Gabriele Mini debuted in Formula 2 in Baku for PREMA, replacing Oliver Bearman as he made a one-off appearance in F1 for Haas in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Italian driver had an impressive weekend after moving up from FIA F3 and coming agonisingly close to clinching the championship at the season finale at Monza.
On his Formula 2 debut, Mini qualified in eighth place at the Baku City Circuit, a new track for the PREMA driver. This position also placed him third on the grid for the Sprint Race on Saturday.
He went on to take third place in the opening race of the weekend, narrowly getting the better of Frenchman Victor Martins.
The 19-year-old adjusted to the new car quickly on his debut weekend against drivers who have had all year to sharpen their skills.
Despite the impressive qualifying performance, Mini still felt there was more on the table and noted on the Chasing The Dream series that he could’ve qualified even higher up the grid.
Gabriele Mini believes his F2 qualifying in Azerbaijan was a ‘shame’
The Baku City Circuit is a unique track on the Formula 2 calendar as it is a narrow street circuit balanced by a long pit straight.
This style of layout requires a compromised downforce level as the cars need to be competitive in the technical middle sector but not be vulnerable to an overtake at Turn 1.
Mini built up his confidence throughout the weekend and was ready to challenge the top 10 over a single lap in qualifying while experiencing an F1 race weekend, a priority for the F2 series.
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The Italian driver qualified in eighth place but felt he could’ve set an even quicker time even if the red flags weren’t brought out at the end. Both Campos Racing cars of Isack Hadjar and Pepe Marti hit the wall at Turn 1 in identical incidents.
Mini said: “A bit of a shame because before the red flag, there was even more potential than that last push coming even quicker than my best lap. But, still, I think I can be pretty satisfied with it.”
Gabriele Mini is likely to step up to FIA Formula 2 next season
Mini performed admirably throughout the FIA F3 season, losing the championship on the last turn of the year before being disqualified from Monza’s Feature Race.
Despite missing out on the title, he is likely to move into Formula 2, potentially staying with the Italian team PREMA.
Both of the team’s current drivers, Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, are graduating to Formula 1, which will give Mini a clearer pathway into Formula 2 for 2025.