“We don’t overcomplicate anything.” - Minì details key factor behind Hungary F2 sprint win

Credit: Formula 2 via X

“Do it when you’re sure to do it.”

This was the key radio message relayed to MP Motorsport’s Gabriele Minì on Lap 9 of the Formula 2 sprint race at Hungary. The all-important command that gave the Italian driver leverage to go for the move, but to do it clinically. 

Track position has always been key in F2 around the Hungaroring, and on Saturday, it would be more of the same. Drivers would end up being stuck in the infamous DRS trains, unable to make a move and gain track position in the first sector. 

“It's really easy to push too much on the tyres and end up losing positions instead of gaining only one or keeping yours,” Minì reiterated on the challenging day the drivers faced in the 28-lap sprint. Trident’s Laurens van Hoepen also weighed in his thoughts on approaching such a race. “You really have to keep your head on this track and be patient is the main point here.” 

Patience remained one of the key virtues for any driver in prime position to win around the Hungaroring. Drivers were itching to make an overtake on the day, with championship leader Nikola Tsolov attempting an early move on PREMA’s Sebastián Montoya at Turn 1. 

Further back, ART’s Kush Maini relayed his dismay at the slow nature of the race early on, unable to make his way past those ahead. The advice to him remained the same: To be patient and play the long game. 

Credit: Formula 2 via X

For Minì up front, keeping his head and pulling off the move at the right time would be key. If he did it, he would have to do it without losing time, as Tsolov lurked in sight to capitalise on any mishap that could have occurred. 

The pace ebbed and flowed among the top three, as Minì and Tsolov both slipped in and out of DRS during the race, running behind Montoya’s PREMA. “It's really important, especially on this track, to manage (tyres) at the beginning, but then also to keep the track position,” Minì replied, speaking on this approach early on. 

Then came the key instruction from his engineer, a clear command to make the critical move on race leader Montoya at the right time, but to do it only when he was sure of keeping his position. 

It only emphasised the clarity in communication between race engineer and driver that MP Motorsport had come to be known for, over multiple seasons, something Minì believed had enhanced MP Motorsport’s style of working in comparison to their competitors. 

“We keep the communication very simple,” Minì would respond, echoing Richard Verschoor’s thoughts from 2025 to DIVEBOMB ahead of F2’s Red Bull Ring weekend earlier. 

“We don't overcomplicate anything. It's very important because it also just helps with the mental state too,” the MP Motorsport driver had reiterated back then. 

Similar thoughts would be visible at Silverstone, with the pit wall giving Minì the motivation to hold on to the race lead from a charging Tsolov. Even if in vain, the Italian knew his turn would come one day to remain at the forefront. 

As such, he would shadow the PREMA driver for a further seven tours around the Hungaroring’s tight and twisty corners. Always staying in the one-second window, Minì claimed the aid of DRS, giving him an additional buffer from the chasing Tsolov behind.    

The key move that set up Minì's victory in Hungary's F2 sprint | Credit: Formula 2 via X

The key moment would come heading onto Lap 17, when Minì had closed up to under half a second behind the PREMA driver ahead. “I knew I was quicker. I was much quicker in the last two corners,” Minì expressed, on his charge for the race lead. 

Heading into the final right-hander of Turn 14, the MP Motorsport man was almost pushing Montoya onto the main straight, shaping up for a big race-winning overtake. 

There remained an element of risk in the overtake, with the Colombian fierce in defence, holding firm on the inside. He had started from the front of the field for a sprint race for the third time in four weekends, with two previous attempts at victory not falling in his favour. 

Defending the inside line into Turn 1, a lock-up of his front tyres allowed Minì to switch his line heading down to Turn 2, as he utilised the mistake from his rival as a key opportunity to secure the lead for good. 

Making overtakes and moving up the order was a key aspect highlighted as a challenge earlier in the weekend, and for Minì, getting the move done without amplifying the risk would be key to sealing the deal. Even if it was overtaking only a single car on the track. 

“We (me and my engineer) spoke quite a lot about this before the race,” the Italian reiterated, on outlining the goal. “We know more or less what to expect also from previous years.

“It's still very important to try and get the overtake, so you have to balance out the two things (risk vs reward),” he concluded, speaking to DIVEBOMB after the sprint.    

For Minì, this overtake would be crucial towards shaping his race weekend. For someone coming off a difficult weekend in Spa, the race win now looked more of a formality, and he just ticked down the laps until the end. 

Even as Montoya attempted to stay with the MP Motorsport man, he would quickly fall out of the key one-second mark to gain DRS, instead forced to fend off pressure from Tsolov’s Campos along the way. A late lunge for the latter on Lap 21 ended both drivers’ races.

Montoya would stop on the exit of Turn 1, while Tsolov limped back to the pits with a broken suspension.

This only amplified Minì’s gain in the standings. What stood at a two-point gain on Lap 10 was now a massive 11-point inroad into Tsolov’s championship lead, as the Italian took home the point for the fastest lap. It would now be game on for the lead, with Minì just 16 points off the Bulgarian’s lead, while Invicta’s Rafa Câmara now sits 31 points off the leader. 

The result will only spur both drivers to chase down the gap ahead, as Tsolov faced a post-race investigation for his incident, receiving a five-place grid drop for the Feature Race on Sunday. This drops him down to 12th on the grid, elevating Minì up to eighth on the road.

The goal for Minì, though, is clear in F2’s last Feature Race before the drivers head off for their annual summer break. “I'd rather take full points on Sunday,” Minì said, aiming for the big result. 

It will be a tall ask for the Italian driver to win from further down on Sunday’s race, but you can never rule anything out in F2. If anything, Minì will definitely be looking to follow his mantra of maximising the race ahead, and set himself up well once F2 returns from its summer break in September.