Gabriel Minì entered the 2024 Formula 2 season with considerable expectations on his shoulders. As one of only two returning race winners on the grid, the Alpine Academy driver had already proven his talent with two victories and two additional podiums in his rookie campaign with Hitech GP. However, his move to reigning teams’ champions Prema Racing raised the stakes. Having previously won the 2020 Italian F4 title with the team, Minì aimed to fight for his second championship in single-seaters, requiring a shift in his mindset to focus on maximising points in every race.
Strong qualifying performances and early consistency
Minì’s 2024 campaign began in Bahrain, where he showcased his resilience. After a difficult practice session, in which he spun at Turn 4 and ended up 28th, he recovered brilliantly to qualify third for the feature race. His belief in the importance of strong qualifying performances was validated, as he secured top-three starting positions in both opening rounds of the season.
His race pace was also solid. In Bahrain’s feature race, he lost three places at the start and was unable to recover, finishing sixth. However, in the sprint race, he made up four places, climbing from 11th to seventh with decisive overtakes on Sami Meguetounif, Christian Mansell, Mari Boya, and Luke Browning.
Melbourne: A step forward
Melbourne proved to be a strong weekend for Minì. Topping practice, he narrowly missed out on pole position to fellow Italian Leonardo Fornaroli by just 0.019 seconds. In the sprint race, he started outside the points in 11th but delivered a masterful drive to finish sixth, overtaking Nikola Tsolov, Fornaroli, Browning, Nikita Bedrin, and Mansell.
The feature race saw Minì running comfortably in second until team orders at Prema Racing came into play. He was instructed to let teammate Dino Beganovic through on lap 12, which left him vulnerable to Browning, who also passed him at Turn 9 a lap later. However, Minì fought back, reclaiming third place from Browning on the penultimate lap to secure his first podium of the season.
Monaco: A crucial victory
Minì’s standout moment of the season came in Monte Carlo, where he claimed victory in the feature race from pole position. His race was far from straightforward, as he engaged in an intense battle with ART Grand Prix’s Christian Mansell into Turn 1 and navigated three separate Safety Car restarts.
Despite the chaos behind him, including a dramatic crash at Tabac that eliminated Laurens van Hoepen, Minì held his nerve. A late one-lap shootout forced him to fend off one final attack from Mansell, but he executed a flawless restart to take his first win of 2024 and become the eighth different winner of the season.
With an extended eight-week gap between rounds two and three of the season, Minì remained focused on his championship aspirations. Outside an in-season test in Barcelona, drivers had limited time behind the wheel, but Minì continued preparing for the challenges ahead.
A homecoming at Imola
The return of Imola to the calendar marked a significant moment for Minì, as it was his first opportunity to race in front of a home crowd in Italy this season. Alongside Fornaroli, he was one of only two drivers on the grid to have two home races in 2024, with Monza also featuring as the season finale.
Minì had fond memories of Imola, having won there in Italian F4 on his way to the 2020 title. He also claimed his first Formula Regional European Championship victory at the circuit in 2022, making it a track where he had historically excelled.
Heartbreak in Monza
Heading into the Monza finale, Minì was in a thrilling title decider against Leonardo Fornaroli. Starting from pole, Fornaroli held a five-point advantage over Minì. However, the race quickly turned dramatic, with Alex Dunne taking the early lead and Minì dropping behind Sami Meguetounif.
As the race progressed, Minì’s title hopes fluctuated. He was briefly on course to win the championship when Fornaroli made a mistake at Ascari and fell to fifth. Minì battled his way back to second and, with his Monaco victory acting as the tie-breaker, appeared set to clinch the title. However, in a last-lap, last-corner lunge at Parabolica, Fornaroli passed Christian Mansell for third place, securing the title by just two points.
To compound Minì’s heartbreak, he was later disqualified from the Monza feature race after post-race scrutineering found his tyre pressures were below the minimum legal limit. While this did not affect his runner-up position in the standings, it was a bitter way to end what had been an impressive season.
What the future holds for Minì
Minì has demonstrated both speed and resilience. His performances in qualifying have been strong, and he has shown the ability to recover from setbacks in races. While the season has presented its fair share of challenges, Minì has adapted well to the demands of competing for a top team. If he can continue to refine his race craft and maximise every points-scoring opportunity, he will remain a strong contender in the 2025 season, when he makes his full-time Formula 2 debut.
