Karol Basz at Misano to continue the path of the Italian GT championship

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A little more than a month after his debut in the Italian GT Championship on the Imola track Karol Basz is ready to go back to the wheel of the Antonelli Motorsport team’s Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup to front up to the second of the seven double appointments at the Misano circuit.

After the exciting baptism with pole position and the podium finish in race-2 the Polish driver is determined to continue along the road of his apprenticeship together with Japanese driver Takashi Kasai.

In the course of these weeks Karol climbed into the cockpit of the supercar from the company from Sant’Agata Bolognese for one of the two days of testing at the Misano World Circuit and the very fast track at Monza, the stage for the third round.

“They were two very important days for me as they gave me the chance to get to know circuits and to increase the feeling with the car and team in light of this weekend. Beginning the season with the pole and the podium was really fantastic and I can’t wait to go back on track to try and improve myself. I have much to learn and each round is a vital piece of the puzzle,” commented Karol Basz.

“After the first discrete weekend at Imola we can’t wait to see Karol in action once more in the Lamborghini Huracan. With started on the right foot, but unfortunately we made some mistakes that compromised the win in race-1 at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit. Therefore at Misano we must try and grow in terms of results. The chances are good and thanks to Team Antonelli and team-mate Kasai we were able to take to the track at both Misano and Monza. In this way we will be able to push right from the start,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The curtain will rise on Friday in the first trials in preparation for the two qualifying rounds planned for Saturday at 11.25am and 11.50am. The two races of 48’ + 1 lap each will start on Saturday at 7.25pm and Sunday at 1.50pm. Both will be broadcast on direct streaming on the websites of www.acisport.it and AutomotoTV.

F1 | Gp Monte Carlo, Minardi “Excellent Vettel. Decisive strategies”

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It was a Monte Carlo Grand Prix under the sign of Ferrari. After having won the front row in qualifying they also brought home a fantastic, and just as important, double with a view to the world championship. The result will surely build morale, taking them to the top of the two ladders. It was also a weekend where all the records were broken. It was incredible seeing these young men hurtling around the streets of the principality brushing the guardrails

Vettel was fantastic in all the stages of the race and he deserved full marks. In the first sprint he stayed in his team mate’s slipstream, saving his tyres as much as possible, which then made the difference in the crucial moments with masterful laps before his first pit stop and the restart after the safety car following the accident between Button and Wherlein.

It was a grand prix with few overtaking manoeuvres, as per tradition, in which the strategies had an important role. With Max Verstappen’s pit stop Red Bull committed its umpteenth mistake in strategy which also made Mercedes fall into temptation with Bottas who finished the race off the podium and behind Daniel Ricciardo. By staying on the track as long as possible Vettel and Ricciardo had better luck than their respective team mates.

In light of the world championship it was important for Sebastian to win, not only considering Lewis Hamilton’s seventh place but also due to the possible penalties that could come following the substitution of components of the power-unit between now and the end of the season.

Carlos Sainz was very good with his sixth place for Toro Rosso. The Spaniard confirmed that he is just behind the big drivers, lapping with regular times for the entire race. Perez’s impetuousness was a pity because it spoiled Kyvat’s race. As happened in Spain it was interesting following the race on the timing monitors which were marked with many fastest laps.

In two week we will be in Canada, a track which will be a hard test for the braking systems.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Monaco, Minardi “Ferrari is favoured due to its shorter legs but Mercedes has two aces up its sleeve.”

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This weekend Formula 1 will wear its best clothes to take part in the most glamorous appointment of the reason. Despite its peculiarity Monaco is an important appointment in the light of the world championship above all due to the great equilibrium between Ferrari and Mercedes that has emerged in the first part of the season.

The barriers and the guardrails are lurking and it will need only the slightest error to ruin a whole weekend. Qualifying has always played a dominating role in the final result of the race proper and this year will be no different. Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton will line up on the grid after two wins with the Ferrari driver leading the drivers’ ladder with 104 points, 6 more than the British driver, but with Mercedes ahead in the constructors’ ladder.

Ferrari could have a slight advantage thanks to its slightly slower pace compared to its direct rival Mercedes, even though indiscretions from overseas (from Germany) after the Spanish Grand Prix speak of a WO8 equipped with two overboosters, as well as the button that guarantees extra power for a lap. Hamilton or Bottas could also have an extra 15” to use in specific occasions, such as the start or during an overtaking manoeuvre (see the overtaking manoeuvre that Vettel suffered at Montmelò).

We must not forget Red Bull. In the first grands prix Verstappen and Ricciardo suffered important gaps (at Barcelona the Australian driver finished in third place more than 75” behind the winner) although in qualifying they manage to defend themselves. In addition, last year Ricciardo managed to place his RB in the front row ahead of Rosberg. Therefore keep an eye on them!

Strategy will play a key role and Pirelli will bring Ultrasoft, Supersoft and Soft mixes. In the Ferrari pits Vettel and Raikonnen opted for 10 “violet” sets (one more than Mercedes), 2 “red” (one less than Mercedes) and one “yellow”. In anticipation of Monte Carlo the sole supplier for the Circus decided to review the pressure of the tyres downwards. The front tyres will go from 19 PSI to 17 PSI while the rear tyres will go from 18 PSI to 16.5 PSI. This is another important aspect for Ferrari which up to now has shown that it knows how to manage the tyres very well with the SF70H.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Indy500 | A phenomenal Fernando Alonso is already a legend.

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A fifth place in qualifying for Fernando Alonso is not a result of note, but if it comes in his debut in the category at the Indianapolis 500 it certainly has the flavour of a feat, In the five laps of qualifying Nando was able to improve with each lap managing to equal the feat on another legend.

“In the 106 year history of the Indy 500 no Formula One driver managed to do better than Fernando Alonso in qualifying. He managed to equal the result of Jim Clark in 1963. It is the confirmation of what I have been saying for years, independently of his results of the last few seasons. Fernando remains one of the best drivers on the grid,” commented Gian Carlo Minardi who brought the Spaniard to his debut in Formula 1 in 2001, “His arrival is of great benefit to the category. A positive result in the race as well will place him definitively in the category of motor sport legend, as if he still needed to do so, had earned the right to this title with this result. I wish him the greatest luck and Sunday I will barrack for him,” concluded the manager from Faenza.

The path at the wheel of the Dallara-Honda entitled McLaren of Andretti Sport with the number 29 began by brilliantly overtaking the rookie Orientation and then he presented himself in the bowl of Indianapolis together with all the other drivers to best prepare the four laps available for qualifying, becoming one of the most active on the track. In 19 days he wrote an indelible page in the history of motor sport. Sunday 28th he will try to complete the task. In any case Nando has already won his challenge with the Indy 500.

We await a sensational weekend. The Monte Carlo Formula One Grand Prix and the 500 miles of Indiapolis.

F1 | Gp Spain, Minardi “Ferrari and Mercedes devastating. Finally true overtaking and close duels”

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The Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth round of the F1 world championship, gave us another exciting race on the edge of hundredths of seconds between Ferrari and Mercedes. Strategies and team tactics played an important role in the final result, just as the overtaking manoeuvres and the close duels did, luckily unpunished by the marshals. The battle at the start was very good, as were Sebastian Vettel’s duels with Bottas first and then with Hamilton. The English champion then took the lead with a great display of force as he also took the fastest lap of the race two laps from the finish and thus claimed the pole, race and fastest lap triple.

Barcelona gave us a very reactive Ferrari that knew how to reply very well to the many changes introduced by Mercedes, managing to reduce the gap even more. The car from Maranello is a strong machine and put together very well that reacts to the developments.

The force of these two teams in regards to the other teams is devastating. Third placed Daniel Ricciardo finished 70 seconds behind and all the others were more than a lap from the winners.

It was a pity that the accident immediately knocked out Kimi Raikonnen, thus forcing his Ferrari team mate to fight alone against the two Mercedes that were able to take advantage of team tactics. Ferrari and Mercedes will go to Monte Carlo close on the two ladders where Fernando Alonso will be missing for his home race after having given a show of his enormous talent taking the McLaren-Honda to seventh spot (a near miracle) and improving his performance in the course of the race up to the final lap. I wish him the best of luck for his adventure in the Indianapolis 500, even though I do not agree with it as the race requires specific preparation.

This weekend we saw important signs of change on the part of Liberty Media. The interviews with the drivers in direct contact with the fans were excellent, as well as the quick reaction to the tears of the very young Kimi Raikonnen fan after the driver’s exit when he was brought to meet his idol in the pits. In forty years of activity I had never seen anything like it.

It was a grand prix that gave us important surprises in the back markers such as the precious points brought home by Force India, Sauber and Toro Rosso.

We anxiously await the next chapter.

Gian Carlo Minardi

5000 enthusiasts at the Imola Circuit formalize the success of the second edition of the Historic Minardi Day

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It was an edition of the Historic Minardi Day that showed itself stronger than the weather. Not even the rain managed to dampen the enthusiasm of the five thousand passionate fans that went to Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit to live a full weekend dedicated to motorsport and the team from Faenza.

On Saturday and Sunday more than twenty five Formula 1 racing cars which included not only historic Minardi cars but also Ferrari, Williams, Dallara, Fondmetal and about thirty F2, F3 and GT cars took turns at racing around the track that was the stage for more than forty years of racing history. The paddock and the pits were invaded by passionate fans from all around Italy together with Team founder Gian Carlo Minardi and racing drivers who wrote important pages of motorsport history such as Pierluigi Martini, Luca Badoer, Gaston Mazzacane, Roberto Moreno, Giovanni Lavaggi, Alessandro Nannini, Emanuele Pirro, Andrea Montermini, Gabriele Tarquini, Nicola Larini and Riccardo Patrese who were also protagonists of the Golf match on Friday that was the prologue to the weekend.

A weekend of motorsport, music and show business with the presence ontrack of the Roman singer songwriter Max Gazzè who was the protagonist of the Live Music Show on Saturday evening who shared with Gian Carlo Minardi one of the event’s most emotional moments at the wheel of a Lamborghini powered M192. At 11.30am the manager from Faenza made his debut at the wheel of a Minardi racing car owned by Dutch collector Fritz Van Eerd and completed a lap at low speed of the whole Imola circuit accompanied by the warm applause.

“I think I made an Imola track record with the slowest ever lap by car,” joked Gian Carlo Minardi as soon as he left the car, “I must thank my friend Fritz who made everything available for me from the car to the helmet, It was a beautiful and emotional gift. At 70 years of age and with slicks on a wet track I realized a dream that I had delayed for too long. I must thank all the collectors and drivers for all the affection and warmth they showed, together with that of the fans. One aim of the Historic Minardi Day was to bring families back to the track and to bring them closer to what for me is the most beautiful sport. The aim was achieved in spite of the bad weather and rain.”

“Thanks too to the presence of my friend Max Gazzè who despite the terrible weather conditions entertained us with great music on Saturday evening and who shared the atmosphere of the pits for the whole weekend.”

“Of all my concerts, I will always remember Gian Carlo Minardi’s congeniality who, in a surreal ambiance, moved to the rhythm of the music under an umbrella,” was the Roman singer songwriter’s comment.

“Despite the weather not helping the event there were really many enthusiasts who took part in the second Historic Minardi Day. It’s a sign that when we speak about Formula 1, whether historical or current, the Imola circuit brings back memories that always live in the minds and the hearts of those who love this sport. I want to thank the Minardi family for having made us live these emotions and I hope that this event will become even more an irrevocable appointment on the calendar of the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit,” said Pier Giovanni Ricci (Circuit Director).

There were positive reactions from the protagonists “I waited 55 years to drive a Minardi and I finally managed to do it. We are celebrating the story of a man and a team that wrote pages of motorsport history, a history of passion, tenacity and challenging difficulties. It was an incredible weekend. I hope it becomes a permanent appointment in the future,” said an enthusiastic Emanuele Pirro.

After 17 years Gaston Mazzacane, a protagonist of the 2000 season together with Marc Genè once more took to the wheel of a Minardi M02. “It was a dream to come back to Imola and drive a Formula 1 car. I had the same emotions as then. Congratulations to the Minardi family. It was a sensational event. The quality and numbers of cars were incredible,” said the Argentinean driver.

“I love Gian Carlo Minardi. I raced for him seven years,” said an unmistakeable and sarcastic Alessandro Nannini who was also the protagonist of the Golf match at Faenza’s Le Cicogne Golf Club. “Last year I could not be here but I have already booked a place for the 2018 edition,” concluded the ace from Siena.

“With Gian Carlo Minardi I experienced fantastic years and I am tied to him and the team in a special way. I owe him a lot. It was a great event which not even the rain ruined or stopped. I came as a guest but next year it would be fantastic to come back in a driving suit and helmet,” declared Luca Badoer who is now committed to following his son in his first steps in kart racing.

The Historic Minardi Day also invaded the hills and medieval towns surrounding Imola and Faenza with a caravan of over thirty historic road cars in the Minardi Classic.

Historic Minardi Day | Ten good reasons to come to Imola

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Is your passion Formula 1 and motorsport? Have you always dreamed of touching the racing cars and meeting your favourites? Do you want to pass a whole weekend under the sign of motors, music and spectacle?
The answer is the Historic Minardi Day, the event dedicated to motors and the team from Faenza scheduled for Saturday May 6th and Sunday May 7th at Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit. We have found at least ten good reasons…

1) Fantastic racing cars once more thundering around the Imola

Formula 1 of the era of turbos, V10s and V12s have come back to thunder around the Imola circuit. More than 25 fantastic world championship racing cars for a forty year trip into the history of Formula 1, together with 30 historic F2 and F3 cars and GT racers await you at the pits and on the track beginning at 9.00am on Saturday until 6.30pm Sunday (price of the tickets is 12€ on TicketOne – free for children under 12). Engineers and drivers will be waiting for you at the paddock and the pits together with their racing cars.

2) “One on one” with drivers, engineers and show business personalities
Walking around the paddock of the circuit and entering the pits you will have the chance to meet team owner Gian Carlo Minardi together with drivers and engineers that wrote important pages of the history of the team from Faenza and motorsport such as Alessandro Nannini, Pierluigi Martini, Paolo Barilla, Luca Badoer, Tarso Marques, Jarno Trulli, Gaston Mazzacane, Gabriele Tarquini, Emanuele Pirro, Riccardo Patrese, Andrea Montermini and Giorgio Pantano. Simone Resta, Chief designer for Ferrari, will not be missing together with Gabriele Tredozi and show business personalities such as singer-driver Max Gazzè.

3) Motors and Music will come together at Imola in the Live Music Show with Max Gazzè.

Saturday evening will be under the sign of music with Max Gazzè, who has just completed a successful concert tour. In the confines of the paddock the singer will give us a show with his most important successes on the stage of the Live Music Show. Tickets are on sale on TicketOne together with two day tickets to experience the whole weekend under the sign of motors and music.

4)Formula 1 at arm’s reach for a unique trip in time with Formula 1

The trip will begin with Manuel Fangio’s 1957 Maserati 250 F and finish with the 2005 Minardi passing through Alessandro Nannini’s M186, the M189, the Lamborghini powered M192, the M198, Marc Gené and Gaston Mazzacane’s M01 and Fernando Alonso’s M01. Also present will be Scuderia Ferrari which this year celebrates the 70th anniversary of its foundation, the world championship winning Williams, Alesi and Berger’s Benetton, as well as Dallara, Fondmetal, Osella and Alfa Romeo and many other unique models. You will be able to see these fantastic cars in their basic components and leaving the pits before thundering around the Imola track.

5)Become a protagonist of the photographic competition and do a lap of the circuit

Beginning at 9.00am on Saturday 6th until noon Sunday 7th all the enthusiasts will be able to take part in the photographic competition. It will be enough to publish photos on your Instagram profile using the #MinardiDay hashtag. The winning photographer will have the privilege of doing a lap of the Imola track at the side of a professional driver.

6)Visit the exhibition “Imola Formula 1 1963-2006: History continues”

The exhibition set up inside the circuit’s “Checco Costa” Museum will be enriched with numerous racing cars built by Gian Carlo Minardi, for a trip amongst the most important and beautiful racing cars of the Formula 1 world championship that races around Imola.

7)Festival of Golf with many sporting and other personalities

As a prologue to the event on Friday May 5th there will be a Festival of Golf beginning at 2.00pm at Faenza’s “Le Cicogne” Golf Club with drivers, sporting personalities and VIPs who will play each other in front of all the enthusiasts who can enter the club free of charge.

8) Space for historical classic and vintage cars

There will be no lack of fantastic historical road cars within the circuit, such as the Alfa Romeo 33 of the 1970s and many other cars from the Milanese car maker which will also wind their way around the local medieval townships.

9)  Challenge your friends on the simulators.

Do you conider yourself a real World Champion? Then you cannot back off from challenging your friends at the wheel of the GT Challenge and F1 simulators in the gaming area within the paddock.

10)The ease of reaching Imola.

Reaching Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit is not like scaling mount Everest! It is easy to reach by train (the station is 3.5km from the circuit) or by car (the IMOLA exit of the A14 autostrada/freeway)

A track that is part of Motorsport History, a weekend not to be missed and to live together with all ther family and friends.

GT | A very stylish debut by Karol Basz at Imola

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At the Imola circuit Karol Basz made his debut in the Italian GT Championship. At the wheel of the Antonelli Motorsport team’s Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup the Polish driver quickly put himself on show with a very stylish debut claiming the pole position with authority and finishing Race-2 in third place after a major comeback together with Japanese co-driver Takashi Kasai and without making any mistakes.

For Karol it was the first outing at the wheel of the powerful supercar from the constructor from Sant’Agata Bolognese and already shows his excellent feeling for the car and with the team from Bologna in view of the next appointments on the calendar.

The final result was compromised in Saturday’s race by a drive through after a jumped start by the driver from Krakow who was in pole, finishing the race in sixth place. A mistake which he quickly redeemed with the podium finish in the second race.

“Pole position and the podium in the first contest with Lamborghini. I am very happy. Without the penalty in race-1 I could even have won the race. Our rhythm for the whole weekend was excellent and this is important. I wish to thank Giovanni Minardi, Alberto Tonti and all the Team Antonelli,” commented an enthusiastic Karol Basz.

“A debut that reflects all Karol’s potential. Pole position and the podium was a great result for the first weekend. It was certainly not unexpected since from the first kilometres he showed an excellent understanding for the Lamborghini and the team. The mistake at the start was a pity, due more than anything else to inexperienced in these races. As he showed in kart, he is not easily beaten,” commented Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

GT | Antonio D’Amico asserts himself at Imola and flies to the head of the table

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At the Imola circuit Antonio D’Amico was one of the major protagonists of the first weekend of the Italian GT Championship. At the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup number 116 of the Vincenzo Sospiri team, the driver from Fiano Romano, together with Riccardo Cazzaniga asserted himself with authority in Race-1 after having set the fourth best qualifying time, just missing out on the podium and the win in the second race.

Taking off from the second row of the grid D’Amico climbed the ladder with a clean race finally reaching the top place before handing over the wheel to his team-mate who held the place until the red flag which signalled the early end of the race due to the accident by Deodati.

In Race-2 Antonio D’Amico confirmed he was the fastest on the track by setting the fastest lap after having taken over the wheel from his team-mate and suffering a 15” pit stop penalty according to the regulations as a consequence of the victory and crossing the finishing line at the end of the 48 minutes + 1 lap of the race, finishing in fourth place with for him meant top place in the championship.

“Driving the Lamborghini was really enjoyable. The weekend was more than positive and gives us the right charge to confront the season in the best way. We are only at the first round and the championship is long but it was great beginning the season with a win and as leader,” commented an excited Antonio D’Amico.

“Antonio was one of Imola’s major protagonists with a clear win in Race-1 and an exceptional performance in Race-2 making his mark with the fastest lap. Without the drive through during Cazzaniga’s stint we could have had a fantastic double. We say goodbye to Imola and prepare for Misano at the top of the table,” was the comment by manager Giovanni Minardi.

F1 | Gp Russia, THE POINT by Gian Carlo Minardi “An exciting highly paced race. Now I await you at Imola”

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Despite a track that is not exactly exciting and only a few overtaking manoeuvres we saw one of the most exciting races of recent years, run at high rhythms. Right from the start Vettel and Bottas battled on the edge of tenths of seconds and with a dagger between their teeth. Specifically, from the 36th lap on the timing monitors were all coloured “fuchsia” – best lap times for the race – and “red” for the best personal laps by the drivers.

After Sebastian Vettel’s incredible pole position, Kimi Raikkonen made his mark with the fastest lap in the race. The constructors’ title is certainly within their reach but they need to continue along this path, denying the podium to one of the Mercedes’ drivers. The Ferrari is showing us that it is in the race and knows how to develop the car and to put the right pressure on their opponents.

Valtteri Bottas showed us at the start what this Mercedes is able to do, as well as outclassing Lewis Hamilton who could not keep pace with the times. At this pace the internal team truce could well end.

Ferrari’s only hiccup was the pit stop in which the German drivers lost four or five tenths of seconds which probably were a vital factor in the final result, as well as the misunderstanding when Felipe Massa was overtaken.

If these are the premises, then we can expect an exciting season, especially with the arrival in Europe and in Spain where the winter trials took place. We saw a true and clean race between two great constructors, open only to these four drivers since Verstappen (the first of the other drivers) crossed the finish line nearly 60” later.

Red Bull has a lot of work to do, not only on the French Power Unit but also on reliability. Daniel Ricciardo’s retirement early in the race was an important signal.

As we await the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend the second Historic Minardi Day will be in the spotlight at the Imola circuit. A weekend of motors, music and spectacle designed on what I would like to see during a Formula 1 weekend. Having just come out of a fantastic round of concerts on Saturday night Max Gazzè will give us a Live Music Show, as well as the chance to meet him together with other drivers that made motorsport history and in the presence of many Formula 1 cars that will makes us dream of its sounds and beauty. It will be a weekend under the sign of sport but above all of enjoyment and entertainment together with many other famous personalities.

Gian Carlo Minardi