GT Italia | Basz the great protagonist at Monza in GT3

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On Monza’s very fast track Karol Basz was the great protagonist of the penultimate round of the Italian Gran Turismo Championship at the wheel of the Imperiale Racing Huracan GT3, together with team mate Vito Postiglione. The Italian and Polish drivers, who were already the lead players in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa, showed excellent teamwork that was transformed into two podiums on the strength of the second and third places achieved in race-1 and race-2 respectively.

For the driver from Krakow followed by Minardi Management this was his absolute debut at the wheel of a GT3 car and confirmed the excellent speed qualities that made him the current leader of the Super Trofeo that will hold its final round at the Vallelunga circuit on November 15th and 16th.

Right from qualifying Karol found an excellent feeling for the car and constantly took the car into the front positions, taking second place on the grid in his turn at qualifying.

“It was a very positive weekend. Climbing into the podium twice on my debut in GT3 is very positive, even in view of the future and I must thank all the Imperiale Racing team and Vito Postiglione. Closing race-1 in front of a great driver such as Giancarlo Fisichella was very satisfying, despite of the difficult weather conditions”.

“We are very happy with Karol’s work here at Monza. Despite being on his debut in an GT3 car he showed right from the start that he could play for pole position, closing the weekend with second place in qualifying and two podiums in the two races. It was an excellent debut. We thank everyone in the Imperiale Racing team and especially Ivano Pignatti who gave us this important chance,” commented managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

F1 | Gp Japan, MINARDI “Ferrari can make no more mistakes”

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There are still 5 rounds until the end of the season on the Formula 1 World Championship that this weekend lands in Japan at the historic Suzuka circuit. After Lewis Hamilton’s win and Mercedes’ 1-2 double the gap between Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari has climbed to 50 and 55 points respectively in the drivers’ and the constructors’ ladders.

Ferrari must admit its fault for the points lost at Monza as at the other circuits in the times that was most favourable for it. The gap would have been much smaller, just like the pressure. Mercedes has shown great strength both technically and strategically. Even if some did not like the team games, the history books will only show the titles won.

Toto Wolff’s are making the most of all the material available to them by exploiting every favourable opportunity. Unfortunately Ferrari has not managed to do it just as well, despite finishing within a few seconds after a very tight and tough grand prix.

Suzuka is surely not an easy circuit where in recent years the weather was an important variable. This weekend too the forecasts are not the best since there is a tornado and we do not yet know which direction it will take. I may be the case to change the date of the race since the bad weather has always been a constant factor. I remember the 1994 edition when Alboreto and Martini touched without even noticing because it was raining so much. It went decidedly better for Fittipaldi in 1992 when he crossed the finish line with the Lamborghini powered M192 in sixth place, giving us the only point of the season.

Pirelli will bring the Medium, Soft and SuperSoft mixes and Mercedes and Ferrari have focussed on different strategies with 10 sets of SS for Vettel and Raikonnen and 7 for Hamilton. It will crtainly be the case to intervene with the tyres in view of next year since this year they are not achieving the results hoped for with negligible differences in performance from one mix to another.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Karol Basz at Monza with the Imperiale Racing Lamborghini GT3

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An extra appointment on the calendar for Karol Basz who this weekend will be one of the protagonists at Monza in the penultimate round of the Italian Gran Turismo Championship on his debut in GT3.

The driver from Krakow followed by Minardi Management will defend the colours of Imperiale Racing at the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 paired with Vito Postiglione on his return after six months to the temple of speed where he triumphed in the opening round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa with a win in race-1 and the second fastest time in qualifying (the fastest in the PRO class).

“I am honoured that Imperiale Racing once more repeated its faith in me for the Monza appointment of the Italian Championship at the wheel of the powerful Huracan GT3. I am very happy to come back to Monza again beside Vito with whom we already gained a great victory together. Naturally I will do my best to come back home with a new trophy,” commented Karol Basz.

“We are very happy with the call from Ivano Pignatto that gives for Karol the chance to come back to racing in a selective reality that he knows well such as the Italian GT Championship. It is the demonstration of having made the right choice at the beginning of the year in choosing the Imperiale Racing structure and the confirmation that Karol is doing very well in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa. Monza is a track that is very suitable for his speed qualities and already at the beginning of the year he gave a great show with the win. For this we are certain that he will be competitive right from the start despite his debut at the wheel of a GT3. It will be a very important experience for him and we will do everything to achieve the best result, together with all the team, seeing the excellent feeling with Vito,” commented Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

F1 | Giovinazzi in Sauber next to Raikkonen. MINARDI “Line-up perfect”

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upAfter seven long years Italy will once again have a standard bearer in the F1 World Championship. The long wait was ended by Antonio Giovinazzi who from next season will defend full time the colours of Team Alfa-Romeo-Sauber beside Kimi Raikonnen.

The twenty five year old driver from Apulia will take the take left free by Leclerc (promoted to Ferrari next to Vettel), returning to the team that gave him his debut in 2017 when he raced the Australian and Chinese grands prix in place of the injured Wehrlein.

We spoke on the telephone to Gian Carlo Minardi who is busy is Rome. “I am very happy for Antonio and for all of Italy’s Motorsport which, after seven years, has once again found its fulltime standard bearer in F1. This is a very important step for the project being carried out by ACI, with its roots beginning in karting and then continue in the training categories,” commented the satisfied manager from Faenza, “the pair of Raikonnen-Giovinazzi is exactly right because the team will be able to count on the experience of a master such as the Finn who will give a hand to the young driver to learn and grow. I hope that the student will quickly overtake the master,” concluded Minardi.

At Hinwil Giovinazzi will find not only Raikonnen once again but also Simone Resta whose career began in 1998 in Faenza with the Minardi Team, in his role as Technical Director who will look after the C38 Project.

F1 | Gp Russia, Minardi “Only one result is possible for Ferrari”

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We have reached the last six races in the calendar and this weekend in Sochi Ferrari has only one possible result: the one-two. Maurizio Arrivabene’s men must try to makes things difficult for Hamilton and Mercedes that naturally start as favourites.

In this moment Mercedes has the peace of mind missing in Maranello and the awareness that it can manage the good lead in both ladders. Last year Vettel and Raikonnen were able to fill the front row of the grid but the race went to Bottas. They will need to avoid this.

We must make one consideration. It seems to me that we are experiencing once more what happened last year with the first part of the season favouring Ferrari and Mercedes growing up and making a comeback. This is exactly what is happening now. We must understand if we are faced with an opportunist Mercedes, or Ferrari that makes too many mistakes and annuls its advantage. Certainly the drivers and team are not exempt from blame.

On the tyre mix front Pirelli will bring the Softs as the hardest mix and down to HyperSoft. I hope we will see a greater difference in performance between the mixes because it is one of the elements that have been missing this year. Pirelli would like to reduce the range for 2019 but the objective should be to increase the difference in performance between the mixes.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Super Trofeo | Pole position and win at Nurburgring for Karol Basz who increased his championship lead

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In the fifth round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa at Nurburgring Karol Basz, together with Vito Postiglione, in the Imperiale Racing Huracan number 44 drove the (nearly) perfect weekend with pole position, a win in race-1 and second place in race-2 and setting the fastest lap.

Only the win in race-2 was lacking but on his debut on the German track Basz confirmed that he is the top driver in the single make category by closing the weekend run constantly on the charge, without making the slightest error and achieving the objective of increasing the lead in the championship. The Italian-Polish pair drew up to the starting line with a lead of four points over its direct rivals and will go to the Vallelunga track on November 15 an 18 with a ten point lead.

During his qualifying round the Polish driver followed by Minardi Management set an important pole position confirming that he had reached an excellent feeling for the track. In race-1 Basz took part in the second part of the race and completed the comeback that his team mate had already begun by crossing the finish line with a lead of nearly 12 seconds over their direct rival and so scoring the fourth win of the season.

Karol made the perfect start to race-2, keeping pole position and dictating a rhythm that started a great tussle with Zampieri run on the edge of tenths of seconds and he returned to the pits as race leader.

“I am very happy because we managed to increase our lead in the championship by taking pole position, the won and second place. I liked Nurburgring from the first lap and this is seen in the results on the track. I am very happy with how I drove in all the sessions and I really look forward to the final round at Vallelunga to be able to race for the title,” commented Karol Basz.

“We say goodbye to Nurburgring with another win and pole position and a lead in the championship that grew to ten points. Karol was very fast during all the weekend and practically perfect in every situation. In qualifying he just missed out on the perfect lap but took pole position anyway. In the two races he was one of the fastest and even set the fastest time in race-2 with an impressive stint. Now we will prepare for the final round at Vallelunga where we will go onto the track with the aim of winning both the European and World titles,” commented managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

Karol will fly to Kristianstad in Sweden to take part in the Karting World Championship to defend the Kosmic Racing colours to try and repeat the 2015 title won on the Muro Leccese track.

F1 | Minardi “Ocon deserves to stay in F1”

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We are at the door of the Singapore Grand Prix, the fifteenth round (of twenty one) of the world championship and a drivers transfer market surrounded by deep uncertainty. It has been some years since we last saw so many changes of teams (see the retirement of Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo’s passage from Red Bull to Renault or Force India’s change of ownership which saw the cancellation of its points at the Belgian GP) and, above all, there are still pieces that have to find their places.

At this time Ferrari is tipping the scales with the unknown factor tied to Kimi Raikonnen’s future. Despite many rumours, there has been no denial or official announcement from Maranello, even if what happened with the official account from Garage Italia that belongs to Lapo Elkann is striking when it announced the arrival of Charles Leclerc beside Vettel and which then modified the post’s text.

As long as this point has not been clarified it is difficult to see other movements since Ferrari conditions two teams (Haas enjoys greater autonomy compared to Sauber on the drivers’ front). Sadly Esteban Ocon could pay the price of this game of changes, especially since the arrival of Lawrence Stroll as head of the group that saved Force India (renamed Racing Point Force India) with the great probability of bringing his son Lance into the team (freeing a place at Williams).

The one paying the price for this would be the Frenchman. I hope that a skilled manager such as Toto Wolff would not allow such a mess to happen since, in my modest opinion, we are talking about one of the most interesting emerging drivers who deserves to stay in the Circus. It would be absurd if he were not one of the twenty drivers on the starting grid in 2019.

At the present time Ocon occupies tenth place in the drivers’’ ladder with 45 points, one less than Sergio Perez.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Minardi “YES to the third car, NO to clone cars”

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The rumours of recent weeks were confirmed in a 2018 drivers transfer market that continues to amaze us. This morning Ferrari officially announced Raikonnen’s departure at the end of the season and subsequently the arrival of Charles Leclerc. The real surprise was the confirmation that the Finn would go back to Sauber, the team that launched him into the F1 world championship in 2001, taking the place of the driver from Monaco.

Raikonnen signed a two year contract with the Swiss team and he will therefore have the chance to finish his career in the world championship where he began it, as well as finding once more Simone Resta who transferred to the team from Hinwil a few months ago to take the role of Technical Director. There is still the unknown factor of who will be his team mate. Another piece has found its place in the puzzle.

Over the last few days Toto Wolff used harsh words when he threatened to close the Mercedes Young Drivers Programme if Esteban Ocon could not find a team to drive, however, he opened a possibility that Gian Carlo Minardi had already launched a few years ago, that is the third car for rookie drivers. “I have long favoured this option, just as for years I have been asking that Friday morning be opened to rookies,” commented the manager from Faenza, “We must give a chance to those who invest in young drivers right from with the training formulas, starting already in karting. On the other hand, as of today it is increasingly difficult and the funnel is becoming ever smaller. If we do not put in place some new initiatives we will be faced with an extremely serious crisis,” he continues, launching a warning.

“We must consider that not all the teams have the financial strength to build and manage three vehicles on the track at the same time. Therefore we would need to review the whole points system by creating a class dedicated to rookies – as happens in the GT categories – in order to give the smaller teams the possibility to battle it out for the points zone which otherwise would be off limits with three Ferraris and just as many Mercedes, Red Bulls and Renaults,” proposed Minardi.

“By doing this the possibility of having four top teams and as many clones would be avoided, this is a road that does not fascinate me and which could distort the championship’s DNA. We are faced with an important change in an F1 that is in the hands of four great constructors such as Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Honda. We hope that they have the intelligence, the skill and, above all, the desire to manage to situation in the best way possible,” concluded Minardi.

Super Trofeo | Karol Basz and Vito Postiglione at Nurburgring to consolidate the leadership

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With the end of the summer break the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa will this weekend switch on the motors once more for the fifth round and Karol Basz, together with team mate Vito Postiglione, will step up to the starting line at Nurburgring at the top of the ladder, a place earned on Spa-Francorchamps’ selective circuit.

The Polish driver followed by Minardi Management will take to the wheel of the Imperiale Racing “Lambo” Huracan number 44 to go on the prowl for this season’s fourth win on a very technical track on which qualifying will have a very important role since overtaking will not be so easy due to the many curves at low and medium speed and the lack of significant straights.

“Nurbugring will be another new track for me, but I hope that after intensive preparation on the simulator I will be able to find it quickly. We are at the forefront of the table, despite the fact that a lot has happened during the previous races, so I hope that in Germany we will strengthen our lead” commented Karol Basz

“After the summer break Karol will go back on to the trail of the Super Trofeo in the lead together with Vito. At Nurburgring we will again try to achieve the best results in order to confirm our place at the top and we also hope for a touch of luck that has certainly been missing in the previous rounds. In the week of the break Karol continued his athletic training and studied the circuit on the simulator with his usual doggedness. We want to thank the Imperiale Racing team that continues to support us by giving us the chance to fight it out for the title,” commented managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

This weekend will begin with the two free practice sessions programmed for Friday 14th at 11.30am and 4.20pm in preparation for the qualifying rounds on Saturday at 10.35am that will decide the starting grid for Race-1 (Saturday at 3.40pm) and Race-2 (Sunday at 1.00pm). Both the rounds will be streamed live the Official Facebook Lamborghini Squadra Corse Page https://www.facebook.com/LamborghiniSquadraCorse/

After Germany Karol will fly to Sweden, destination Kristianstad, to participate at the Karting World Championship to defend the colours of Kosmic Racing to try and repeat his 2015 success on the Muro Leccese circuit.

F1 | Gp Italy, The heart is ready to beat once more

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Ferrari’s test of strength at Spa-Francorchamps can be a good omen on a fast track such as that at Monza that this weekend will host the 89th edition of the Italian Grand Prix. We predict another exciting duel between the two pretenders to the throne, Ferrari and Mercedes but especially between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

As we already saw last weekend in Belgium the weather will play an important role and probably shuffle the cards: with a dry track the Ferrari-Vettel duo has shown it is more competitive than its direct rivals, while under the rain Hamilton and Mercedes have shown they are superior. Storms are forecast for Friday as they are for Saturday as well, even if qualifying should be dry. On the other hand the race should be overcast.

We come to a track characterized by very long straights with only eleven bends where the engines run at full speed for 75% of the lap. It will be a great effort for the power-unit. After what happened at the start last week (the penalty inflicted on Hulkenberg seems correct even if the marshals continue not to use the same yardstick with all the drivers) care must be taken at the first chicane at about 700m from the starting line. They will come to it at speeds much higher than those at Spa.

Ferrari will start the real post Marchionne era and behind the curtains there will be many meetings that could open up a number of moves. Kimi Raikonnen’s future is still to be decided after an unlucky weekend at Spa that was conditioned by the contact at the start of the race that forced his retirement.

We predict that the weekend will not be easy for Red Bull due to the handicap of the Renault engine (Ricciardo will start in last place but will be equipped with the latest version of the PU). The duel between Renault and Haas for fourth place in the constructor’s ladder is to be followed, as well as the chase by Racing Point Force India that in Belgium was the team that achieved the third highest number of points (18) after Ferrari and Mercedes. The entry of the new consortium led by Lawrence Stroll will have given confidence back to the team (as well as new life).

Gian Carlo Minardi

Super Trofeo | Podium and leadership for Karol Basz and Vito Postiglione at Spa-Francorchamps

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At the fascinating circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, the stage for the fourth round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa, Karol Basz paired with Vito Postiglione at the wheel of Imperiale Racing’s “Lambo” Huracan number 44 won the Championship’s leadership thanks to the third  places achieved in the two races on Friday and Saturday. Race-2 was interrupted for a few minutes by the chequered flag due to a terrible accident between the front two drivers,

Due to the conjunction with the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps the whole programme was brought forward by one day and in Thursday’s free practice Minardi Management’s driver set the best position subsequently closing his qualifying round with the sixth time without committing any errors and gaining confidence with the Eau Rouge and the many pitfalls of the Ardennes track.

In race-1 Vito Postiglione started in pole position but at the first curve collided and fell back to 23rd position. Luckily the car had no major damage from the impact which allowed Postiglione to recover a number of positions before handing over the wheel to Basz who, at the end of the pit stop re-entered the track in ninth place. The Polish driver took advantage of the restart after the exit of the safety car and became the protagonist of an incredible last lap overtaking four cars before finishing the race in fifth place. After the penalty inflicted on Altoè/Zampieri, Karol climbed up to fourth place (third in the class).

A few minutes after the start of the race-2 it began to rain on the circuit and the race director decided for a start behind the safety car which exited after 8’, in his 50 minutes of the race Karol Basz was able to retain his position holding back the charges by his rivals without making any mistakes before handing the car over to his team-mate who went on to the finish line in third place, confirming the excellent feeling for the track. The race was interrupted a few minutes from the chequered flag because of a terrible accident that involved the front two drivers with the race director freezing the ladder at the previous lap.

“We say goodbye to Spa-Francorchamps, as incredible track, with a lot of points and the championship lead. Today’s was a crazy race. We decided to keep the slicks despite the wet track because we knew that ot would have dried quickly. Then Vito was very fast. It was a pity about the accident at the end that took away the chance to battle it out for the win. It was not an easy weekend but it was very positive. Now we go to Nurburgring as leaders” commented Karol Basz.

“Karol was the protagonist was a positive weekend run on a very demanding track that ended with solid and important results that delivered the championship lead. In the three days he worked hard to constantly improve since it his debut at Spa, one of the most selective tracks in international Motorsport. Sadly race-1 was conditioned by a touch at the first curve which took away the win, while in race-2 both drivers were perfect despite the tricky asphalt that continued to change. “We are very happy with Karol’s path that, on his debut and after only four rounds, went to the top of the championship. With the help of our sponsors and the Imperiale team we hope to reach the end of the season,” commented managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

Super Trofeo | Karol Basz is on the prowl for the fourth win at the kingdom of Spa-Francorchamps

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This weekend Karol Basz will make his debut at Spa-Francorchamps for the fourth round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa. The 26 year old driver from Krakow, together with Vito Postiglione, at the wheel of Imperiale Racing’s “Lambo” Huracan number 44 will be on the prowl for the fourth win in just as many appointments to continue the climb up the ladder where he now in second place.

Up to now the path has been impeccable by Minardi Management’s flag bearer event if there is still the regret for some unfortunate episodes that denied the deserved double win at Misano (due to a puncture) and at Silverstone due to a problem with the door handle during race-2’s pit stop. These episodes do not affect the value of a driver who has become part of the Lamborghini Programme and who experienced the first session at Vallelunga with an intense programme of athletic preparation and lessons in classroom.

Given the concurrence with the 24 Hours also in programme on the same track in the Ardennes, the whole programme has been brought forward by a day with two rounds of free practice on Thursday 26 at 10.35am and 2.55pm in preparation for the qualifying session on Friday 27 at 9.50am and Race-1 at 1.50pm. The fourth Racing Weekend will draw to a close on Saturday 28 with race-2 at 10.25am. Both heats will be transmitted live on the Lamborghini Racing Team Official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LamborghiniSquadraCorse/

“Spa will be another new track for me, but I am looking forward to this weekend. It will be interesting to see how level differences will affect driving sensations and whether they will coincide with the simulator. Last year my team was really strong here, so I hope that this season we will maintain this trend and we will fight Vito for a set of points” – said Karol.

“We are sure that at Spa-Francorchamps Karol will once again be able to fight it out for the top positions. In the previous editions Team Imperiale and Vito Postiglione were always very quick and this gives us hope. At this time Karol is more determined than ever, thanks also to the excellent and intense work of athletic preparation that intensified during the Lamborghini Academy session at the Vallelunga track,” commented managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

Memories of the Hungarian Gp ’94, Michele Alboreto just misses out on the Top-six

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Michele Alboreto had the best result for the Minardi Team on the track in Budapest which this weekend will host the 12th round of the World Championship.

At the wheel of the M194 Minardi with the Ford HBC7/8 engine with team mate Pierluigi Martini, he was the protagonist of an important comeback. Taking off from twentieth place the driver from Milan cut the finish line in seventh place behind Ligier-Renault’s Olivier Panis and just missing out on the points zone. In those years only the first six drivers at the finish line were assigned points (from 10 to 1). The grand prix was won by Michael Schumacher driving the Benetton in front of Damon Hill in the Williams and Jos Verstappen (Benetton). The German went on to become World Champion with just a one point lead over the Englishman. In the constructors’’ championship the team from Faenza closed the season with five points and tenth place overall.

The following year the team founded by Gian Carlo Minardi finished once more in the top ten with Luca Badoer eighth (behind Jordan’s Rubens Barrichello) and Pedro Lamy ninth at the wheel of the M195, again with the Ford engine. Of the 24 starters only ten managed to reach the finish line with the Williams of Damon Hill and David Coulthard achieving a double in front of Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger with leader Michael Schumacher forced to retire with a breakdown of his Renault engine.

The biggest regret is tied to the 1993 edition with Pierluigi Minardi in the M193 (the first Minardi racing car equipped with active suspension and the first sequential gearbox with powered by a Ford engine that enjoyed low fuel consumption) who, as he was overtaking another car, ended up spinning neutralizing an important result.