Minì quietly confident after assured start with Hitech Pulse-Eight

15 February 2023

After topping the timing sheets at the end of Day 2, Gabrielé Minì says that the progress Hitech Pulse-Eight have made has been encouraging. Minì finished narrowly clear of Grégoire Saucy in Day 2’s afternoon session. It ended the Swiss driver’s streak of topping every session so far across the pre-season test.

His 1:48.175 meant he was the highest-placed of he and his three teammates. But, with both Sebastián Montoya and Luke Browning inside the top 10 (third and seventh respectively), it was a strong day for the British team all round.

“I think overall, it was a pretty positive day. We started this morning going out on new tyres and we were already were in the top three, so it was not bad at all. Also in the race sims, we were in the top three fastest.

“In the afternoon it was the same – we went into another race simulation and were very competitive there. Then we went onto the new tyre run and managed to put in quite a good lap. So I think overall, it was a very positive day.”

Following his first two days driving the car in 2023, the Italian says that slowly but surely working towards the front. He and his Hitech Pulse-Eight team are completing the run plans as desired, building up confidence ahead of the season opening race after a comparatively anonymous first day. Though he didn’t take create any headline times, things have been going as planned within the team.

“Yesterday we weren’t really pushing for position. In the morning we went for the race simulation while everyone else went with new tyres. Of course, when you’re on new tyres there is a big gap. In the afternoon, we didn’t finish the run, but we could have been in the top three maybe.”

As well as leading the way in the afternoon, Minì achieved 68 laps in total on Day 2, a strong figure heading into the final day. Critically, the 17-year-old says that he has grown more and more confident with the Pirelli tyres with each lap he’s completed.

With four hours of track time remaining before teams regroup ahead of Round 1, every lap will count according to Minì. His experience so far has been wholly positive, saying that the F3 car has been a welcome challenge but one he feels very comfortable with by now.

“The car for sure is amazing to drive. It’s not too hard physical physically for me, it has lot of downforce and we can carry a lot of speed. That's the only thing that has to change - the mindset. From what I drove last year, it’s really nice.

“Even though they’re called the hard tyre, they still are a pretty competitive compound, quite soft compared to what I'm used to. Of course, it degrades quite quickly, so you need to really be there on the first push especially in Quali, and then in the race, you have to be really good at being able to push but not to destroy the tyres in the same moment.

“You learn more and more with every lap you do. I learned quite a lot from the race simulations and those that I did this morning. I tried to put that into the one that I did this afternoon and it was pretty strong and of course, the car seems to be pretty good. We just have to keep working hard and keep going like this.”

Ahead of the third and final day of track action, Minì expects everyone to be bolting on some new tyres and attempting a few statement laps to sign off the test with. He also says Hitech Pulse-Eight will be undertaking a final race simulation in the afternoon. It will be the final chance to put all he has learned into practice one final time before competitive racing begins.

“Even if I don’t want to go for it, everyone will see it by the end of the day. I think we’re going to go for a Qualifying simulation in the morning and then we will go for an easier afternoon where we’re doing the race simulation. I think everybody will do it like this.”