Gabriele Minì continued on his impressive start to the 2026 F2 season at Barcelona, securing second place in the Sprint Race and third in Sunday’s Feature Race for MP Motorsport. Minì’s F2 Barcelona-Catalunya GP weekend yielded 20 points and extended his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, with the Italian now boasting six podiums from five rounds.
Minì reflects on a well-managed Feature Race despite early setback
Despite a difficult opening stint, Minì’s F2 Barcelona-Catalunya GP weekend ended on a positive note. The MP Motorsport driver believes the team extracted the maximum from the circumstances.
“To be honest, even today I think was quite well executed. I just made a small mistake at the start with the gear change that cost us a place. But I don’t think it would have changed much in terms of other races after that,” Minì stated.
Traffic proved costly during the opening stint of the F2 Barcelona-Catalunya GP Feature Race, preventing Minì from exploiting his pace and leading to accelerated tyre degradation.
“So, it’s a bit tricky to say. We could have done many things different and to be honest, we got compromised quite a lot by the traffic. We lost a lot of seconds and we killed our tyres. While everyone else was really in clean air, whether it was Tsolov or Câmara.”
Minì noted that fellow podium finisher Alex Dunne was the only driver dealing with similar difficulties.
“So, in the end, the only one in the same situation as me was Alex, and I think we were a bit quicker just following him really hard. But, once again, we got 20 points this weekend, and I think we cannot be sad about it,” he stated.
Six podiums in five rounds for Minì’s after F2 Barcelona-Catalunya round
One of the biggest strengths of Minì’s F2 2026 campaign has been consistency. Despite acknowledging that MP Motorsport has not always possessed the outright fastest package, the Italian believes the team has consistently extracted the maximum available result.
“I think almost every time apart from the Monaco Feature and the Australia weekend with the issue I had, we almost always maximise the results. But as I said many times, it’s what we have to do. We know that at the moment we can see some teams are very, very strong. But all we can do for ourselves is to keep working and then to try and catch them.”
“At the same time, we maximise every single race and every single time we go on track,” Minì stated.
Minì highlighted the Melbourne weekend and Miami Feature Race as occasions where MP Motorsport had genuine front-running pace. Nevertheless, the championship leader remains pleased with where he and the team stand after another productive outing in Barcelona.
“At the moment I am quite happy. But as I said many times, we haven’t been the quickest, I think, apart from Miami race 2 and the Melbourne weekend.”
“But we are still there, at the top. So, I’m very, very happy, very satisfied with the work we have been doing and we have done so far.”
For Minì, the results gathered during his F2 Barcelona-Catalunya GP weekend serve as further evidence that MP Motorsport are moving in the right direction. He also believes the recent run of form has provided a welcome confidence boost for both driver and team.
“Of course, the results are showing that we are doing a good job and this is a boost of confidence and something that is good for us and makes us want to get even more.”
Minì eager for Spielberg after productive F2 Barcelona-Catalunya GP weekend
With the fifth round of the 2026 F2 season now complete, attention has already shifted towards Spielberg, a circuit that has traditionally suited both Minì and MP Motorsport.
“It’s usually been a good track, both for the team and for me. So, honestly, I can’t wait to get started,” he stated.
The one-week break before Spielberg will allow Minì and MP Motorsport to analyse the data gathered in Barcelona and identify areas where improvements can still be made.
“For sure, it will be a kind of reset. We have a one week of break, sometimes to analyse data, what I can do better, what the team can do better or differently, and once again, every race has its own story. So, I’m very excited to go there,” Minì concluded.
Minì leaves Barcelona with six podiums from five rounds, an increased championship advantage, and another double podium to his name. Minì’s weekend at the 2026 F2 Barcelona-Catalunya GP further underlined the consistency that has become a hallmark of his 2026 title challenge.
