Gabriele Minì talks about himself: from the beginnings with karting together with his father Fabrizio, to the 2020 title in Italian F4 and the F1 dream. But first there is the Formula Regional: “The Verstappen-Hamilton fight in 2021? I was supporting Max … “
The love for engines broke out by chance, at the age of two and a half, for that kart that first made him cry and then dream. Over time, Gabriele Minì has grown, passing from the tests in the parking lots near home with his father Fabrizio to the European championships, so much so that in 2019 he obtained second place and the title of “Karting Rookie of the Year” in the OK Fia category. With the single-seaters it went even better, given that immediately, in 2020, he snatched the victory in the Italian F4 championship. Today, at just 16, he has already come a long way, and travels most of the year from his Palermo to the main circuits of Italy and Europe. Always ready to fight, a second battle in Formula Regional awaits him in 2022 with his Art, after finishing in seventh place on his debut in the category in 2021.
Minì, in 2020 immediately won the Italian F4, last year the seventh place at your debut in Formula Regional. What season was it?
“A season lived and made up of worst and best moments. And to think that last year we got off to a good start, so much so that in the second round in Catalonia, at Montmeló, I finished on the podium. I remember the beauty of riding in a circuit like Spa, and up until that round we always had the potential for the top three, then unluckily we fell further behind. Throughout the year we have been committed and we have never stopped working “.
Are you worried about the difficulties you had in the second half of the season for 2022?
“No, because I think he learned a lot from these moments of difficulty, of fatigue, rather than when you win”.
Where do we need to improve this year?
“In several things, and I already know which ones. In 2022 the goal is to give it all to go beyond my limits and close the gap I had from the leaders last year, I want to fight for the title. I would like to reach the levels of my former teammate in Art, Grégoire Saucy, who won in Formula Regional in 2021 and has been in F3 this season: a reference that has allowed me to understand the category and grow “.
Among the difficulties, it will not even have been easy to switch from an F4 to an F3 car …
“In F4 a slight mistake can make you lose a tenth, if you make a mistake with an F3, however, the gap that is created is greater, from two tenths upwards. Then the physical effort, the management of the tires, the braking in corners thanks to more adherent brakes, the few tests we do to test the car: everything is more complicated ”.
Which rounds of the 2021 championship made a difference for bad and for good?
“The races in Catalonia will inevitably remain with me. Then I say Zandvoort, as we had good speed in the Netherlands both in qualifying and in the race and we secured a second and third place. Monte Carlo and Le Castellet the black weekends. In the Principality, I struggled during the pole hunt, then once I found the right set-up I was stuck in traffic. I made too few points in a weekend where we had the potential to finish in the top-5. At Paul Ricard another curse when I had to retire from second ”.
How does the passion for engines arise in you?
“Thanks to my father Fabrizio. When I was one year old, on my birthday (March 20, ed), he gave me a 50 cc kart. It looked like a toy to me then, and when I first turned it on I cried because I was scared of the noise. At the age of two and a half, however, I woke up one morning and said: ‘Dad, I want to try driving the kart again’. First in the parking lots, then in the smaller slopes, up to level up. Towards the age of four, therefore, the time has come for the first races: from city circuits to regional, Italian, European and world championships ”.
You come from Sicily, but in the south there are few races and championships compared to the center-north. Was it a problem in your growth?
“Yes, but thanks to my father I was able to compete in various southern competitions, which allowed me to get noticed elsewhere as well. Like the Central-South Cup, that match represents one of the decisive moments in my career ”.
Looking at F1, what are your idols?
“Seeing the races of the past, I can only think of Ayrton Senna. But I also have a weakness for the new generation drivers like Leclerc, Norris and Verstappen ”.
You name Leclerc, which feature of him do you appreciate most? Did Sainz see him well in his first year with Ferrari?
“I think both Sainz and Leclerc are very competitive. They both try to improve the look the other did better on the track. This year Carlos was making his debut in red and he went very fast. Charles, on the other hand, remains the main point of reference for me: he is talented and I was lucky enough to meet him live between one Grand Prix and another, when F1 and Formula Regional raced in the same circuits over a few weekends. In the future I would like him to become World Champion, he has the great quality of knowing how to work hard and be able to transform things from negative to positive on the track ”.
Among the young people in F1 there is also George Russell, this year making his debut in Mercedes alongside Hamilton.
“A driver who I see very strong on the flying lap, in the race I think he will suffer a bit initially compared to more experienced drivers like Hamilton. We will see with the change of regulations what can happen “.
What does Minì do in her free time?
“I train, go to school and then a lot of simulator. It is not easy to study and spend several days out for competitions. When I come back from the circuits in class, I always have to recover everything ”.
More difficult to study or prepare hard for a run?
He laughs. “All life the first. In the race there is the passion that intervenes, and therefore there is no weight. At school it is more of a constraint, I consider it important but complicated to follow. Today I’m in the fourth grade, who knows what it will be like when the fifth grade exams arrive … “.
How does a driver work physically and mentally during a race week?
“Trying to eat well for both lunch and dinner, alternating between pasta and meat. Of course, no sweets, fast food, ice cream or particularly fatty foods. To train, I always start with the simulator on the previous Sunday, studying the overtaking points in the circuit that I will have to face. Then on Monday I fly from my Sicily to the Art headquarters in Villeneuve-la-Guyard, in France, and continue training both physical and simulator, where with my men I understand the points of the track in which to improve. Virtually they are the same ones that make the negative difference during the real pitched spin. Wednesday then the arrival at the circuit where I run on the weekend, the track walkpress conferences, and we go on the track ”.
How did you follow the Verstappen-Hamilton duel in 2021?
“I was supporting Max, because at least we would have had a different winner after years of Hamilton’s victories. Max was mature and won it, defeating the bad luck suffered in some GPs of the season, and taking advantage when good luck was on his side ”.
Is the dream of the future called F1?
“Of course, but I have to improve and work a lot. Also because it is the dream of all my colleagues, to arrive in F1. Maybe with Ferrari, an Italian driver-team combination would be wonderful. But I do not preclude anything “.
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