Doornbos Feels at Home at Minardi
Minardi new boy Robert Doornbos claims he already feels at home with the Italian team after an encouraging first day of action with them at Hockenheim
The Dutchman, who has taken the seat vacated by Patrick Friesacher, ended practice just one tenth slower than teammate Christijan Albers.
Both drivers were using a new rear-wing configuration on their PS05 cars.
"It's been a good first day at the office of Minardi," said Doornbos. "I've been made to feel very welcome, from the time I arrived at the factory for the seat fitting, and I want to thank all the guys for their support.
"This morning, we tried various things with the set-up. I already had an idea about the direction in which I wanted to go, and between my Race Engineer, Riccardo Adami, and me, we found a good way of working.
"We made some big changes for the second session, and they worked out very well. Already, I feel very confident in the car, and I ended the session with a long stint. I'm looking forward to the weekend, and it can only get better."
Albers, meanwhile, had his programme interrupted by a minor collision with Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella.
"The morning session was fine, and we made good progress," he said. "This afternoon was not so good, since we lost track time as the result of an incident with Fisichella's Renault. We both went off the track and his car hit the right front of mine.
"There's no doubt the mechanics did a great job to repair the car so I could go out again to complete my tyre comparison runs. Unfortunately, though, the chassis balance wasn't quite as good as it had been previously.
"I had hoped for a little more today, but it's still a good solid start to the weekend."
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...
The breakthrough behind Sainz’s best weekend of F1 2022 so far
OPINION: Carlos Sainz came close to winning in Monaco but needed that race’s specific circumstances for his shot at a maiden Formula 1 victory to appear. Last weekend in Canada, he led the line for Ferrari in Charles Leclerc’s absence from the front. And there’s a key reason why Sainz has turned his 2022 form around
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix
Why “faster” Ferrari couldn’t beat Red Bull in Canadian GP
On paper the Canadian Grand Prix will go down as Max Verstappen’s latest triumph, fending off late pressure from Carlos Sainz to extend his Formula 1 world championship lead. But as safety car periods, virtual and real, shook up the race Ferrari demonstrated it can take the fight to Red Bull after recent failures