Minì: ‘Our work over winter is paying off’ after PREMA Racing top Day 2

28 March 2025

It was another positive day in a Formula 2 car for Gabriele Minì as the Italian laid down the fastest lap of the in-season test so far in Sakhir.

The PREMA Racing driver’s 1:42.488 put him narrowly ahead of Victor Martins and ART Grand Prix, and he believes it was further evidence of the steps forward the team has made over the winter.

After stepping out of the car, Minì said that the changes overnight from day one had helped bring more pace for the second day of running.

“It was quite good. It was a pretty good lap, especially considering it was on my first push lap of the evening on the Option. Very happy with that. We worked hard in the night - me to improve a few things as a driver from yesterday, and the team analysing data and fixing some things.

“This has been a pretty difficult track for them in the past, historically at least, so it shows that at least for the moment, we are doing a decent job, and we’ve got to keep going with this good momentum we’ve had from the beginning. Let’s keep working.”

2024 turned out to be a more difficult campaign than PREMA has been accustomed to in FIA F2. The team claimed multiple race victories, but they could not contend for either the Drivers’ or Teams’ Championships.

Minì says that the team has found some speed throughout the test so far

So far in 2025 however, they look to be back to their fighting best, a sentiment echoed by Minì, who has felt more and more positive signs as the early phase of the season progresses.

“I think the work over the winter is paying off. The results at the moment are going quite well. We’ve only done one race but it’s a good sign. We were quickest in Barcelona, qualified on Pole in Melbourne, we did the fastest lap in the Sprint and gained many positions.

“Once again, we are the quickest at the moment here in Bahrain. The season is long, we know that we need to keep working but for the moment, the work we’ve done over the winter seems to be paying off.”

Part of that has been down to the team, however the Alpine Academy driver says he has also put in a lot of work over the winter himself to change how he approaches things this season.

Apart from an extensive gym programme, Minì says he has adapted his driving style to better suit the Formula 2 car. It looks to be paying off, as he topped yet another session having been fast in Barcelona testing and Round 1 in Melbourne.

The final day will be a focus on race pace as the team looks to dial in setup ahead of Round 2

“I’ve had to completely change what I used to do. It’s not been easy because as a driver you have natural strengths and driving traits that you can’t really change.

“It’s not been the easiest thing for me but with the help of all the guys around me and myself, we’re trying and for the moment, we’ve been able to change that. It’s something that’s not natural and it’s a different driving style compared to all other cars, so I need to keep focusing on and working at that.”

With one final day to go, the focus will switch from single lap pace to speed across longer stints, with Sprint and Feature Race simulations on the cards according to the PREMA driver.

“We’ve done quite a few long runs, but we still need to analyse it more in depth later on. I think all the teams if not most have used all their sets of Options. Tomorrow will mainly be Sprint and Feature Race simulations. A bit less entertaining but it’s really, really useful. If you start on Pole but have no pace in the races you’re not going to be able to do anything about it.”