Gabriele Minì remains firmly in the Formula 2 (F2) Championship fight after turning a difficult starting position into valuable points in Madrid. The MP Motorsport driver faced an uphill battle after qualifying left him 13th on the grid, but he worked his way forward during the Feature Race. Although the timing of the Safety Car compromised his strategy, Minì continued to attack and made up ground to keep himself in contention heading into the final stages of the F2 Championship.
Minì fights his way through the field
Minì’s recovery did not start smoothly. Despite getting off the line well, he found himself caught between two cars and initially lost ground before beginning his charge through the order.
“Started P13, I got a very good start, but because of that I got sandwiched between two cars, so I had to slow down, and I think I actually lost position there, it was just a mess at the beginning. I tried surviving, and I gained three positions, so three nice overtakes, and to be honest we just managed up until the Safety Car. I managed to overtake Ollie [Goethe] and then I extended the stint. We then decided to pit because we felt like it was a good moment to get the two cars ahead. But sadly a Safety Car just came after that.”
The Safety Car arrived at the worst possible time for Minì and cost him several positions. Rather than settling for what he had, the Italian went back on the attack after the restart as he tried to recover what he had lost.
“That was a big shame, we lost four places because if the timing of the Safety Car had been lucky for us, we could have been in P4. Instead, we restarted P8. So then again, I had to do a big send for P7, but then the three cars ahead were on fresh option tyres, and we know it’s a big difference around here. We just had to try and see if they were going to make a mistake, which happened at some point, but there was no space to make a pass.”
No room for regrets in the title fight
With the F2 Championship entering a crucial stage, Minì knew he could not afford to remain cautious as he worked his way through the field. Starting outside the top 10 meant he had to take opportunities whenever they appeared, even if that required committing to moves from further back than usual.
Rather than waiting for the perfect overtaking opportunity, Minì relied heavily on instinct and confidence under braking. He repeatedly pushed the limits as he tried to recover positions and maximise what had already become a difficult race. With every point becoming increasingly important in the closing stages of the season, the Italian felt that taking risks was preferable to leaving Madrid wondering what might have been.
“To be honest, the moves weren’t really planned. I was like, OK, more or less we can do it. So I just sent it and then we’ll see what happens after. It worked most of the time. Sometimes it didn’t because I sent it too hard, but I was never really in an overtaking spot. That’s why nobody really defended. I think I was braking 15 metres later than what I usually do. And it was working, to be honest. It was good, but we’re getting to the end of the Championship and I knew I needed to make moves up the order. Either you do this or you go home with regrets. That’s not what I want to do. I prefer to crash into a wall trying than not trying at all.”
Baku offers another opportunity
Despite the challenges he faced in Madrid, Minì took encouragement from gaining ground in the F2 Championship across the weekend. Rather than losing touch with the title battle, he managed to reduce the gap despite starting the Feature Race behind several of his main rivals.
That leaves Minì with plenty still to fight for as the Championship heads to Baku, a circuit where unpredictable races can quickly change the picture. He believes the team can remain in contention, but knows there is one area in particular that needs attention before the next round. Qualifying has made life more difficult in recent weekends, forcing Minì to recover positions during the races. A stronger starting position would give him more control over his weekends and allow him to fight closer to the front from the outset.
“I think we can still be happy. We gained six points to the leader this weekend and considering two contenders started the Feature in P3 and in P5, leaving here gaining points is not bad. We see Alex [Dunne] is getting close as well, We just need to sort out our quali. I think in Baku everything is still open.
He added: “We know in motorsport that anything can happen. We know we can do it, we just have to go with the mentality of not having much to lose and trying to maximise everything, as always. We have a bit to figure out, we know what’s going on, but we have to figure qualifying out in particular. Starting at the front, I think we can fight for better positions.”
