PREMA’s Gabriele Minì eyes consistency heading into Jeddah

PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì had a tough weekend in Bahrain. After a promising opening round in Australia and In-season testing, the rookie driver is aiming for consistency in Jeddah. Looking to move himself up the championship standings.

The Alpine academy responded to questions in a press conference attended by Pit Debrief, discussing his Bahrain struggles and approach to the high-speed challenge of Jeddah as he targets consistency in his rookie Formula 2 season.

Bahrain vs Melbourne: PREMA’s true potential

Gabriele Minì started the season in Melbourne strong. He had a pole position and a points finish on his first outing in 2025. Despite an encouraging in-season test in Bahrain, he and teammate Sebastián Montoya had difficult weekends.

However, he remained positive, acknowledging PREMA’s form during the Australian Grand Prix.

“Yeah, I mean, last weekend, it was not what we expected, especially after the test at the event. But in Australia, we were really competitive. We got pole, we got the fastest lap and gained quite a lot of places in the sprint race.”

Minì went on to emphasise the unique features of Bahrain, which ultimately made it difficult for the team to perform. He suggested that the struggles over the weekend don’t paint the full picture of the team’s capabilities.

“Bahrain itself is quite a specific and unique track, let’s say, in terms of asphalt compared to any other tracks. But I don’t think it really reflects the performance of PREMA.”

Getting prepped for Jeddah debut

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is one of the few tracks on the F2 calendar that does not appear on the Formula 3 calendar. With a field comprised of many rookies in 2025, many are heading into the Saudi weekend without prior race experience there. Minì explained his preparations for conquering the fast street circuit of Saudi.

“The biggest difference I think will be in the first laps of FP. It will be up to us to be quickly up to speed.”

“We have done a lot of prep in the simulator and watched a lot of videos from previous years. So we more or less have the ideas of what we have to do on track. We just have to try and apply them well straight away.”

When asked about what he would classify as a ‘good weekend’ in Jeddah, Minì joked:

“A good weekend would be to be on pole, win the sprint and win the feature, and that would be good. But, you know, that would be cool. Everybody would be good with that.”

On a more serious note, the rookie driver emphasised the need for PREMA to maximise the potential of their car.

“But, once again, the goal is to always maximise what we have.”

Consistency is vital for Minì

Regardless of being in his rookie season of Formula 2, Minì is aiming to finish as the champion.

“I would be lying if I said that I didn’t want to win this season. But we know that we just have to try and maximise everything we have.”

“In Melbourne, we had the pace to be on pole, we were on pole. So it’s always the goal to try and maximise what you have.”

However, he must overcome some gaps between himself, sitting in tenth and those ahead. When asked by a Pit Debrief representative about key areas of performance needed to close the gap to frontrunners, Minì highlighted the importance of adaptability.

“It’s not really easy. Once again, it always depends from track to track. I focus on my job and that is trying to improve as a driver.”

“The key will be to be as consistent as possible in order to not have a weekend where you are first and one where you are, let’s say, last.”

Minì also noted the work both he and the team put in over the winter break, adding:

“We’ve already done a lot of work. Since the bases are there, of course, then it’s about finding a way to reach one of the tracks and finding the right compromises always.”

The importance of having the right strategy

Minì’s results in Bahrain highlighted how vital well-timed strategy calls can be. He and the team opted for aggressive pit windows and tyre gambles, which proved effective despite not having peak pace:

“Last week we’ve done two quite aggressive strategies… you do a pit in a situation where you know you have to try and take some risk to gain a few positions.”

“It paid off because even with struggling with some pace… starting from P12, we still managed to get a few points, which is better than nothing.”

The Alpine academy driver acknowledged that whilst that may have worked for the team in Bahrain, a much different approach will be needed in Jeddah. With many specific factors playing a major role in the team’s strategy this weekend.

“Jeddah is a bit unknown. It’s a completely different track with different tyre degradation, and we’ll have to adapt quickly.”

Tyre degradation is anticipated to be difficult for many of the drivers this weekend. On the bright side for teams, this was already a major issue for both teams and drivers in Bahrain. Minì was adamant that in these situations communication between team and driver is vital.

“Yeah, I mean, in the end, we are in the car, we can only see ourselves, you know. So, to be honest, the biggest input we can have is to always inform the team on our pace and our tyre conditions.”

Rivalries and admiration

Minì is a promising rookie in Formula 2; however, he is not shy to say that he draws inspiration from his competitors.

When asked by a Pit Debrief representative which drivers he draws inspiration from, the rookie was quick to name a familiar face in the junior ranks.

“Well, if I have to say one in Formula 2, I mean, one guy that I know quite well because we’ve been in the academy together, and it’s always been one category in front of me, and now this year we’re racing together. It’s Victor. I always consider him very strong.“

Victor Martins, a former Alpine Academy and current Williams racing driver, has been viewed as a benchmark. His consistency and race craft in junior categories have been “interesting” for Minì to watch.

“He managed to win the championship in F3 with what was not, let’s say, considerably the quickest package, and he maximised it and did a really good job. His speed in 2023 was really good. It was amazing, he was flying.”

“I always look at him. It’s quite interesting to see also how he approaches races and the racecraft he has.“

However, the admiration doesn’t dull the competitive edge that Minì has over all his competitors.

“In terms of the guys that have graduated, you do look at them in a way that you admire, but you also want to beat them, of course.”

“But of course, this year the goal is to beat him (Martins)”

Keeping a cool head in a long season

The PREMA rookie also spoke about the challenges of adapting to F2 and staying mentally focused throughout such a long and competitive season. As for many of the drivers, this is the longest and most consistent racing season they would be a part of.

“The challenges are beating the 21 drivers other than me, you know. This is the biggest challenge.”

Whilst the early races may not be what he is hoping for, Minì understands that it doesn’t define his entire season. Believing that having a clear head is critical to staying in the fight.

“I’m not thinking too much about the championship yet. I mean, as you said, there are 24 races to go. If we start thinking that we lost the championship after three races, we better just, you know, take the place and go home.“

Mini even referenced the title fight of last season. In which Bortoleto had a rough beginning to the season. However, he managed to swiftly turn it around and win the championship in the final round of the season.

“As we saw last year, I mean, if we consider, for example, Gabriel last year, he won the championship, and I think after the first six races, he probably had, I don’t know, zero points or maybe a few points.”

Rather than getting caught up in standings or speculation, he’s focused on the bigger picture, being consistent and the rest will work itself out.

“It’s a long championship, and the most consistent will win. So, we just have to try and do that.”