Gabriele Mini is heading into the final FIA F3 round at Monza this weekend with an opportunity to clinch the championship.
The Italian driver sits just one point behind his compatriot and championship leader, Leonardo Fornaroli after nine rounds this year.
Mini has been a contender all season, taking victory in the Feature Race at Monaco and standing on the podium five times this year in FIA F3.
The PREMA driver is under extra pressure compared to drivers such as rookie Arvid Lindblad, as Mini is approaching the end of his second year.
Gabriele Mini admits qualifying ‘will be a bit of a lottery’ at Monza
Qualifying at Monza is often chaotic, with slipstreaming and top speed on the circuit’s many long straights playing a vital role.
The session is usually defined by tedious queuing throughout the final part of the lap and the last turn at Curva Alboreto, as drivers desperately try to benefit from a tow.
This has caused the FIA to intervene and the 30-car field will qualify in two groups rather than the usual session with all cars on the track.
Mini is wary of the unpredictability Monza can cause with stoppages and the fine margins required to deliver a good lap at the fastest track on the calendar.
He told the FIA F3 website: “Monza can be a bit of a lottery with the slipstream games, you don’t have many laps in Qualifying if all goes well. Then there could be Red or Yellow Flags in Monza, and with a slipstream you can gain four or five tenths, so it will be a bit of a lottery, and we will see.”
Just 16 points separate the top four in the standings, and the title battle could go down to Sunday’s Feature Race.
Mini is adamant that he has to deliver this weekend and win the title. The 19-year-old also explained that despite the immense pressure, it is a normal feeling for many of the drivers.
He added: “It’s my second season so I have to win. The goal is always to win so of course it’s nice to go into the final round in contention for the title.
“The fight is really close, we are only a point behind and the top four are close, so you can go from P1 to P4 in just one race. The pressure is high, and you have to deliver and do well. But, as drivers, we are used to it.”
Qualifying will be vital at Monza with two points available for pole position
The margins throughout qualifying in FIA F3 this season have been incredibly fine. Less than half a second separated the top 14 drivers battling for pole position at Spa-Francorchamps.
Monza could present a similar story, with only 11 turns on the track and the cars closely matched at the year’s final round.
The two points available for pole position could be a critical aspect of the title fight. Williams junior Luke Browning is the only title contender to have achieved multiple pole positions this year, while Mini set the pace in qualifying at Monaco.
His prowess in qualifying could give Browning a slight advantage, but the title battle remains very closely matched.