F1 | Ocon-Perez, Minardi “FIA must intervene”

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The grand prix at Silverstone saw the latest chapter in the heated struggle within the Force India team between Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez. The key incident occurred in the thirtieth lap on the very fast section of the track that leads into the Eau Rouge-Raidillon when the Mexican driver touched the anterior left wing of his team mate’s car with the rear right of his car reducing it to bits and puncturing his own tyre.

The contact forced the Race director to put the Safety-car on the track to give the marshals the chance to remove the pieces from a very dangerous part of the track.

“Luckily the two drivers were able to return to the pits and nobody was hurt, but we have reached the point that FIA must intervene in a decisive manner in regards to the two drivers to put an end to the struggle between them before someone is hurt” commented firmly Gian Carlo Minardi.
“It is not the first time that Ocon and Perez have touched and Force India is showing that it is unable to manage the rapport between its drivers. Today it went very well, but it could have put in danger the other drivers or also the public,” concluded the Manager from Faenza, “What we saw went well beyond an on track battle between the two drivers.”

The latest contact cost the Silverstone based team a number of points, finishing the weekend only in ninth place and with two points, even though its fourth place in the Constructors’ championship is still firm.

 

F1 | Gp Belgium, THE POINT by Minardi “Hamilton wins but Ferrari answers. Now everyone at Monza”

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Spa-Francorchamps gave us the answer we expected from Ferrari. It was an important second place for the team and for Sebastian Vettel (who just renewed his contract for three years) since he knew how to defend the leadership on an unfriendly track. Not only was a Mercedes double avoided, but Raikonnen finished in front of his countryman despite excessive severity towards him by the marshals.

Hamilton and Vettel, two great world champions, battled on the edge of thousandths of a second as was seen by the Ferrari driver’s fastest lap of the race in the 41st lap which gave him the new track record after the fantastic pole position (the 68th and a record time) by the British driver who equalled Michael Schumacher.

It was a great business card for Ferrari in light of the next grand prix at Monza, which will be the first organized directly by ACI (the Italian Automobile Club) and for which the ticket sales are going really well. At this moment Mercedes’ true ace in the hole is the overboost as we saw, particularly at the start and the restart after the departure of the Safety-car.

If the 10 second Stop and go penalty given to Kimi Raikonnen for not having slowed down under the yellow flag after Max Verstappen’s exit (his car was already at the side of the track) seemed excessive to me, I think the moment has come for FIA to make a decisive and heavy intervention in regards to Ocon and Perez in order to end this contest of wills before someone gets hurt. What we saw on track was much more than a contest between two drivers. Force India is showing us that it does not know how to manage its two drivers.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Belgium. The track favours Mercedes. Minardi “The best defence is to attack”

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With the end of the summer break we are getting ready to start the final part of the championship which has proven to be very balanced. We are nine rounds away from the end and, at least on paper, Ferrari and Mercedes have four favourable grands prix each. The winner will be the one better able to put on track the latest developments and who will make the least errors since, up till now, neither Vettel nor Hamilton have been blameless.

We start with Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, two tracks that favour Mercedes before going to Singapore which could also be the watershed for the drivers’ market. In this final part of the season possible penalties for the replacement of components of the Power-Unit could also come into play. Sebastian Vettel is slightly disadvantaged compared to Lewis Hamilton.

We are coming to a track that is very demanding on both the cars and the drivers with a heavy aerodynamic load and very high speeds.

Traditionally the weather is very variable and for the first time in the Ardennes Pirelli will bring the Ultra-Soft mix. Friday’s free practice will be decisive for studying this mix and understanding the laps it could cover before changing to the harder mixes.

As in Belgium, so at Monza where the first curve will represent an important unknown. Historically the La Source bend has decided the fate of many drivers in the race and where Ferrari lost a championship when Grosjean took off dangerously on Fernando Alonso.

Red Bull could be the third force with Verstappen and Ricciardo ready to steal points by taking advantage of its good aerodynamic load before going all in at Singapore. We will probably not see again the beau geste by Toto Wolff’s men when they gave Vettel three points which could prove decisive.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Minardi “In Formula 1 lacks personalities willing to make a wager”

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The two days of tests on the Budapest track as well as bringing Robert Kubica on track for a official appointment with Renault, the debuts by Luca Ghiotto with Williams and Charles Leclerc (an FDA driver) in the Ferrari and without forgetting the great work completed by Antonio Giovinazzi during the free practice in the Hungarian Grand Prix and at Barcelona for the Pirelli tests also brought attention back to the problems of young drivers to put a place in the top racing category.

With the departure of the Manor team before the start of the season the places available for this year’s world championship decreased to only twenty. It is certainly an ever tighter funnel for the many young drivers climbing the pyramids of the training categories until they reach the new Formula 2.

This time the person feeding the debate was Gunther Steiner. The Haas Team owner – in his second season the F1 –and currently in seventh place on the constructors’ ladder – emphasized the lack of small team such as Minardi which in its 21 seasons was able to launch many young drivers who then went on to confirm their skills in the top teams and writing their names in the winners lists.

“Minardi’s DNA was that of always working with young drivers, beginning in Formula 2 and carrying on this attitude even into Formula 1. However, Minardi worked and wagered non only on young drivers but it also trained mechanics, press officers, technicians and engineers that then found places in the most prestigious teams”

“I have been saying for years that Formula 1 lacks personalities with the will and the capacity to wager on the young by bringing new faces into the paddock. Recently we have witnessed only the important changes of team colours. Personally I established an agreement with Bologna University which advised us of the most deserving students to be placed into the Minardi team structure,” continues the manager, “The top teams that aim for the world title must have in their teams drivers already trained. It is up to the other teams to take on the task of finding or giving experience to the young drivers of the future by finding the perfect mix of experience and talent. Therefore it is vital supporting a Junior Team” remembered Gian Carlo Minardi interviewed at the microphones of the www.minardi.it blog.

In his analysis the manager and chief engineer of the American team commented “When Minardi was there he was almost happy to be last because he knew that he had the duty to bring young drivers into Formula 1. He would surely have preferred being further ahead, but he could live with that because it was their business model.”

Against this the manager from Faenza remembered the successes achieved by his team such as the seventh place in the 1991 world championship and the efforts made by them to make its debut in Brazil on April 4th, 1985.

“In its history Minardi won many important placings despite limited financial resources and even more restrictive regulations. I lived a period in which the starting grid was made up of more than the current ten teams and with points given only to those who finished in the first six places.”

“In addition, we did not have the same protection in the supply of engines and tyres which, as I always said, are black and round. When we finally got the opportunity of having important engines such as the Ferrari (we were the absolute first team to become clients for Maranello) we achieved seventh place in the constructors’ ladder. Other teams needed more years to achieve the same results.

“In order to make our debut in 1985, we had to build our turbo engine (Motori Moderni) fighting against the official houses. In order to continue our adventure in 2000 we bought old Cosworth engines (relabelled Fondmetal at first and then European) whereas today the technical regulations oblige the constructors present to supply more than one team and identical specifications for all in regards to the supply of tyres,” concluded the ex constructor.

F1 | Toro Rosso – Honda. Negative result

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After the about face by Sauber (which currently has a Ferrari engine) which months ago had announced the arrival of the Japanese power unit, despite a preliminary agreement signed by then team boss Monisha Kaltenborn there were rumours in the paddock in Hungary of a possible agreement with Toro Rosso (which currently has a Renault engine).

For Red Bull’s satellite team it would have been an important opportunity since together with the Honda power unit there would have been some important liquidity (as well as the driver Nobuharu Matsushita). In addition, they would have counted in an official motor. An absolute first for Faenza.

“Everything will remain unchanged in 2018. Toro Rosso will continue with Renault respecting the contract in force and Sauber with Ferrari. According to the last words by President Marchionne, Sauber could become Ferrari’s Junior Team. The negotiations between Toro Rosso and Honda were solid, but the Japanese seem to have tired of the constant to and froes. It would have been a great chance for TR being finally able to count on an official engine with a good input of liquidity”

“At the present time Liberty Media cannot allow itself to lose an important constructor such as Honda whose only option is to hope to continue its collaboration with McLaren which in Budapest celebrated sixth place and the fastest lap of the race thanks to Fernando Alonso” commented Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Minardi “Singapore, possible watershed for the 2018 drivers’ seats”

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We are in the second half of the season and in two weeks the motors will once again be turned on after a summer break that is only outwardly silent. Ferrari will go to Spa-Francorchamps in a strong position after the first and second places won in Budapest. It was an important testing bench for Maranello which it passed brilliantly and with full marks since it happened on a track that was favourable for it.

Now we await nine grands prix which, always on paper, four favour Mercedes and four Ferrari with Malaysia being the unknown quantity. It will surely be important for the men in red to arrive at the last appointment in Abu Dhabi with a good lead over the rivals. It will begin with two weekends labelled Belgium and Monza which will be pro Mercedes. Vettel will try to defend his place at the top of the ladder (14 points ahead of Hamilton) and with Mercedes that leads the constructors’ ladder with a 39 point advantage over the pair of drivers with the prancing horse.

Traditionally these two legs are important stages in the drivers’ market and this year will not be an exception with Vettel’s place being the true focal point. Ferrari apparently has placed nn the German’s desk a multiyear contract worth 120 million dollars in order to ensure its favourite who, on the other hand, could be persuaded for an extension of only a year.

Possible pair Vettel-Hamilton

The results of the next races will decide Vettel’s future in Ferrari and Singapore could represent the watershed for the drivers’ market. If the world championship should not go well the contract renewal would be difficult. In House Mercedes Valtteri Bottas’ renewal has slipped to mid September despite the fact the Finn is in the fight for the title. Vettel’s arrival at Brackley together with Hamilton would not be so improbable considering that Toto Wolff’s men have shown that they know how to handle two world champions who won together three world titles. Despite his four titles with Red Bull the German is still “hungry” and if 2017 should go badly the renewal would be difficult. Only the contract sum would not be enough.

Robert Kubica is chomping at the bit

The tests in Hungary gave us various positive points and signals. One of these was certainly the return of Robert Kubica in an official appointment, six years after his terrible crash in rallying. The Polish driver put together 142 laps at the wheel of the Renault making the fourth fastest time of the day and causing a fair bit of disarray in the French team.

Luca Ghiotto and Antonio Giovinazzi. Laudable work.

In the days after the grand prix in Hungary even Italy’s colours smiled. Luca Ghiotto at the wheel of the Williams at Budapest and Antonio Giovinazzi at the wheel of the Ferrari in the Pirelli tests figured well accomplishing their tasks with full marks and completing the day’s full programme. For Ghiotto it was his debut at the wheel of an F1 car and he managed to put together the distance of nearly three grands prix. They deserve a moment of peace.

Stroll is ready to buy Force India

There are rumours that Lawrence Stroll (father of Lance) is interested in Force India which over the last two years has shown that it is the fourth force in the world championship despite its financial difficulties. This could further upset the market, tied with the eventual retirement of Felipe Massa. If this is the case Stroll junior would leave Williams, taking the place of Sergio Perez or Esteban Ocon (a Mercedes driver as is Pascal Wehrlein currently driving for Sauber).

Keep an eye on the young Frenchman Charles Leclerc who in Budapest set the fastest time at the end of the first day of tests at the wheel of the SF70H, attracting the attention of a number of team owners. Even Sauber, ready to become a Junior Team Ferrari, expressed words of praise. In short, there is much meat on the fire.