Gabriele Minì: ‘We can close the gap down but have to maximise in Qualifying’

With the title battle reaching a crucial phase, Gabriele Minì is targeting a big result at his home event around the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

The Italian is currently second in the standings, 20 points adrift of Championship leader Nikola Tsolov, but is optimistic of closing that gap down this weekend.

Speaking ahead of on-track running, Minì said that the goal would remain the same as always – maximise the results.

“To be honest, you always try to do the best you can, because we're not the ones that are being chased, so there is no need to look at what the others do,” Minì explained.

“We still have to try to do the best result possible and try to close down the gap. Of course, you think about the championship, but you don't want to do anything stupid if your championship rivals are behind you.

“But you still want to maximise what you can. You don't have to play games with the others, that's not the way we have to approach it. We have to try and win, do the best we can as always.

“Obviously, you go out there in order to win, but the main goal is to catch up. The gap is 20 points at the moment, and I'd say that if you could consistently win, it would be better, right? Hopefully, we can do that too, but consistency is important, you still have to score big points.”

While it isn’t always crucial to start from pole position in F2 around Monza, a strong grid position is important nonetheless.

He says Friday’s Qualifying session will be critical, moreso than usual given the incredibly challenging start around Monza, going into one of the biggest braking zones for Turn 1 on the calendar at one of the tightest chicanes.

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Keeping out of trouble there will go a long way in improving prospects of a strong result according to the Alpine Academy driver.

“Qualifying is always unique around Monza, because it's such a question mark. So many things can go your way, and at the same time, so many things can go wrong.

“So, you need to take a lot of things into consideration, but qualifying plays a big role. Turn One - we go from a very high speed to a very, very slow speed. Even missing the braking by one metre by a car behind can make a difference for the cars in front.

So, starting in front of the majority of the pack is really important, but it's not something you can control. You just try to stay out of the trouble but you never know where the trouble is going to be.

"It's a bit more instinctive. Can't really plan anything beforehand. But I’m quite confident. I had a break, some time to switch off and then come back ready.

“I'm sure the engineers and everyone have put in quite a lot of work, even myself and the team and the simulator. So, I'm ready, feeling ready and I'm feeling confident.”

With Monza being a home race, Minì is hoping to use some of his experience around the famous venue to good effect.

Overall, the Italian is looking forward to competing on home turf and is hoping to put on a show for his home fans whatever comes.

“Everything is special, I'd say. It's a really good track. It's going to be a chaotic weekend for sure. We have seen in the past, many nice races, a lot of overtakes, a lot of slipstream, and positioning is going to be key.

"So, it's going to be a chaotic one, but it's one of the tracks I know best, and it being my home race, hearing the fans and seeing them there makes all the difference.”