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.

F1 | Kubica-Williams, the contract is near. Minardi “Robert deserves a very stylish return”

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With the Adu Dhabi Grand Prix in a week’s time the curtain will fall on the Formula 1 world championship which saw Mercedes win for the fourth consecutive time and also gave Lewis Hamilton his third world title under the star from Stuttgart, thus reaching his direct rival this year Sebastian Vettel.

The time has not yet come to send the 2017 racing cars into retirement since there are still two Pirelli testes in the programme after the GP to try out the 2018 tyres and amongst the protagonists should also be Robert Kubica in his first outing in a new generation car after his two test sessions with the team from Grove at Silverstone and Budapest and the direct confrontation with Paul Di Resta. He is one of the pretenders the place that Felipe Massa will free next week. The Pole seems to be the favourite, even thought there is still Werlein in the shadows, now almost certainly to be unloaded by Sauber in favour of Leclerc.

There is great suspense on Kubica’s return after his accident in 2011 that kept him away from the Circus, although there are a number of contrasting opinions. The most recent are those of Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya with the Canadian 1997 World Champion pointing the finger at the matter of safety.

“Most of the sporting world is with Robert and hopes to see him amongst the protagonists in F1, as do many fans. I truly like him a lot and I would like to see him as a leading actor. During his recent outings he set important results with his times and this makes us hope for the best. The Abu Dhabi test will be another exam, also because he will be able to put himself to the test with a racing car of the latest generation, as well as giving us a direct comparison with the other times” was the analysis by Gian Carlo Minardi, “there certainly are other matters to resolve. Considering his damaged hand, the biggest problem will be the hand holds on the wheel.”

F1 | Gp Brazil Ferrari wins with Vettel. Minardi “Hamilton’s mistake? Something doesn’t convince me”

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It was a double podium finish for Ferrari with the win by Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikonnen’s third place which will bring back a bit of peace within the team from Maranello, even though the huge gap enjoyed by Mercedes, especially Lewis Hamilton, since Bottas confirmed he is a good second driver.

Lewis Hamilton was sensational for the whole grand prix by setting a striking pace. This must make everyone think about the future, especially at Ferrari since the gap to be closed is impressive. If he had not been forced to start from pit-lane he would very probably have imposed a gap of eighteen seconds on his rivals.

Raikonnen was able to manage and ease the Englishman’s cavalcade despite having tyres that were more worn and bringing home a precious place on the podium. Ferrari was confirmed that it is the second force of the championship, except for problems of reliability. With this win Vettel has practically assured his place as vice champion.

I heard and read a lot of criticism directed at Hamilton for his mistake in qualifying. In all sincerity I would be more careful because I had the impression that it was the result of some experiment already planned for 2018. I feel that Mercedes wants to use these two grands prix to test some innovative developments. Looking at the incriminated episode in slow motion something did not convince me. It was as if Englishman was surprised by the unexpected behaviour of the rear of his car…

It was a grand prix full of overtaking and run at a fast pace with a good in house struggle between Red Bull’s Verstappen and Ricciardo which confirmed that it is the championship’s third force. I enjoyed watching two old hands, Massa and Alonso, fight for all the 71 laps within the space of two tenths of a second. They were the protagonists of a clean race and a regular fight. Despite a motor with less power compared to Williams’ Mercedes, Nando was constantly able to keep within nine tenths of a second from the Brazilian.

Now we only have to go Abu Dhabi where the curtain will be drawn on this season.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Brazil, Minardi “Mercedes will try for the triple”

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After having won its fourth consecutive constructors’ title at the Austin grand prix and having celebrated Lewis Hamilton’s driver’s title the weekend after, in the last two rounds of the season Mercedes will try to hit the jackpot. The only thing it lacks is the double in the driver’s championship. Today the only driver between Hamilton and Bottas is Sebastian Vettel who can count on a fifteen point advantage over the Finn.

Mercedes has nothing to lose so it can squeeze the car and the power-unit for what they’re worth at both Interlagos and Abu Dhabi to help its drivers prepare for next season when the teams will only have three motor units available per driver. The number of motors will decrease but there will be more circuits and kilometres to run. It is surely a great challenge for all the motorists, where the Germans are the masters. As I have already said, I am not in favour of this technical decision since it will lead to a big increase in costs (instead of a decrease). Everybody will be working to reach maximum reliability and the problems suffered by Renault in the latest grands prix are one example.

It is an awkward time for Ferrari as the team is called to make changes and the possible loss of second place could create a few problems of stability and serenity within the team.

So we come to Brazil. Interlagos is the championship’s penultimate race on a short and fast historic track that also this year could reward Red Bull’s chassis. Last year’s pole will certainly be beaten but the drivers will have to be careful of the traffic. The weather could once more play a decisive role. The struggle between Toro Rosso, Haas and Renault is still open. TR starts with a disadvantage even though it may already be aiming for 2018 when it will have the new Japanese power-unit. We expect a weekend full of twists.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Formula 1 of the future, Minardi “Plaudits for Liberty Media, but it is not easy finding the right mix”

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Since its entry into Formula 1 Liberty Media has wanted to leave its mark on the world championship with the aim of bringing back the public and the aficionados with the introduction of changes that created the first break from the previous management. The initiative of bringing the cars and drivers outside the paddock during the race weekends is appreciable, winning over the historic centres of the capitals or the new presentation of each driver that preceded the start of the Austin grand prix.

“Liberty Media is setting a very American stamp on this new era of Formula 1 and is aiming decisively on the choreography as we saw in Austin. Even though these changes will not be decisive for improving the spectacle on the track they have brought a whiff of fresh air on the front of pre starting grid news,” said Gian Carlo Minardi

The latest proposal in order of time concerns a starting grid with a front row composed of three cars so as to increase the chance of a scuffle in the first part of the race. On the technical regulations front, beginning next year each driver will have available a maximum of three power-units for the entire season (against this year’s four units). The declared aim is to limit the costs.

“If on the one hand this is an important step for taking this technology to the cars on the production line, on the other hand it certainly does not bring about a reduction of costs. In fact, it will bring about even more intensive development of the various components that must last seven grands prix with the result of a dizzying increase in costs. If today there are constructors who are finding it difficult to reach the required distance I don’t dare think what could will happen next year,” continued the manager from Faenza who points the finger at the current system of penalties for the substitution of the motor or its principle components.

“I find it absurd that the driver has to pay for a technical problem with incredible penalties that unsettle the fans. When I read penalties of 20-25-30 or even 35 places in a grid composed of twenty drivers I almost want to smile. The first few times I did not want to believe it. The team should be responsible by paying a monetary sanction or losing points on the constructors’ ladder.”

If on one side they want to give longer life to the motors, on the other side Liberty Media wants to eliminate Friday’s free practice in favour of a season of 25 grands prix.

“This is a high number of grands prix as well as a very heavy commitment for those involved (f it is difficult or the smaller teams to organize the turnover of mechanics and engineers) as well as for the spectators. They would be forced to run in specific periods of the year such as holidays and summer. Will such an intense calendar really favour the audience?” emphasized Minardi.

“It is not easy to change the format and to find the right equilibrium. However, I am of the opinion that they must intervene in one specific area. This is the work group around Charles Whiting to avoid the unpleasant episodes that can falsify the result of a race. Just as there is a single race director it would be proper having a single work group of marshals from the beginning to the end of the season. Only this way will it be possible to limit the chance of errors or subjective judgments.”

“In addition, they could install suppressors to avoid drivers exceeding the track limit. A lot of work has been done on the safety of circuits by having asphalted runoffs. This gave increased safety for the drivers. The post race penalties have damaged the image of the sport and unsettle the spectators,” concluded Gian Carlo Minardi on his return from Padua’s Salone Auto e Moto d’Epoca together with ACI and ACI Storico.

The declarations of President Sergio Marchionne made at the Mugello circuit during the Ferrari World Finals concerning the stay of the team in the F1 world championship will certainly be the subject of much discussion, but it must also gives the new owners something to think about.

Formula 1 cannot do without Ferrari, but it is just as true that Ferrari cannot do without the world championship.

The world championship cannot be only a show because Ferrari is an important constructor, just like Mercedes, Renault and McLaren, and as such they have interests tied to the development of technology that can be taken to street cars.