. A driver aiming for the championship cannot make these errors.” – Gian Carlo Minardi believes.
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Unfortunately, similar errors were not absent by Scuderia Ferrari: “Equally serious mistake for Charles Leclerc in the pit lane, although it cost him little considering the 70″ time difference (it would have been 65″ without the penalty) compared to Max Verstappen. In any case, if you want to compete for the championship, you cannot make these careless mistakes. The team also made an error with the left rear tire.” Finally, Gian Carlo Minardi emphasizes: “Certainly, there is great nervousness in Ferrari. The team cannot find the way out.”
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