F1 | Minardi «This is my F1» Happy New Year everyone

Few more days, and we will leave another year behind. This sports season ended with the shocking news of the retirement of Nico Rosberg few hours after winning first World title and with Giovinazzi’s promotion – neo vice-champion GP2 – as a third Ferrari driver. In 2017, an Italian driver will be back in F1 via the Maranello’s pits.

A season slipped away with another Mercedes dominion. For the third year in a row it has conquered the titles constructors and drivers, collecting the beauty of 51 victories out of 59 grand prix. A Mercedes that has to face a big headache, having to chose a driver to place side by side with Lewis Hamilton maker of some announcement against his team. The Finnish driver Bottas is repeatedly indicated along with the flash return of Felipe Massa into Williams beside the rookie Lance Stroll.

A season that has been able to give us some moments rich in adrenalin during the grand prix in Monaco, Brazil, and Yas Marina.

A not easy season for all us Ferarri fans. Ferrari hasn’t gained any wins nor starts from the first row, it has been also surpassed by Red Bull protagonist of a great recovery pushed by a baby Verstappen. Ferrari ended just in the third place of the constructors’ standings.

Waiting for the new year

We are about to enter a 2017 that will give us important newness about regulations, with the return of large tires, design freedom, engines and cars with a more engaging aerodynamics.

It will be critical creating the basis to rebuilt F1 and to attract aficionados again. It will be a decisive year to understand Liberty Media projects. For this reason, I see many aspects on which we need to intervene, and I don’t see the budget-cut (it has been proposed again) as the most effective mean.

– I’d like to see again some days devoted to collective tests to attract the fans that have run away because their lack of interest and economic issues. We should come back into the track instead to spend for simulators.

– decreasing the number of the staff within the team. We should prohibit the remote-team, engineers’ teams on work at the general-headquarter simultaneously to the action on track, beyond having a score of engineers. On the other side, I would make free the development of engines and cars, without any limits.

– Pit-stops with just 8 mechanics. They would be more spectacular for the audience, televisionally speaking. The cars would be more visible as the sponsors that today disappear in a cloud of 28-30 people. It would be exciting from the strategies point of view, in addition to touching the costs entry.

In conclusion, a season rich in unknowns is awaiting us, with the hope that it could give us a greater fight for the first position and a competitive Ferrari capable to fight for the win.

Happy new year to everybody.