Nissan Formula E team has confirmed Gabriele Mini will drive for the team in the rookie practice session at next week’s Jeddah E-Prix.

The Italian youngster, who will make his full-time Formula 2 debut with Prema this year whilst continuing as a member of the Alpine Academy, has already tasted FE with the Japanese marque, partaking in the previous rookie test in Berlin last May.

The move is continuation of the team’s relationship with the French Formula 1 team’s breeding ground, both of which are based at Viry-Chatillon.

In a statement released by Nissan, Mini said: “I’m looking forward to this opportunity after working with the team at the Berlin Rookie Test last year.

“It was my first time in an electric race car then and I learnt a lot which I’m confident can help me in Jeddah.

“The biggest challenge when I discovered Formula E was the complexity of the race simulation, and having to be quick but also efficient, with energy management, at the same time.

“I’ve worked in the simulator to prepare for the challenges in Jeddah, but there will be unknowns as this is a new circuit.

“My goal is to help the team for the remainder of the weekend by collecting as much data as possible.”

Nissan boss Volpe ‘delighted’ with Mini acquisition

Team Principal Tommaso Volpe said: “We’re delighted to be working with a great talent like Gabriele again after the Berlin Rookie Test in Season 10.

“He’s showed impressive performance with us since the beginning, and has also had a very strong season in 2024, finishing second in Formula 3 and securing a F2 podium on his debut.

“This Rookie Free Practice session is going to be very important as it will be the very first time that the cars will be on track at a brand-new location.

“We’ll be looking to collect as much meaningful data as possible during those 40 minutes, and that’s precisely why we wanted to get Gabriele back for this session, as we know he can help us with the initial car set up.

“We look forward to being back on track with him and to his contribution to the team ahead of the race.”

READ MORE – DS Penske snap up Daniil Kvyat for Jeddah rookie practice

The post Nissan confirm Gabriele Mini for Formula E rookie outing appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Prema has revealed that Gabriele Mini will make his Formula 2 debut in Azerbaijan this weekend to replace Oliver Bearman, who will compete in Formula 1 with Haas.

Haas F1 has called upon Bearman’s services as Kevin Magnussen has attained 12 points on his FIA Superlicense over a rolling 12-month period to receive a race ban.

Bearman’s absence will see Mini slot in along with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was announced as a Mercedes F1 driver earlier this month, to represent Prema in Baku.

Mini raced with Prema in F3 this term and ended as runner-up in the championship, losing out on the title when Leonardo Fornaroli made a last-corner pass at Monza.

However, the Italian’s dismay at that decisive twist was eased as he was later excluded when the technical delegates found his car ran under minimum tyre pressures.

Mini is poised to graduate to F2 on a permanent basis in 2025, with Prema looking like the side that he will take that step with as Bearman and Antonelli ascend to F1.

“[I’m] very happy to be joining Prema Racing for the FIA Formula 2 event at Baku,” Mini expressed.

“We had a strong season in 2024, and we have been fighting for the title until the last corner.

“Formula 2 is the main option for 2025 so it’s also very important to join early at Baku. It’s a good opportunity for me to learn with the new car and series.”

Prema Team Principal Rene Rosin added: “We cannot wait to see Gabriele make his FIA Formula 2 debut.

“It’s very rewarding to see him graduate to the top junior single-seater series after making his very first steps with our team back in 2020.

“It will be a useful opportunity for both him and the team.

“On the other hand, we want to wish Ollie the best in his second Formula 1 start and we look forward to having him back for the final part of the year.”

Elsewhere, Trident has announced that Christian Mansell will take Roman Stanek’s place in the team across the remaining F2 rounds this term, starting this weekend.

Like Mini, Mansell also competed in F3 the past season and the Australian delivered an impressive campaign as he took five podiums to end up fifth in the standings.

“I can’t wait to make my FIA Formula 2 debut with Trident Motorsport,” said Mansell.

“I’m extremely happy to race with this Italian team on the Baku street circuit and in the next two events before the end of the season.

“It will be a fiery debut on a challenging track like the Azerbaijani one, but I must confess I’m more excited than nervous.”

Trident Team Manager Giacomo Ricci expressed: “We are extremely delighted to field Australian driver Christian Mansell in the next three rounds of the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

“I consider him one of the most talented emerging drivers we have seen this year in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, where he was in contention for the title until the final round in Monza.

“Christian is a complete driver, quick in qualifying, and extremely good at managing tyres and overtaking. Making his debut in Baku will certainly be an ambitious goal, not easy at all.

“We have carried out dedicated preparation work with him, and I am convinced that it will pay dividends, especially if there will be no interruptions in the free practice session.

“I am sure there are all the conditions to do well.”

The post Mini to replace F1-bound Bearman at Prema for Baku F2 round appeared first on Motorsport Week.

FIA Formula 3 Championship contender Gabriele Mini has said that his Prema team have not set any ground rules as all three of the team’s drivers could become champion at Monza this weekend.

Five different drivers could become victor on Sunday, with Mini the highest-placed of the Prema drivers, lying in second with 128 points, just one short of leader Leonardo Fornaroli.

Mini’s team-mates, Britain’s Arvid Lindblad and Sweden’s Dino Beganovic are fourth and fifth respectively, but sit on the periphery of the battle, being 16 and 29 points shy of Fornaroli’s current haul. Hitch’s Luke Browning is also in the mix in third place, on 123 points.

Despite this leaving the Italian the most likely of the Prema drivers to walk away with the crown, Mini has told Motorsport Week that his team has no plans to deploy team orders.

“I think we’ll be racing between each other as we have always had during the year, during the season,” he said.

“We’re not going to for sure impede each other, but we’re not going to help each other either. So I think there is nothing set by the team in particular and nothing will change in our approach.”

Mini also talked of his pride in how his season has gone, and hinted that perhaps his performances have led to positive changes for 2025.

“Well, I think we’ve done a good step from last year, which was my main goal, so I’m proud of that,” he said.

“For sure, I’m not proud of every round because there were so many occasions or so many moments where something could have gone better that would have changed the whole weekend.

“We can say about Barcelona or about Hungary, these kind of things. I think how the championship will sort out probably will change also maybe something for next year. I mean, it could already be sorted out, I don’t really know that already. I don’t think we can really say much about that yet.”

The post Mini says ‘nothing set’ by Prema as team’s drivers prepare for F3 title showdown appeared first on Motorsport Week.

After securing a fine one-two finish in Saturday’s FIA Formula 3 Sprint at Spa-Francorchamps Belgium, race winner Dino Beganovic and championship leader Gabriele Mini had their say on the evolving title fight.

Mini got the holeshot from reverse grid polesitter Beganovic at lights out, with damp conditions making things tricky for the slick-shod runners.

After an early Safety Car intervention, Beganovic reclaimed the lead once the race restarted and from there, the Prema duo controlled the race in formation.

Victory brings Beganovic back into the championship picture with 100 points, 28 behind Mini at the top, who handled pressure from behind to extend his championship lead.

“In a way, I think in every race you always want to maximize what you do,” Mini said post-race.

“Of course now we’re in the second last round of the championship you also have to think about the championship standings.

“The goal was to of course gain points if you can win, if not try to get the good points and gain over the competitors which is what we did today.”

Beganovic meanwhile, now on the outside looking in with a slightly stronger claim for title glory, will be looking to end Sunday’s feature within an even smaller gap to his championship-leading team-mate.

 “It will always be a tough race [Sunday], you know, managing it well with race conditions,” Beganovic said.

“We expect tyre management in the race tomorrow but the goal will be to leave for the summer break with a bit smaller gap than we started the weekend [with].”

The defining moment of the race came on Lap 4, as Beganovic closed to the rear of Mini through Eau Rogue and Raidillon before going around the outside at the entry of Les Combes.

On one of the toughest circuits on the F3 calendar, with damp conditions making things even trickier, going nose to tail through the fearsome Eau Rouge and Raidillon isn’t for the faint of heart, especially when one wrong move could see you crash into your title rival and team-mate.

However, for Beganovic and Mini it was no issue, with the pair sharing a long history of racing both as team-mates and rivals.

“I don’t think it’s just about being teammates, it’s more that we have raced each other since karting and we have raced each other since 2016/15,” Beganovic said.

“So it’s been a couple of years that we are together, driving wheel to wheel with each other and we know how to race each other, just basically like that.

“The conditions are tricky, of course it makes it more difficult, but it’s always been hard racing with us, with us two also fighting for the [Formula Regional] championship in 2022 and always fighting each other in whatever category we’ve been in.

“So this definitely helps to understand the other driver more, but it’s always been fair.” 

The post Title fights and team-mate battles, Beganovic and Mini react to Spa F3 Sprint appeared first on Motorsport Week.

A number of FIA Formula 3 World Championship drivers believe the races in Monaco will be cleaner than in Imola, where the Sprint in particular was interrupted multiple times.

The Saturday Sprint Race in Emilia Romagna last weekend was interrupted on five occasions with four Safety Cars and one Virtual Safety Car as several drivers had comings together or off-track excursions.

The Imola Feature was an altogether smoother affair and F3’s drivers predict that Monaco should be similar.

“Well, of course, the sprint in Imola was not ideal,” said Prema’s Gabriele Mini.

“There were many, many safety cars.

“But of course, with the new gravel traps that were there, it was really easy. As soon as you do just locking, you get stuck in the gravel and [it] just becomes impossible to get out.

“The feature, of course, was just another story. I think everybody was a bit more careful and maybe less unlucky events.

“So I think here in Monaco, to be honest, there should not be too many safety cars. Maybe in the first lap, you know, everybody’s close and we’ll try to do something. But realistically, you cannot really take or do crazy stuff around here.

“So we will see. Every time I say something, usually it goes in another way.”

Nikita Bedrin agreed with Mini that the racing should run smoother in Moanco than it did in Imola, but ahead of Thursday’s practice, he reckoned stoppages could occur as drivers got to grips with the Monaco circuit.

“I don’t really think there will be [many] safety cars [in the race],” he said. “I know that I am quite sure there will be many red flags in practice and qualis, but I don’t think there will be much stuff happening in the races.” 

Bedrin, who was 19th fastest in Thursday’s practice, was proved right regarding red flags as the session was interrupted by multiple stoppages.

Qualifying for Monaco’s F3 races will be split into two groups on Friday, with the even-numbered cars heading out in Group A at 11:05 local time (GMT+2) and the odd-numbered vehicles running in Group B from 11:29 local time.

The sixth fastest car in Group B will take the reverse grid pole for Saturday’s Sprint.

With regards to the Sprint, Laurens van Hoepen disagreed slightly with Mini and Bedrin, believing that the race could be similarly chaotic to Imola’s short race event.

“For Monaco, I think you can maybe expect a bit of the same because of course, there are so many rookies here,” he said.

“So in the sprint, I think it’s going to be like quite a big learning curve for everybody, which can sometimes result in quite a few safety cars. 

“But then for the future, I expect it to be much cleaner [in the Feature].”

The post F3 drivers predict cleaner racing in Monaco after chaotic Imola Sprint appeared first on Motorsport Week.

FIA Formula 3 title contender Gabriele Mini is feeling confident ahead of this weekend’s round in Monaco, where he was victorious last year.

The Alpine Academy driver, competing with Prema is enjoying a consistent campaign thus far, rewarding him with fourth place in the Drivers’ standings.

Mini, 19, is just seven points adrift of fellow Italian Leonardo Fornaroli atop the standings and has every reason to believe he can mount a strong challenge this weekend.

The 19-year-old has plenty of experience around the principality, racing twice in Formula Regional Championship by Alpine and winning last year’s F3 Feature Race.

“Last year was really the perfect scenario,” said Mini.

“We had a really good setup base. I knew also the track really well because of the Formula Regional experience I had.

“This year will be a bit different. You know, most of the second-year drivers that are fighting in the championship lead with me have already been here, and they’ve all been really quick. So yeah, we’ll see how we’ll go.”

Speaking of the championship, Mini is one of five drivers separated by just 11 points at the top of the table, despite failing to pick up a win so far this term.

The Prema driver credits maximising every opportunity with enabling him to be in the championship fight, whilst acknowledging how competitive the field is.

“Well, I think the championship this year is really tight,” he said.

“We see many, many drivers that are always at the front. For example, the top five are really close in the championship.

“But we see how, for example, Oliver [Goethe], I think before Imola didn’t have a podium, if I’m not mistaken. And now with just one race [win] he’s already there.

“Of course, consistency is key to try and win the championship. At some point, you need to still win the races, you know, because it gives such a point advantage that it would just make a big difference.

“What I’m trying to do is to focus on each event. So each practice lap, each quali lap and then each race and race by race, you know, that’s why I’m trying to maximize every point we have, maybe not taking too big risk sometimes. And in the end, just trying to bring everything home at all races.

“Of course, you still want to try, as I said, and maximize and even get some wins. But when you cannot win, I think the key is to really bring the points home.”

Speaking on wins, Mini doesn’t think there’s much missing from his performances to get over the hurdle of taking to the top step of the podium in 2024.

The Italian had a tricky start at Imola that cost him a shot at a large points haul, but is confident moving forward given his strong pace.

“I don’t think we are missing much,” he said.

“You know, in Imola, I got the clutch issue at the start.

“So yeah, I lost basically seven places and then came back to be sixth. I think, to be honest, it was the best opportunity I had this season because we were clearly really quick. One of the quickest on track, I think.

“So I think by getting just a normal start, you know, we could have not won easily, but we could have for sure fought for the win.

“But once again, when you cannot take the win, try to maximise the points.”

The post F3 title contender Mini confident ahead of Monaco appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Gabriele Mini has taken his first race victory in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, prevailing around the streets of Monaco in the Feature Race.

Mini started the race from pole position after a strong display during Friday’s qualifying session.

The Italian led the field away at the start and held his position all through the race – however in the final stages, he came under pressure.

Following in second place, Dino Beganovic pushed the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver to the finish, but couldn’t make a move stick around the narrow Monaco track.

The duo crossed the line several seconds ahead of Paul Aron, who like his Prema team-mate Beganovic and race-winner Mini, took his second podium result of the 2023 season.

Luke Browning took a strong fourth place result, ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto who was promoted to fifth place following a time penalty for Taylor Barnard.

Franco Colapinto was sixth, ahead of the final Prema car of Zak O’Sullivan. 

Saturday’s Sprint Race winner Pepe Marti was ninth, behind the penalised Barnard.

The ART Grand Prix duo of Gregoire Saucy and Nikola Tsolov finished 10th and 11th respectively, with the former taking the final point on offer.

There was just one Safety Car called during the 27 lap race, with Race Control forced to take action on the opening lap when Ido Cohen found the barriers.

Another incident later in the race saw Caio Collet and Sebastian Montoya come together on the run up the hill, forcing both to retire while running deep inside the points.

F3 will return in one week’s time around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The post Mini holds off Beganovic in Monaco to take first F3 win appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Hitech GP’s Gabriele Mini will start the Formula 3 Monaco Feature Race from pole position alongside Dino Beganovic after Mini set the fastest time in Group B. 

Prema’s Beganovic made a leap from fourth fastest to take the fastest lap of the session in Group A with a time of 1:23.880 but in the final moments of Group B qualifying, Mini stormed to pole after laying down a 1:23.270.

The 30-driver grid was split into two groups for qualifying, as is usual for Formula 3 at the Monte Carlo street circuit. Groups A and B are then aggregated together to form the grid with the group that earns the overall fastest time starting from pole and the other fastest driver starting P2. 

Positions then alternate between the groups for the remaining positions. 

The first group needed a few laps around the short Monaco circuit to warm the tyres and with 10 minutes remaining the first push laps began. Christian Mansell put in the first fastest time followed by Oliver Goethe and Leonardo Fornaroli, but the drivers still had some work to do to match their times from practice. 

Lap times continues to tumble in the following minutes with Beganovic topping the timing screen followed by Luke Browning and Franco Colapinto, who displaced those who were previously in the top three. 

Ollie Gray had a moment going wide at Turn 18 but he was able to avoid the wall. Meanwhile, Browning and Colapinto continued to better their fastest times. 

Browning set the fastest third sector to set the fastest lap of the session so far with five minutes remaining. 

A number of drivers had a close encounter with the walls around the swimming pool chicane but all were able to avoid a collision. Montoya meanwhile was improving on his best time and slotted in second fastest behind Browning. 

Goethe brought out double-waved yellows with two minutes to go when he went straight on at Turn 1. 

The Ferrari Academy driver made a leap from fourth fastest to take the fastest lap of the session in Group A with a time of 1:23.880. 

Browning while setting the fastest first sector, brushed the wall in the final sector and was forced to bail on his fast lap meaning he wasn’t able to challenge Beganovic’s fastest time. 

There was late drama for Montoya as he brushed the wall through the final corner, luckily for him, there was no visible damage. However, a lap later he wasn’t so lucky as he collided with the wall, forcing him to abandon the car as the session ended. 

The Group B session got underway following the first group with the other fifteen drivers taking to the twists and turns of the Monte Carlo circuit. 

As in Group A’s session, the Group B drivers took a few laps to get the tyres up to temperature which allowed the grid to spread out around the track. 

The drivers were up to speed with just over ten minutes remaining. Mini occupied the top of the timing screen, followed by Caio Collet before Pepe Marti set the fastest time and Zak O’Sullivan set the third fastest time. 

The times quickly began to tumble further as Paul Aron improved to second fastest and Nikola Tsolov jumped O’Sullivan to claim the fourth fastest time with four minutes remaining. 

Aron had a close encounter with the barrier and later, Collet had a scrape with the wall in the middle sector. 

Gabriel Bortoleto made a huge leap from tenth fastest to third fastest with the fastest first sector. 

Collet attempted to improve by going purple in the middle sector but wasn’t able to challenge the top two. 

Despite the times tumbling, they weren’t yet able to beat Beganovic’s fastest time set in Group A.

However, in the final moments, Mini set the fastest time of the Group B session of 1:23.270, securing the fastest time of qualifying. 

The post Mini takes F3 pole for Monaco Feature Race appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Hitech Grand Prix has announced Gabriele Mini will race for the team during the 2023 FIA Formula 3 campaign.

Mini, 17, spent the last two years racing in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, taking second in the 2022 standings.

The Italian took three wins and a further six podiums across year in the category, after securing four podiums during his 2021 campaign.

In 2020, he raced in the Italian Formula 4 Championship, where he claimed the title in his first season of single-seater racing.

Mini was present with Hitech GP at the post-season F3 test from Jerez in September to build his experience with the team, having already raced for it during Formula Regional Asia at the start of the year.

“After two seasons in FRECA, FIA F3 is the logical step for me and I’m delighted to be joining Hitech for the 2023 season,” Mini said.

“We already worked together last winter in Formula Regional Asia and enjoyed strong results.

“The team did a solid job last season fighting for the driver’s title until the last round so I’m confident they will perform at the highest level. Testing in Jerez last month went well and I cannot wait to be back in the car next year.”

Mini is the first of three drivers that Hitech has announced for the 2023 campaign.

Team Principal Oliver Oakes added: “I have been following Gabriele’s career for some time through Karting, then into F4.

“We had the pleasure to work with him earlier this year in Asian F3 with good results, seeing first-hand his commitment and talent.

“He has had an impressive season in FRECA and he was instantly up to speed during the FIA F3 post-season testing in Jerez, so we look forward to seeing him with Hitech in 2023.”

	Team	No.		Drivers
	Prema Racing	1 2 3		Dino Beganovic Gabriele Mini Arvid Lindblad
	Trident	4 5 6		Leonardo Fornaroli Sami Meguetounif Santiago Ramos
	MP Motorsport	7 8 9		Tim Tramnitz Kacper Sztuka Alexander Dunne
	Campos Racing	10 11 12		Oliver Goethe Sebastian Montoya Mari Boya
	Hitech Grand Prix	14 15 16		Luke Browning Martinius Stenshorne Cian Shields
	Jenzer Motorsport	17 18 19		Charlie Wurz Maxwell Esterson Matias Zagazeta
	Van Amersfoort Racing	20 21 22		Noel Leon Sophia Floersch Tommy Smith
	ART Grand Prix	23 24 25		Christian Mansell Laurens Van Hoepen Nikola Tsolov
	PHM AIX Racing	26 27 28		Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak Nikita Bedrin Joshua Dufek
	Rodin Motorsport	29 30 31		Callum Voisin Piotr Wiśnicki Joseph Loake

The post Hitech GP announces Mini to 2023 F3 squad appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Gabriele Mini, 15, has been crowned the 2020 Italian Formula 4 champion, sealing the title with a round to spare.

Mini, who currently has a margin of 85 points over compatriot Francesco Pizzi, secured the title after claiming a victory and two second-placed finishes last weekend at Imola.

The Italian is the fifth Prema driver to claim the Drivers’ Championship since the series’ inception in 2014 – the maiden title went to current Racing Point F1 driver Lance Stroll.

He is also the first Italian driver to win the championship.

“It feels so good,” Mini said. “It has been a tough Championship since the beginning of the year.

“I tried to carry as many points as I could and I tried to learn from every mistake. It would have been perfect with a race win but I’m still really happy for this title.

“I can’t be enough thankful to my team, my management and everyone who supported me.

“Winning my first title in single-seaters is really something special, I really can’t explain my feelings right now, I’m so happy.”

Mini’s title-winning performance came on a weekend in which Ferrari-backed Prema team-mate Dino Beganovic, third in the standings, claimed his maiden single-seater race victory. 

Mini is currently managed by Nicolas Todt, son of FIA president Jean Todt, who also works with F1’s Charles Leclerc and Daniil Kvyat.

The final round of the Italian F4 season will take place next month at Vallelunga.

The post 15-year-old rookie Mini secures Italian F4 Championship appeared first on Motorsport Week.