F.1 – Gian Carlo Minardi: “What is happening in Melbourne is unbelievable”

Tonight, when in Italy will be the hours 2:30am, spotlights on 2015 Formula 1 World Championship will switch on officially with the first free practice session.

The new season has not yet started, but the pages of websites and newspapers are filling (unfortunately) with the economic vicissitudes related to some realities that have little to do with sport, in particular Sauber and Manor (Marussia). It is certainly not a sign of good luck, whereas we are just at the first round. Therefore, we wanted to hear all opinions of Gian Carlo Minardi, who speaks about the events of the Swiss team and the presence of Manor Team to the columns of his website, www.minardi.it.

Van der Garde – Sauber

What is happening now in Australia at Sauber about the controversy related to Van der Garde is unbelievable. Since some years, there’s been the Contracts Recognition Board, or a notary who’s located in Geneva and at his office all teams register all contracts of their drivers in a sealed envelope. The contract that is registered first will have the priority over all others. I find absurd that, during the launch of the first race, there are judges and court decisions that determine who has to race. The Contracts Recognition Board was born many years ago, due to a problem created by Jean Alesi, when he signed three contracts simultaneously with three different teams in the 1990s: Tyrrell, Williams and Ferrari, if I remember correctly.

Once again, this scene represents a humiliation for those who have created the regulations. There should be really a little more seriousness. The other point of discussion is linked to Drivers’ Superlicense. Considering my information, Van der Garde has the A Superlicense. Therefore, it becomes only a formal, solvable fact. This quibble won’t surely prevent him from racing.

Manor

It is an economic-political case. Manor team is present in Australia, at Melbourne circuit, only to preserve the royalties (and get the benefit) won last season with the tenth place in the Constructors’ Championship. When I was racing with my team, if you’d like to be considered at the event, you had to carry out all checks. Then, it did not matter whether or not you took part in the race. In this very difficult moment its only thought is to tear allowance arising from television and commercial royalties (we remind you that Manor team hasn’t taken part in any test and it will race in this championship with the car of 2014, which is updated only of the nose of 2015). It would be nice to know how many mechanics are present in Melbourne.