F1 | Gp Montecarlo, THE POINT by Gian Carlo Minardi “Hamilton perfect. Ferrari, how many mistakes”

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Lewis Hamilton won one of the most exciting Montecarlo grands prix with four drivers within barely 4 seconds. The Mercedes driver confirmed he is a very great champion since, despite his problems with the tyres, he brought home an important win in front of Max Verstappen who never have him a moment of respite. On the other hand, faced with the difficulties with his car Vettel made a number of errors in qualifying and crashed with the FP3.

Verstappen committed a moment of carelessness without which he could have come back in fourth place. Maybe he took away Mercedes’ chance for a sixth consecutive double, even if I saw Bottas under subdued. I thought the 5” second penalty was right.

With the second place Vettel and Ferrari saved a weekend in which they committed unjustifiable mistakes, even if during the race they kept pace with the leaders. What happened on Saturday during qualifying was inexplicable. A team such as Ferrari cannot make such mistakes and, above all, I find it unacceptable that they appealed to the luck of others, especially if these words come from their CEO.

There is no justification ruining a grand prix for your driver that had shown he had an extra gear on the others by giving us two masterly overtakes in the race, as well as a mistake that will surely help him for the future. At that moment Leclerc was unloading all his frustration. In qualifying he had made a serious mistake in assessment which is synonymous with anxiety and nervousness.

Gian Carlo Minard

F1 | MINARDI “NIKI leaves us as a Champion, as a great test driver, manager and charismatic man”

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Ciao NIKI. Last night we lost not only a Champion and a piece of world automobile history but a great test driver who knew how to make difference in setting up a car when telemetry did not exist, a charismatic man and a successful manager who knew how to make Mercedes great with Toto Wolff.

My memories of Niki are tied especially to his past with Ferrari. I saw him often on the track at the wheel of an F1 car whenever I went to Fiorano.

The Montecarlo Grand Prix now fails into the background but surely Mercedes will want to continue its positive trend by trying to set a new record. Last year’s defeat still hurts and they will want to find quick payback against the menacing Red Bull. Ferrari must deal with the Milton Keynes’ excellent chassis and a determined Verstappen who for a year has not made any mistakes. It will certainly not be easy for Vettel and Leclerc. The mistake in qualifying in Baku by the driver from Monaco will be useful for him in the light of this demanding weekend. I saw him in great form even during the post Barcelona tests and I hope that Ferrari will be able to give him a car to put him into the fight for the top.

We are already in the sixth round. We need positive signs. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will be ready to fight it out once again without leaving anything to anyone else.

Gian Carlo Minardi

The Racing Team Nederland at the 24 hours of Le Mans with the colours of the M192. MINARDI “It is an honour that Frits van Eerd chose these colours”

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The colour scheme of the Lamborghini powered Minardi M192 that was the protagonist of F1 in 1992 with Alessandro Zanardi, Gianni Morbidelli and Christian Fittipaldi who took sixth place in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka will come back onto the track next June 15th and 16th thanks to the passion and genius of Frits van Eerd and Racing Team Nederland.

The famous Dutch entrepreneur, collector and the greatest enthusiast of Minardi in the world, as well as the protagonist of the Historic Minardi Day in Imola wanted to pay homage to Gian Carlo Minardi by also choosing the iconic yellow, white and black for his Dallara P217-Gbson #29 that will take part in the 24 hours of Le Mans, the final round of the 18-19 Super Season fot the FIA WEC Endurance World Championship.

“There is a special friendship with Frits van Eerd and I am honoured that Team Minardi always inspired him. It is fantastic that the colours of my F1 cars were chosen for the Racing Team Nederland’s cars. Frits and I will continue will collaborate to reinforce this association with the Minardi name and I will be happy to advise him- as a sort of “godfather” for his passion for motorsport – in the field of racing teams, talents and possibly new projects,” commented Gian Carlo Minardi who was present at the presentation.

Together with Frits van Eerd, at the wheel of the Dallara P217 there will be a team made up entirely of Dutchmen with Giedo van der Garde and Nick De Vries (the F2 driver who is in McLaren’s youth programme).

Gp Spain | THE POINT by GIAN CARLO MINARDI “It was the grand prix of truth”

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We are facing an incredible monopoly that will be hard to stop. This was the fifth double labelled Mercedes in as many grands prix but what should worry us most of all above all was race pace set by Hamilton and Bottas that highlighted, especially after the re-entry of the safety car.

It should have been the grand prix of truth. This winter we deluded ourselves but the truth is very different, with 8 tenths of a second in qualifying and the race they did everything they wanted to do. Despite the development of Ferrari’s engine the fourth and fifth places by Vettel and Leclerc were difficult results to digest since Verstappen also came into it with his Red Bull.

For a year now the Dutchman has made no mistakes and has become a serious pretender for scoring the points and important results which are essential for his team’s place in the constructors’ ladder.

In two weeks time we will go to Montecarlo, a round in which the chassis is fundamental and to which we must add a Honda engine that is growing. Despite everything, it will be hard even for them to stop Mercedes’ supremacy which leaves little for any justification.

Luckily the cars in the back entertained us with a fight for essential points for the “second division” championship with Magnussen, Sainz, Kvyat and Grosjean who completed the top ten behind Gasly.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Gp Barcelona, MINARDI “The last resort for Ferrari? Almost”

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We are going back to where it all began. Formula makes its entry in Europe on the Montmelò track, the stage for the winter tests. This track has no secrets for the drivers and the teams. Here Ferrari had fuelled hopes for a world championship by making excellent times but the season’s first four grands prix told a different story.

Mercedes managed the incredible feat of scoring four doubles and setting the new record (also helped by Ferrari’s lack of reliability).

Barcelona will be an important challenge in a grand prix where Binotto’s men will have to change gear in order not to lose more ground to the Mercedes that had remained hidden during the tests and did not express all its potential. It finished the grands prix with a good fuel load on board which is the sign they can manage any situation.

Ferrari’s last resort? No, but it must give a strong sign. We are coming to the fifth round. Anything can happen but the time has come to repeat last winter’s supremacy. Behind Ferrari and Mercedes we find a good Red Bull which is missing Gasly’s points, he was certainly not perfect in the start to the season.

Just as interesting and exciting is the struggle in the “second division” for fourth and fifth place. There are six teams within a range of 14 pints.

Gian Carlo Minardi