F1 | Gian Carlo Minardi is optimistic about Giovanizzi’s future

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“Everyone recognized positively the work Giovinazzi did last season.”

These were the first words by Gian Carlo Minardi when asked by www.minardi.it about the future of the young driver from Martina Franca who this year will have the role of third driver for both Ferrari and Alfa Romeo-Sauber. It will be a season “on the bench” for the young man from Apulia but the manager from Faenza says he is confident.

“I am sad that Antonio is still a spectator at this stage. If I still had a team I would probably have given him his debut a few years ago. His situation is muddled, but a lot will depend on Ferrari’s beginning to the season as we have a Raikonnen on the verge of forty years of age who, should he not give some sign of confirming what is expected of him, could set off an earthquake of changes of drivers’ seats. I am moderately optimistic about his future,” continued the ex constructor from Faenza.

Giovinazzi took part in a Formula E rooky test on Marrakesh’s street circuit and was left positively impressed. However he confirmed he still wants to concentrate on the F1 world championship.

“Antonio wants to continue his career in F1 and for now there is no desire to take the direction of electric racing, either by him or by Ferrari,” concluded Minardi.

F1 | Gian Carlo Minardi “The silence of this F1 is exhausting”

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Two months have passed since the Abu Dhabi grand prix and we must wait for another thirty days before seeing the cars on the track in the first day of collective tests. Before that day there will be the presentation of the Renault (February 20th) which will the trail blazer for the path which Ferrari and Mercedes will follow when they lift the covers on Thursday February 22nd. Is the break too long? We asked Gian Carlo Minardi.

“The break is certainly not too long if we consider a season with 21 grands prix. They are all working hard to prepare every single detail also because we must not forget that the most important challenge is tied to the duration of the power-units which this year will be only three per driver. A ratio of 7 to 1,” emphasized Gian Carlo Minardi,

“The sad part is this silence from the teams which are issuing no press releases and have not organized conferences to keep the enthusiasts up to date. Unfortunately this fashion has been taking hold for some time and I find it absurd, just as it is like tripping yourself up by setting the presentations on the same day.

In all the other sporting realities the teams supply the information and the media world goes on,” continued the manager from Faenza,

“The teams are committed to trying to catch up to the Mercedes which is still the point of reference and Ferrari is called upon to make a leap of quality that will not be easy after five wins last year. To be followed is also the fight in the family between Renault, McLaren and Red Bull which all have the same engines and the unknown factor that is Toro Rosso-Honda. The Japanese come from three disappointing seasons and its problems are tied to the use of fuel and the lubricants.”

F1 | Minardi “I am curious about the Williams pair”

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With the announcement from the Williams team that Sergej Sirotkin will be next to Lance Stroll Robert Kubica’s fairy tale ended, even though the Pole will in any case make his return to F1 world championship as the third driver for the team from the Grove.

The announcement was not exempt from much criticism from members of the F1 world, but Gian Carlo Minardi is going against the flow

“Despite being very sad that we were not able to see a driver of Robert’s calibre as a lead actor in the world championship. I will be curious to see these two young men in action,” commented the manager from Faenza in an interview by www.minardi.it.

With an average age of barely 22 Lance Stroll and Sergej Sirotkin will give life to the youngest pair of drivers on the grid.

“My DNA has always that of working with the young and therefore this choice gives me much pleasure, even if a team as important as Williams could pay the choice in terms of the car’s development,” continued Minardi who was able to follow closely the first steps of the young men in the world of racing cars.

“These two young men grew up in our territory and within the ACI-Sport championships and this must be a source of pride. Unfortunately there are no Italians and this must be an incentive to keep working.

“It is useless hiding behind a glass wall: behind Lance and Sergej there are respectively a wealthy father (Lawrence Stroll) and a Russian bank. Exactly what our young men are lacking. It will only be up to them to show that they deserve the place they are they are occupying,” concluded the ex-constructor.

F1 | Hamilton backs Minardi. The champion is also against the asphalted run offs

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The asphalted run-offs of the new circuits are back on the agenda. This time the four times world champion Lewis Hamilton is the one pointing the finger at the new layouts of the circuits confirming what was already said in recent months by Gian Carlo Minardi. It was on the occasion of the USA grand prix and following Verstappen’s penalty that the manager from Faenza stated

“…The asphalted run-offs give the drivers too much peace of mind and this urges them to go over the limits allowed by the circuit and then they incur penalties which raise controversy that does no favours to the image of the world championship. As a matter of fact these incidents do not occur on the historic circuits such as Suzuka, Spa-Francorchamps or Monza where errors or acts of bravado come at a heavy price since they risk finding themselves stuck in the sand”

The 2017 World Champion from Britain is of the same idea.

The Federation has done an incredible job on safety, but the time has come to take a step back and return to the run-offs with grass or gravel. A driver should not be able to cut a corner so easily knowing that he has available a wide strip of asphalt… What I loved about the past was the risk of losing time – or the race- if you left the track. Today you can approach a corner even 5% faster since if you make a mistake you can come back onto the track in any case”

It was precisely the penalty given to Verstappen for his overtaking manoeuvre at Raikonnen’s expense at Austin that Minardi added another analysis.

“It would be vital having the same work group at Race Director Charlie Whiting’s side for the whole season. Objective decisions can only be avoided in this way. During last season,” added the ex constructor, “there were a number of similar incidents which had different evaluations between them and this does not do the sport any good. One solution to bring together the circuits and to avoid them spending more money and to ensure safety could be to impose heavy penalties in the case of cutting corners,” concluded the manager from Faenza.

F1 | Gian Carlo Minardi “2018 a crucial year” – Part II

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2018 will not only be a crucial year on the driver front (as we discussed in recent days), but also on the motor front. On the one hand Mercedes will line up at the start with a completely redesigned power-unit and on the other Ferrari, Renault and above all Honda will have the task of making an important leap forward to fight the German dreadnought.

The task will be even harder with the new regulations since the motors available for each driver will be only three which, in a season made up of twenty one rounds, equals a cover of seven grands prix each before hitting the penalties barrier.

Last season Maranello laid the foundations for trying to open a winning cycle, even though they paid a heavy price with reliability in the second part of the season (together with some errors by its drivers), having to take a step back by sacrificing performance.

We find the principal new developments in McLaren and Toro Rosso which were the protagonists of an exchange. After three markedly disappointing seasons Honda moved to Faenza which freed its place at Woking to be taken by Renault.

“With the current regulations the power unit is a deciding factor in the final result and seven grands prix for each PU represent an incredible sword of Damocles. Mercedes is working with a completely new motor and I hope that Maranello will be able to keep up the pace. From what we have heard Ferrari’s new chassis was born under a better star and I hope that the power unit will also be up to the task. With last season’s five wins they set the foundation to continue to grow and to try an open a winning cycle, even if it is not easy against this Mercedes” commented Gian Carlo Minardi.

“As well as the Ferrari-Mercedes challenge it will also be very interesting to follow the Renault-Honda exchange. For the first time Faenza will have an official motor and such a long term programme can only benefit the team which now finds itself in excellent condition to better plan and programme the new (and future) cars. In recent years they were forced to work with motors that were not latest generation and without the continuity of supply by said constructor. It is a situation I know all too well since in other occasions we found ourselves in November without the certainty of a motor for the following year, continued the manager from Faenza

“For other reasons the magnifying glass will also be Renault which will be called to improve last year’s sixth position and also the performance of its motor (which it will still supply also to Red Bull) and Force India with the Mercedes engine which was the protagonist of an exemplary season that ended in fourth place for the second consecutive year” concluded Gian Carlo Minardi.

F1 | Gian Carlo Minardi "2018 a crucial year" – First part

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We are still two months away from the Melbourne Grand Prix (23-25 March) which will start the 2018 Formula 1 season, but between now and then there will be the presentations of the new racing cars and the twelve days of tests to develop the new cars in the light of the first commitments outside Europe which will give us the first taste of the season to come. It will begin in Catalonia with a good eight consecutive days of tests (February 26 – March 1) to then return to the track, again in Barcelona, from March 6 – 9.

On the presentations front, Ferrari will lead the pack with a ceremony booked for Thursday February 22, before leaving for Spain where Red Bull, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Williams and Haas will take off their covers. Williams also has to resolve the riddle of the driver who will replace Felipe Massa at Lance Stroll’s side with Sergej Sirotkin holding a lead on Robert Kubica.

The work in the factories is proceeding without a break and together with Gian Carlo Minardi we tried to point towards the season to come

“It will be a very important season since we have a number of drivers reaching the end of their contracts that must give their all to be reconfirmed in the team, or to draw the attention of others.”

Last year Ferrari confirmed Kimi Raikonnen for a year, while Red Bull’s contract with Daniel Ricciardo expires at the end of the season, just as Mercedes’ contract with Valtteri Bottas, Haas’ with Romanin Grosjean, Force India’s with Sergio Perez and it is Fernando’s last year with McLaren.

“The motors are still off, but 2018 already looks to be a very animated year, above all in the first part. Raikonnen’s renewal came at a particular moment and, in my opinion, dictated mainly by the need to satisfy Vettel’s requests, but in the final part of the season the Finn was decidedly unstable. To win the constructors’ world title and to try to beat the German dreadnought two stable drivers are needed. For this reason there could be an approach as soon as this season in light of 2019” continued the manager from Faenza.
It will also be Fernando Alonso’s final year with McLaren which, after three troubled years with Honda, will have Renault power-unit but keep an eye at what could also happen with the smaller teams where it is possible to emerge as happened with Minardi. It will be interesting to follow the debut of Charles Leclerc at the wheel of the Sauber”

2018 promises to be a season full of twists and turns and many Team Bosses will be called upon to manage the rivalry between their own drivers to the best of their abilities. If you want to know more, just ask Force India about the extremely heated clashes between Ocon and Perez.

F1 | Sirotkin vs Kubica, Minardi “The end of a fairytale”

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The official announcement is still missing, but just when we thought the Robert Kubica would come back to Formula 1 beside Lance Stroll at Williams the latest rumours speak of Sergej Sirotkin as the Grove’s new driver to form the youngest pair of drivers in the Circus.

During the Pirelli tests at Abu Dhabi the Pole and the Russian took turns at the wheel for the final confrontation. We caught up with Gian Carlo Minardi who in 2010 saw the young Russian make take his first steps in Formula ACI CSAI Abarth organized by ACI Sport’s who then went on to win the title the next year.

“Robert Kubica would have been a technical choice, but the economic factor got the better. Father Stroll could have had a hand in this as he would have preferred a young debutant at his son’s side rather than an expert driver who did very well in the tests,” was the analysis by the manager from Faenza.

“Robert’s return would have been a fairytale come true, but with Sirotkin-Stroll Williams will have the youngest pair of drivers on the grid and be launched into the future. I had the chance to follow Sergej’s debut in the world of racing cars up close. He is a very fast driver, even if he ran into some accidents. If on the one hand I am sad for Robert, on the other I am very happy seeing a young driver who grew up in our championships in F1.”

F1 | Gian Carlo Minardi “Verstappen has a destiny but he must grow as a man”

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Amongst this season’s protagonists who warrant a mention is Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver put on show all his qualities at high speed which confirmed everything good that he had done in both on his debut with Toro Rosso and when he passed on to Christian Horner’s court during the season last year in Spain (won by the Dutch driver) after replacing the former flag bearer Kyvat.

The son of a former driver, he won two grands prix (Malaysia and Mexico) compared to the one win by Daniel Ricciardo (Azerbaijan) yet, despite more victories finished the championship behind the Australian. Gian Carlo Minardi, who in 2003 had his father Jos in his team together with Justin Wilson and Nicolas Kiesa praised the baby-prodigy in a slot on Sky Sport News, without holding back on some criticism on the excessive impetuosity that cost him better results.

“He is a driver blessed by Divine will who has all the qualities to become a champion. I hope that father Jos will stay as far away as possible from him and that Red Bull will help him and bring out the qualities without hiding the errors and making him grow up, especially as a man. He has nothing to learn as a driver.”

F1 | Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team, Minardi “Congratulations President Marchionne”

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The news is one of those that will do good for sport. Sauber and Alfa Romeo announced a multiyear technical-commercial partnership beginning in 2018 with which the car manufacturer from Milan will also become the name sponsor for the Swiss team which in turn will take on the official colours of the brand that is part of the FCA Group.

After more than thirty year the Alfa Romeo label will return to the Formula 1 world championship to join the other important constructors involved in the Circus in an operation that Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne strongly wanted for the refurbishment of the Alfa Romeo brand. Beginning next season Sauber will mount the 2018 Ferrari Power-Unit, while nothing official was announced about the drivers.

“I must congratulate President Sergio Marchionne for having given back to Formula 1 and all its fans such an important brand, Alfa Romeo is synonymous with success in motor sport and for writing new pages to add to its legendary past. At this point we hope that there will be another gift on the drivers’ front,” commented a satisfied Gian Carlo Minardi.

F1 | Gian Carlo Minardi “I would have made a different choice in Ferrari”

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Ferrari put away the world championship with second place in both the constructors and the drivers’ titles and on the strength of the five wins that bear Sebastian Vettel’s signature. It was an important step forward after the “zero” on the score sheet the year before and in the light of next year, even though the gap from Mercedes is still big, as we saw in the last few grands prix.

In fact, at the Yas Marina circuit Vettel paid with a gap of 0.350 second per lap compared to Mercedes’ duo which became a gap of almost 20 seconds at the finish line, which then rose to 45 seconds at Kimi Raikonnen’s expense (fourth in front of Max Verstappen). Mercedes showed all its strength, competiveness and reliability. From what we learnt after the race the two Ferrari drivers fought for all the race against excessive fuel consumption.

It was the Finn that was the target of a lot of criticism during the season and the protagonist of some mundane races, only occasionally replacing them with a notable performance. There was no lack of important statement from Ferrari’s President Sergio Marchionne. However, he decided to once more trust in him.

“I know I will make some enemies, but I would have chosen differently. With Vettel’s three year renewal I would have put a young driver at his side to give him experience, one able to become the heir of the four times world champion and at the same time able to put him under pressure, rather than a 39 year old,” commented Gian Carlo Minardi in an interview with Biagio Maglienti in his slot on Sky Sport News, “We hope that Father Christmas will let us find a nice present under the Xmas tree for 2018 since our Italian drivers are second to none, even if it is hard for them to emerge as there are few spaces and the only Italian team we have in F1 is Ferrari, a top team.

F1 | Gian Carlo Minardi “Alonso is still one of the best drivers”

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The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was not only the last act of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, it also signalled the end of the partnership (poor in satisfaction) between McLaren and Honda.
In three years of the Anglo-Japanese partnership, which between the end of the 80s and the early years of the 90s let millions of fans dream by winning 4 world titles, 52 pole position, 39 wins and 79 podium finishes which became 600 points, had to settle for only two fifth places (Hungary 2015 and Austin 2016) as the best results, giving us memorable team radio exchanges with Fernando Alonso who never hid his discontent with the Japanese Power-Unit.
From next year a new cycle will begin and Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoome will have the chance for redemption hoping for another step forward by the Renault motors and with Hondo which will supply Toro Rosso.

“Fernando Alonso won two world titles and lost just as many at the last Grands Prix with Ferrari. Someone could say I’m biased, but for me Fernando is always a champion. I had the chance to follow him and analyzing his times and in these three years he suffered with McLaren he did good things despite an inferior car,” commented Gian Carlo Minardi from the lounge of Sky Sport News.
“Today he is still one of the best drivers in the Circus despite his age. Even Hamilton admitted that only Alonso could give him some trouble. It was a big admission by the four times world champion who knows Nando’s qualities very well after having shared the pits with him,” continued the manager from Faenza who was the first to bet on the abilities of the Spanish driver by taking him to his debut in the world championship in 2001.

F1 | Gp Abu Dhabi, Minardi “Millions at stake”

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At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the curtain will fall on another season which has slipped away quickly amongst highs and lows for all the teams with the exception of Mercedes which once more ruled over all. Ferrari and Renault chased after the Silver Star, even though there is still a lot of work ahead for 2018.

A number of times we saw how much of an advantage Mercedes has over the others and save for an unexpected turnarounds or the acquisition of knowhow by the opposition it were be very difficult to close the gap. The Circus comes to a track that is conditioned by changes of temperature during the whole weekend as well as during the race since it starts at sundown and finishes during the night with the artificial lighting the only illumination. Unlike last year Pirelli will bring the softest mixes Ultra-Soft, SuperSoft and Soft which will give us new track records.

We come to the final race of the season with some verdicts still to be made, such as second place amongst the drivers with Sebastian Vettel who holds a strong lead over Valtteri Bottas and the three way struggle between Toro Rosso, Renault and Haas for sixth place which has at stake the grand sum of twelve million dollars deriving from the television rights. This is an important percentage of the 2018 budgets.

Thanks to an extraordinary season Force India will be able to face up to the Yas Marina Circuit without pressure or worries after having long since won fourth place in the world championship (for the second straight year). Despite the hardships faced in these years it has shown that it possesses a strong and united team which is able to take advantage of its resources in the best way possible. They are the image of a team of other times. It is a well established family.

Before pensioning off these racing cars and in expectation of Halo’s debut, we have some Pirelli tests in front of us. It will be a hot winter on the drivers’ market front since there are still pieces missing in both Williams and Sauber and we hope that there could be a place also for Antonio Giovinazzi who this year had the opportunity to test himself out at the steering wheels of Ferrari, Sauber and Haas.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Minardi "This year Ferrari has all the papers to once more dream great things "

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“After running up the stair the last step is always the hardest”, this was how Gian Carlo Minardi summarized the current situation of house Ferrari after its success at Interlagos and its confirmation as the world’s championship’s second force with Sebastian Vettel who consolidated second place in front of Valtteri Bottas.

“After the 2016 season poor in wins and with third place in the constructors’ title this year’s five wins and second place on the ladder is an important step to once more assert itself in the world championship, even though the gap from Mercedes is still wide as we saw in Brazil with Hamilton’s extraordinary come back which showed Mercedes’ potential, backed with excellent reliability,” continued the manager from Faenza.

“The Englishman was able to use the overboost for almost the whole grand prix putting in place an important piece of the puzzle for 2018 in which each driver will only have three power-units available.”

From next season the regulations will become even stricter for the duration of the Power-Unit with each having to run more than 7,000 kilometres.

“I find it truly absurd that the decision will cause an exasperated search for innovative materials (including oils) and a vertiginous increase in the costs with heavy repercussions, above all on the smaller teams. Let’s consider then that from 2021 there will be completely new planning with further increases in research. In addition, today the motorists are struggling to finish a weekend.”

“The errors of its drivers are weighing very heavily on the outcome of Ferrari’s season. Sebastian Vettel showed that he was nervous and fragile at a crucial stage of the championship (Baku and Singapore which was probably caused by knowing that he could not really compete with Lewis). Kimi Raikonnen once more was unable to bring to the team those points needed to win the constructors’’ title, but in any case Maranello has decided to bet on the Finn.”

In the end Ferrari was burnt by problems of reliability (see Malaysia and Japan) that negated the come back on the Anglo-German battleship

“At one stage, believing that it had closed the gap with Mercedes, Ferrari tried to squeeze its components, however it lost reliability. It was an attempt that should have been made to find its limits and to truly understand what point had been reached. The recovery of reliability in the subsequent grands prix was mainly due to having taken a step back in its performance.”

We must acknowledge that Ferrari built a vehicle that was able to take to the road back to success and winning races that were not hoped for at the beginning of the season. In a week’s time at Abu Dhabi he will try to close the season with another success, Hamilton permitting.