Gabriele Mini, born on March 20, 2005 in the province of Palermo, is one of young talents who represent Italy in the motoring world. Currently engaged in the Formula 3 Championship, the Marineo driver has always shown that he has something extra!
The beginnings in karting and the landing in Formula 4
A passion for engines, that of Gabriele, inherited from his coachbuilder father, who gave him a kart when he was one year old. The kart has gone from being a toy in his bedroom to his office on race weekends. His adventure in karting began when he was very young and already in 2016, Minì, won the Italian championship in the 60mini category, also repeating the following year. In 2017 triumphs in the championship WSK Super Masters and in 2018 in the class OK. Finishes second in the FIA European Kart Championship, class OK, but being crowned rookie of the year.
In 2020 he takes part in the Italian Formula 4 Championship with the Prema team, winning the title of Champion and being decreed the youngest driver to have won it. The following year, Minì took part in the FIA Formula 3 Regional European Championship, taking seventh place in the standings with ART Grand Prix. A busy year, 2022, which has seen Gabriele compete both in the Asian Formula Regional with the Hitech team, and in the FIA Formula 3 Regional European Championship always with ART. Gabriele has not only gained experience racing in these two championships, but has also brought home an excellent one fourth place with Hitech – considering he did not take part in the second round in Dubai – and a fantastic second place in European F3 Regional.
Formula 3: the first season of Minì
The great and constant results obtained meant that the English team, Hitech Pulse-Eight, hired the almost 18-year-old, Gabriele Minì, for the 2023 season in Formula 3. But that's not all, because the potential of the driver from Palermo has also been noticed by an important team that competes in Formula 1, the Alpine, who decided to include it in the Alpine Academy program, giving him further support for growth in the sport.
Surprising and full of twists was theFormula 3 debut of Gabriele Minthe. On the Shakir circuit, on 3 March, the Hitech driver took to the track aboard his single-seater for free practice, demonstrating excellent pace, despite the first position at the end of the session going to Gabriel Bortoleto. However, the music changed during the qualifications, Where Minì clearly dominated, improving his time in the last available lap and taking the deserved one pole position. The Sprint Race saw him slip to the rear of the grid, finishing the race in twenty-sixth position.
The faded victory
La Feature Races on Sunday it could have been a fantastic victory on the day of the debut in this category. He could, yes, because unfortunately the victory did not come. After losing the first position on the first lap in Bahrain, Minì ventured into a climb towards that lost position. Leadership regained, the news reaches him via team radio that no rider fighting for the top step of the podium wants to hear: “5 second penalty". Leading the pack was no longer enough to win and a few laps from the end, the number #15 of Hitech, tried everything to increase that gap which distanced him from Bortoleto who was behind him. His efforts weren't enough, Gabriele saw the checkered flag first but he could not raise the winner's trophy to the sky.
A bitterness for a nuanced victory that will have to turn into a hunger for revenge, because, on the other hand, the championship is only just beginning!
