Minardi: I am amazed by the quality of Kimi's performance.

      In a column on his official website, former team owner Giancarlo Minardi shared his emotions after Kimi Antonelli's victory in Suzuka...

      Giancarlo Minardi: "After his first win in China, Kimi Antonelli confirmed his form with a brilliant performance in Suzuka – he secured pole position, set the fastest lap of the race, won the race, and took the lead in the individual standings of the World Championship.

      Regardless of the result, what impressed the most was the quality of his performance. To borrow a phrase beloved by former AC Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi – 'intuition, luck, and skill' – in this case, all components were present: Mercedes' intuition in selecting and preparing the driver, impeccable race management, and, above all, the skill of the driver himself.

      From a technical standpoint, Antonelli secured his victory in the second half of the race, after the safety car left. He maintained an extremely stable pace, consistently clocking laps faster than 1:33 – with two exceptions – and showed seven fastest laps, increasing his lead over the nearest rival Oscar Piastri to 14 seconds. This detail highlights not only his pure speed but also excellent control over the situation and tire wear on the challenging Suzuka circuit.

      Kimi proved that he learned a lot in his debut season. For Italian sports, Antonelli is an exceptional role model and a source of inspiration.

      It is clear that Mercedes needs to improve at the start, but overall the team demonstrated that its strength remains in its brilliant technical preparation, thanks to a well-balanced car.

      The battle between Leclerc and Russell allowed for a comparison between Ferrari and Mercedes. Charles made the most of the situation, defending his position very well despite a lack of speed. Ferrari secured another important podium, but still lags behind – and this gap needs to be closed by adding stability to their results.

      There are signs of McLaren's return after two challenging races, indicating the great potential of their car that the team needs to unlock. Since they have the same power unit as Mercedes, they will focus primarily on chassis and aerodynamic balance.

      Alpine is also benefiting from the efficiency of the Mercedes power unit – Gasly was able to fend off Max Verstappen's attacks throughout the race.

      The start of the season has been interesting. It's a pity that Formula 1 had to take a forced month-long break, but teams will be able to work at their bases, calmly analyze the data collected on three different circuits. When the season resumes in Miami, there may be some changes in the balance of power."