F1 | GP Azerbaijan, Minardi “Vettel let off. Hamilton did not respect the regulation”

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The episodes of the controversial grand prix at Azerbaijan continue to keep centre stage. The numerous excursions by the safety car contributed to the final result, together with the pit stop strategies and especially the contact between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

“Vettel was surely wrong to react. The images are clear and the stop and go penalty was more than just, in fact the Ferrari driver was also let off. The four times world champion, like the German cannot allow himself to lose his head by committing a clearly unsportsmanlike act,” was the determined analysis of Gian Carlo Minardi.

“Seb should have immediately contacted the team to tell them that Hamilton had not respected the regulations and to then contact Charlie Whiting,” continued the manager from Faenza who explains why the Mercedes driver should also have been punished, “The regulations are clear. Between the safety car and the first car there cannot be a space of more than ten cars. In addition, from the moment that the safety car switches off its lights restarts are not allowed.” Instead, Hamilton on the occasion had willingly and clearly slowed down, going against regulations, as happens on nearly every occasion.”

The manager from Faenza also drew attention to the episode that became decisive in the final result.

“It seemed very strange to me that Vettel’s penalty arrived with such a delay, considering the interruption to the race and at the same time as the technical problem suffered by his principal opponent.”

“Despite its technical superiority Mercedes is not error free and Ferrari must be able to take advantage even of these opportunities and the fourth place at Baku represents a positive result for Vettel who obtained a slight increase of his lead, At the beginning of the race and above all after qualifying it was almost unthinkable imagining of such a result,” concluded the ex constructor.

GT Italia | Karol Basz at Monza on the hunt for his first success

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Two weeks after his near win at Misano Karol Basz is ready to make his debut at the temple of speed that is Monza in the third appointment of the Italian GT championship.

The multi winning kart driver from Krakow who has just come from the European Clk-FIA championship round will return to the wheel of the black and orange Antonelli Motorsport Team Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup on the hunt for the season’s first success after having obtained pole position and a podium finish in the first round at Imola and having led the race in his stint on the track thanks to a lightning start.

It has been an exciting beginning to the season for the driver assisted by Minardi Management in which he has had the chance to test the ultrafast straights, together with his team mate, during the day of testing.

“I truly like this circuit very much and I can’t wait to take to the track in my Lambo. It is very fast and I hope to have a perfect weekend. But this will also need a touch of luck,” commented Karol Basz.

“Karol’s start in the championship has been more than positive considering that he began totally hungry even though, for the moment, he has missed out on a win. We will certainly try here at Monza. At Misano he went very close, making himself the protagonist with a perfect stint. Kasai’s penalty was a pity. He has adapted quickly to the Lamborghini and the team taking his place solidly in the top positions. Now we have to carry on with our job,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The two practice sessions of an hour each will start on Friday from 10.30am and 2.40pm in preparation for the official sessions programmed for Saturday 17th beginning at 9.30am. The first of the two races of the Super GT Cup will start at 5.00pm Saturday. Race-2 will begin at 5.30pm with direct streaming on www.acisportitalia.it.

CIK FIA | Karol Basz limits the damage in Alonso’s “home”

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It was a troubled weekend for Karol Basz on the Spanish track owned by F1 world champion Fernando Alonso, the setting for the second round of the European kart championship.

The multi winning Polish driver limited the damage in the final by making himself the protagonist of an important fight back and of a solid race by crossing the finishing line in twelfth place after starting the race in thirty third spot.

On a track that proved that it was not up to the standard of an important appointment such as the European championship Karol fought against a number of problems that conditioned the result from the first sessions despite a good rhythm and managed to obtain a purse of four points.

“It was a very unlucky weekend, but once more the race rhythm was very good. During the qualifying sessions I threw myself into the fray wheel to wheel but unfortunately it cost me a penalty, even though I did not agree with some of the judges’ decisions regarding cutting the track. These episodes form part of motorsport and now I will concentrate on the next appointment with the Lamborghini at Monza in preparation for Le Mans,” was the comment from a bitter Karol Basz.

“Despite a weekend that was anything but easy Karol showed that he is a true professional making himself a protagonist of a solid Final which ended with a concrete result after climbing up the ranking in view of the championship. The track did not live up to expectations where the performances were distorted by inadequate kerbs and some cutting of corners was not punished which did not give the drivers the chance to express their true worth,” commented managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti

As we await the their round on French soil the next weekend Karol will return to the wheel of the Antonelli Motorsport Team Lamborghini Huracan in the Italian GT championship appointment at the temple of speed that is Monza.

F1 | Gp Canada, THE POINT by Minardi “Mercedes untouchable, but the result favoured Vettel”

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As we predicted, Montreal confirmed that it was fertile ground for Mercedes which dominated the scene by registering pole position, the race win and Lewis Hamilton’s fastest race lap, as well as the first double for the reason. The British champion put much of his talent into his 65th pole and putting more than six tenths of a second between his car and that of his team mate.

It was a very difficult grand prix to decipher, above all for Ferrari, even though Vettel’s fourth place was surely important in view of the world championship. Despite the debacle, he limited the damage in regards to his direct rival who at Monte Carlo(in a weekend that was just as difficult) who was not able to go further than sixth place. In such a tight championship these results can be vital. It was race that quickly became uphill for the German who was forced to change his rear wing and to play catch up and it seems fighting with a less than perfect underside of the car. As yet unexplained problems slowed Kimi Raikonnen’s race even though at some stages he was not able to maintain a constant race rhythm.

Daniele Ricciardo was very good. As a professional he was once again ready bringing home third place. It was a pity for Verstappen who made a fantastic start. Unfortunately reliability was fatal for him. This result confirms quite well that Red Bull is a team not to be underestimated and which in the second part of the season could be a gauge for the championship.

Force India’s behaviour was inexplicable. Sergio Perez did not heed the team order in favour of his team mate in the moment that he was the faster driver. At driver market time this act will not be favourable for the Mexican who could have aimed for a place in a top team.

Finally there was an unplanned moment also in Formula 1 with Fernando Alonso who showed up amongst the fans in the grandstand. He gave vent to his adrenaline due to his retirement from the race two laps from the chequered flag by greeting the Canadian (American?) public that had sung his praises for the entire weekend. It is not secret that McLaren is looking for a “plan B” on the motor front even though it will not be easy since Honda is also a sponsor.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Robert Kubica once more drives a F1 car. Minardi “I hope to see him once more as a leading player”

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There are news items that do good for sport and for Formula 1. Robert Kubica has once more taken the wheel of a Formula 1 racing car after more than six years from that terrible February 6th, 2011 when the Pole ran off the road during the Andorra rally and hit a Skoda Fabia.

Robert undertook 115 laps of the Valencia circuit at the wheel of a 2012 Renault E20. At 32 years of age I hope that he will be able to come back to the Circus as a leading player. With obstinacy and sheer hard-headedness he managed to return to the wheel of a racing car with important results.

Formula 1 today needs media personalities and Robert is one of these thanks to his frankness, sincerity and speed. This test was also an excellent promotional move for the entire milieu. As I have stated a number of times Formula 1 must find a point of contact with its fans. It cannot continue keeping itself closed within bunkers called motor-homes.

In order to guarantee a future this sport must earn a generational change even of its enthusiasts and it can be achieved by drafting new drivers and with personalities. The results in terms of the public of the Historic Minardi Day is the confirmation of how big is the desire of the motorsport enthusiasts and F1 fans to touch the cars and to see the cars and protagonists up close by entering the pits to meet the drivers, mechanics and engineers, or even only to observe the cars when they are dismantled for inspection or ready to take to the track.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Canada, Minardi “Mercedes is the faourite, but Ferrari is going strong”

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Formula 1 has come to Gilles Villeneuve’s home. Montreal is a circuit which I consider a watershed due to its characteristics If Ferrari manages to come out of the Montreal round undamaged it can begin thinking big.

It as a Ferrari that in the first two appointments showed that it knows how to adapt to changing conditions, even though Mercedes starts with an advantage, We are talking about a track with fast straights and important braking points and where fuel consumption plays an important role. Hamilton and Bottas will be able to count on their two magic buttons. Unlike what happened in Monte Carlo the long legs will not be a problem.

The race will be run on a track that suffers sudden weather changes in which the safety-car has a high level of intervention. The barriers are close and any error can be paid with a heavy price. Last season’s record will be easily broken. In qualifying the drivers could go below the 1’10” barrier. On the tyre front the two top teams have made slightly different choices with 9 ultrasoft sets for Vettel and Raikonnen against the 8 of Hamilton and Bottas.

After a positive weekend in the Principality which finished with Ricciardo on the podium, Red Bull could return just behind Ferrari and Mercedes. The improvement of the chassis is not supported by Renault’s motor (I sometimes have the impression that the French constructor does not supply the same engine to Renault and Red Bull), even though on some circuits they will be the gauge for this year’s championship.

We expect a weekend and grand prix with very different characteristics from those that we have seen up till now.

A good grand prix to all.

Gian Carlo Minardi

GT Italy | Karol Basz just misses out on the coup at Misano

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At the Misano circuit, the stage for the second round of the Italian GT championship, Karol Basz once more put himself under the spotlight at the wheel of the Antonelli Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup, even though the final result did not do him justice.

At his second excursion in the Italian championship and debut at the circuit named in honour of Marco Simoncelli the many times karting champion who next week will be one of the protagonists of the second round of the CIK-FIA European championship at the Spanish track owned by Fernando Alonso with the Kosmic Racing Team won a place on the front row of the grid with the second best time and just missed out on winning race-2 after having made the fastest race lap time.

At the start of the second race the Polish driver took a leading role with a perfect start which put him immediately at the head of the race where he dictated the rhythm until the pit stop. Karol handed over the wheel of the black and orange Lamborghini with the number 102 to his teammate Takashi Kasai who incurred a 25” penalty due to an error of judgment at the re-entry of the safety car and thus lost the race lead in the final laps, finishing the race in sixth place.

“I was very happy with my work in both qualifying and the race. The car was perfect and our rhythm was excellent. The penalty at the end was a pity. I was hoping for the first win. We will surely try once more at Monza, but first must come Spain for the European kart championship,” commented Karol Basz.
“Karol showed all his worth both on the track and by setting up his car. After the contact which involved Kasai during the first part of race-1 the Antonelli Team was very good at repairing the car, also following Karol’s indications for modifying the setup in light of the second race where he was perfect at the start, He would have deserved success. In his turn he did not commit the slightest error. It was a pity for the penalty,” was the analysis of managers Alberto Tonti and Giovanni Minardi.

As we await the round at Monza in programme for two weeks time, Basz will fly to Spain for the second round of the European karting championship.