F1 | Minardi “F1 has lost the certainty of penalties”

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Lewis Hamilton’s action in the final phases of the German Grand Prix when he came back onto the track after cutting through the grass after having taken the entrance to pit lane caused a lot of discussion after the race. Some hours after the chequered flag the Mercedes’ driver’s win was confirmed after having received only received a reprimand from the marshals. For Race director Charlie Whiting there was no correlation with the 5” penalty given to Kimi Raikonnen during the 2016 Baku Grand Prix.

We asked Gian Carlo Minardi, who gave us his point of view. “At this time in F1 there is no certainty in the penalties which are the basis for the regularity of world championship. In order to justify FIA’s position Charlie Whiting climbed up walls, hid behind very soft mitigating factors such as the presence of the Safety-car and not having created a risk situation due to the lack of other cars present,” commented the manager from Faenza.

“This championship will be won by who makes the least mistakes compared to his rival and seven points can make the difference at the end (with a 5” second penalty the Englishman would have finished in second place behind Bottas). In my opinion the regulation was distorted. Unfortunately these episodes also have consequences on the other introductory categories since very often F1 makes the law and is taken as an example by young drivers as well. It becomes very difficult teaching them,” continued.

“I do not want to take anything away from Hamilton who was the author of an extraordinary race, while Vettel make a very serious mistake that could cost him very dearly but there is a need for clear regulations that must be respected”.

F1 | Gp Germany, PRESENTATION by Gian Carlo Minardi “Keep an eye on Red Bull”

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After a year the German Grand Prix will come back to the Hockenheim circuit where Pirelli’s stronger tyres will make their debuts. The Milanese tyre maker will bring its Medium, Soft and UltraSoft mixes. Hamilton and Vettel have “marked” each other man to man with the same number of sets of each mix, whereas Bottas and Raikonnen have mixed their choices.

We have reached the halfway point of a very long championship with Ferrari that will take to the start with its morale high and at the top of both ladders and Mercedes that cannot make any more mistakes. However, we must not underestimate the two Red Bulls that could come out by exploiting its excellent chassis, especially in the mixed/slow part of the track. As happened two weeks ago at Silverstone, we will have a highly fought qualifying on the edge of thousandths of a second and a race that will be decided by strategies and weather that could give the cars in red an advantage since the prediction for Sunday is for a sunny day.

I am pleased to see Antonio Giovinazzi in action once more with the Alfa Romeo Sauber. I hope that this is a good sign for his future. It will not be easy coming to conclusions since the teams’ plans for Friday usually involve a mix of work with their drivers in order to collect the greatest number of indicators for qualifying and the race.

There has been much talk in recent days about Liberty Media’s new proposal of changing the system of points. Fernando had said that he is opposed to the move as it opens the points to twenty drivers which would reduce his worth and he used as an example the uproar that was raised by Jules Bianchi’s ninth place with Marussia that was the result of a masterpiece of race at Monte Carlo. For many years I found myself fighting with my cars to enter into the top six, therefore the chance to widen the ladder could also be positive. It would help to increase the spectacle in the back lots with more tussles.

I have the impression that they want to draw attention away from much more important problems since this would require giving the Technical Regulations instead of the Sporting Regulations that do not change F1’s image. We need resolve the issue of the future engines, even if the four constructors seem oriented to continuing with the Power Units.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp England, PRESENTATION by Gian Carlo Minardi

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The July tour-de-force continues. We move from Austria to the historic circuit of Silverstone in England and then continue our journey towards Germany and Hungary which will mark the beginning of the August summer holidays.

This is a very technical and demanding circuit, for the tyres as well with lateral forces of 5G. For this reason Pirelli has opted for the Hard, Medium and Soft mixes (with the tread lowered 0.4mm) to try and compensate for the excessive wear. After the race a lot was heard and said about the tyres and I do not understand the need to intervene for change by hiding behind the problem of safety. If the tyres wear too much then you stop and change them.

Silverstone promises to be an important round, above all for those who suffered from problems of reliability at the Red Bull Ring since there was really too little time to intervene.

The weather is still an unknown factor, even if for the time being the forecasts speak of a hot weekend and of the safety car as well. Last year Lewis Hamilton dictated the race in front of his public and this weekend Mercedes is still favoured to win. Ferrari comes to the race reinvigorated after having taken back the leadership of both ladders, even though it was not free of errors with the penalty that hit Vettel for having slowed down Carlos Sainz in qualifying (Q2). The championship confirms that it is characterized and conditioned by errors (drivers and teams) and who will know to make the fewest errors will, in all probability, take home the crown for 2018.

After Sunday’s retirement the British champion will take to the track psyched up and with a strong desire for a comeback. It will be a great struggle to be follow, beginning with the free practice.

Personally, I have wonderful memories tied to this circuit, especially the ’89 edition which ended with fifth and sixth placings for Martini and Sala. It was a decisive weekend for the survival of the team. The phantom of pre-qualifying was just around the corner, as was the loss of the television rights. We were obliged to take home two points. We said goodbye to the eighth round with three points. For us it was like winning the world championship. The M189 proved to be a good and constantly growing car that gave us a lot of satisfaction.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Austria, PRESENTATION by Minardi “Vettel used the last bonus in France”

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Having put away the French grand prix, we are entering a hot month of July with four grands prix within five weeks. It will begin this weekend in Austria and then go to England (July 7-8), Germany (July 21-22) and Hungary (July 28-29). It will be true tour de force for the teams and drivers, at the end of which we will have an important picture of this world championship.

In addition to Mercedes’ supremacy, at Le Castellet we saw a race full of errors, beginning with Sebastian Vettel who, with his fifth place, left behind important points in the light of the world title. Ferrari’s German driver was too impetuous when he tried to overtake Bottas at the first curve which ended with a touch and a 5” penalty. He must remember that he is a four times world champion.

In a world championship that is so much on the limit it will be the errors that make the difference, Seb has already played all his bonuses and finds himself behind his direct rival with a gap of 14 points.

We must also take into account the growth of Red Bull which is supported by a fantastic chassis that partly makes up for the deficiencies of the Renault power unit. With the passage to the Honda engine the handicap of the motor will be felt even more but it will still be the arbiter of this world championship by taking away important points and places on the podium from Vettel and Hamilton.

It will also be a hot month for the second rank teams led by Renault, in front of McLaren. Force India, Haas and Toro Rosso which comes from two difficult weekends which ended with no points unlike Haas which is growing, but is off and on, despite Grosjean who is still “dry” and Force India which is on the comeback trail but troubled by non technical issues.

The Red Bull Ring is a demanding track that is full of pitfalls with the gravel at the edges of the track that is characterized by an undulating surface, fast curves, long straights and demanding braking in which the weather is an important factor. On the tyre front, Pirelli will bring the Softs, SuperSofts and UltraSofts with the Ferrari drivers choosing 9 sets of the softest mix against the eight of Mercedes and Red Bull. We predict a race with different strategies.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Super Trofeo, Three from three for Karol Basz who made his mark at Misano with Vito Postiglione

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For the third straight week Karol Basz made his mark on the Super Trofeo Lamborghini together with Vito Postiglione. After Monza and Silverstone the Polish driver also scored a win on the Misano track in a race than ended the third of the six rounds of the single make championship dedicated to the carmaker from Sant’Agata Bolognese.

In his turn in qualifying at the wheel of Imperiale Racing’s number 44 Lamborghini Huracan Evo the driver followed by Minardi Management claimed the front row on the strength of the second best time and confirmed the position after race-2 before handing the car over to his Italian team mate who, with a spectacular move on his direct rival Daniel Zamperi, took command of the race and maintained the position until the end.

The win, which ended the third round, cancelled some of the disappointment of the retirement in the opening phase of the nocturnal race on Saturday which was caused by a puncture that did not even give Karol Basz the time to climb into the cockpit for his part of the race.

“The race was tight up to the final curve. Zampieri is certainly not an easy driver to deal with and Vito was very good overtaking him and also fast on the track. I was very happy with my stint because, in addition to not making any errors, I confirmed my place. The team did a great job and we showed once more that we have our papers in order for playing for the title. I am very happy with my work at Misano even if the disappointment for Saturday’s retirement hurt. We would have made a fantastic double which still escapes us. Even in qualifying we confirmed that we are amongst the fastest drivers,” commented Karol Basz.

“The third race and the third win, we are only 66% happy since after the two front rows in qualifying and the win, the first double escaped us, this time because of a puncture during the night race We showed that we have a pair of very strong drivers and because of this we are ready to take our revenge at Spa-Francorchamps. We will continue to fight for the objective that we made our priority, winning the European Championship. For this very reason we will concentrate all our forces with the Imperiale Team and interrupt the American adventure. It was a positive experience and we thank Jonathon Summerton and all the P2 Motorsport staff for having given Karol the chance to have his first contact with America,” commented Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

With the win in race-2 the Italian-Polish team sits in second place on the ladder. The next round will be on July 27-28 at the Spa-Francorchamps track.

F1 | Ricciardo is the centre of the 2019 drivers’ market. Hamilton is the key to change

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Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, Renault and, naturally, Red Bull. Never has Daniel Ricciardo had been at the centre of the driver’s market as much as now.

He has given himself ten days to decide. Next year Red Bull will abandon the Renault engines to pass on to the Japanese supplier of its cousins at Toro Rosso. It is another unknown factor for the Australian, even if the Honda Power Unit has shown that, compared to the disastrous seasons with Honda, it has made gigantic strides in terms of reliability and performance.

The win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the lack of competiveness by McLaren may push Fernando Alonso to say goodbye to F1 as soon as this season to aim for new challenges and in fact freeing a seat at Woking. There could be a contract worth 20 million dollars a year for Ricciardo but Renault could have knocked on the Australian’s door as well. There could be a swap with Carlos Sainz who is still under contract with the team from Milton Keynes.

Sebastian Vettel may have opposed Daniel Ricciardo’s move to Ferrari and so closed the doors to Maranello to his former team mate despite Kimi Raikonnen having floated the idea of definitely finishing his adventure in F1 which leaves a very pleasing seat free that could be occupied by the Monegasque driver Leclerc.

“I have not yet won a world title and, despite McLaren and Renault not being my main choices, an eventual arrival there would not be a backward step in my career but an investment in the future. The aim is to have a car to aim for the maximum result but if this is not possible then other considerations will be made,” commented Daniel Ricciardo, “Honda’s arrival at Red Bull was not a shock, as I already knew about the possibility. Now I will try to understand what the developments will be. Honda made progress with Toro Rosso”.

Before taking any decision Ricciardo will also take a look at Brackley where Lewis Hamilton’s contract will end at the close of 2018.

“As of today Lewis Hamilton has still not signed an extension to his contract with Mercedes and Ricciardo will wait to see what happens at Mercedes before making any decisions. Should Hamilton not renew this will set off a chain reaction in the paddock with a round of important seats. If I were Ferrari in an imaginary market, I would not let the British driver get away to build a Dream-Team with Vettel despite the German driver’s veto of the Australian driver,” commented Gian Carlo Minardi.

“It would be a big coup for Maranello having two great drivers for aiming at both the drivers and the constructors’ titles by taking the main actor and adversary away from the competition. As an alternative, I really like the idea of the young Leclerc which in turn would free a place for Giovinazzi at Sauber,” continued the manager from Faenza who says that he is increasingly convinced that the recent winner of the 24 Hours of Le mans, Fernando Alonso will retire from F1. “McLaren will need another top driver, as well Renault. It could be an explosive market but a lot will depend on Hamilton,” concluded Minardi.

F1 | Gp France, PRESENTATION by Gian Carlo Minardi

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With Friday’s free practice France will once more have its own grand prix after a ten year break. However, F1 will go back at the Paul Ricard Circuit which left the calendar in the long ago 1990 after Alain Prost’s win with Ferrari.

After his win in Montreal, Sebastian Vettel heads the world championship ladder with a one point lead over Lewis Hamilton. The World Championship begins again and it will be vital not to make any mistakes and Ferrari must continue on the take the race to Mercedes’ British driver. Red Bull, which announced its new partnership with Honda beginning in 2019 and thus leaving the Renault Power Unit, could be at a disadvantage compared to its direct rivals exactly on the motor front, even if Ricciardo and Verstappen are still fearsome adversaries, as well as possible arbiters of the world championship.

On the Constructors’ front, Ferrari needs Raikonnen’s contribution. He must change his approach to the grands prix and bring important points to the team. Otherwise it will be hard to win the title despite the car showing that it is competitive.

We come back to a circuit that has been renewed in structures and safety, even though in recent weeks there had been work in progress with a partial replacement of the asphalt of the run offs in favour of gravel. The layout will be that used in 1985, the year of my debut in F1, with the first “Verriere” variant made even slower and the very long straight has been “broken” by a chicane.

On the tyre front, Pirelli will bring the Softs, the Supersofts and the Ultrasofts with the tread lowered 0.4mm which led to a lot of talk in Spain. In the latest GPs the tyres did not live up to expectations with the number of pit stops, wear and the difference in performance between mixes.

Beginning this weekend the starting grid will be one new title richer thanks to Fernando Alonso’s win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Monte Carlo, the drivers’ market lights up again. Ricciardo-Ferrari, but Vettel also aims at Raikonnen

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This weekend Formula 1 will stop at Monte Carlo for the sixth round of the world championship. As per tradition, the motors will again light up one day early – Thursday for free practice – and stop on Friday. After Mercedes’ last two wins Ferrari is called to give a solid reply by trying to repeat its 2017 result which ended with a Vettel-Raikonnen double in front of Ricciardo’s Red Bull.

It is indisputable that, based on the results of the first five grands prix (with two wins each for Leis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel), strategies and mistakes will make the difference. The current gap between the two drivers (17 points in favour of the British driver) is dictated by better placings. On paper Ferrari has favourable two rounds (Monte Carlo and Canada) in front of it and it will be vital to make the most of them.

In addition to the technical battle between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull this weekend in Monaco will be crucial for the beginning of the drivers’ market. The Principality has always been the stage for innumerable meetings, especially during the Friday break, which will draw up the 2019 starting grid and also because, with the arrival of June, the technical programmes tied to the new cars will start.

Leading the list will be Ferrari once more with Kimi Raikonnen whose contract will end this year. Maranello has an option on Daniel Ricciardo who could also arrive at Mercedes in place of Valtteri Bottas. On the other hand Sebastian Vettel does not like the arrival of the Australian (with whom he already shared the pits at Red Bull) and points on an extension of the Finn’s contract. It would be quite amazing if this should happen since, in order to come back and win the World Constructors’ title, Ferrari needs two top drivers and, above all, create a direct clash between the two drivers.

At the present time there are many knots to be undone:

– Red Bull’s contract for the Renault engines is about to end. The French have already let known that they could contiue with the adventure in Formula 1 even without supplying Red Bull with Power Units which, on the other hand, can gather information on the Honda front through Toro Rosso.

– The Brendon Hartley case holds the bench at Red Bull, he is the author of many mistakes and a negative start of the season, above all if compared to his partner Gasly. Pascal Wehrlein’s name has been mentioned (Mercedes driver), but a few hours ago Lando Norris also seems to have knocked on Franz Tost’s door, especially after the arrival of new Canadian capital from Mr. Latifi at McLaren. It would be an unusual scenario as, for the first time, Red Bull could find itself having to look from a driver from outside its own group. At the moment there is only the option with Carlos Sainz who could be called back to remedy Ricciardo’s eventual departure,

– We saw Robert Kubica at the wheel in free practice and the collective tests at Montmelò and he showed how much he is still an important driver for today’s Formula 1 driver. The Pole managed to give the team many indications for the development of the car which is relegating a historic and winning team such as Williams to last place. It is clear that the young choice related to business is not giving the desired results.

– On the other hand Alfa Romeo Sauber is paying the choice of Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver has already won 9 points (7 more than his teammate Ericcson). Going to the tracks he already knows has given him the essential peace he needs in order to concentrate on the development of the car, as well as for accumulating the mileage necessary for achieving the feeling between car and driver.

– At Spain we saw also Alberto Giovinazzi at the wheel of the Sauber and the Ferrari in which he was the author of some great work. It would be good to see him on the track regularly.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Super Trofeo | Karol Basz dictates also at Silverstone together with Vito Postiglione

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After the win in the opening round at the Temple of Speed, Karol Basz, at the wheel of Imperiale Racing’s Lamborghini Huracan Evo number 44 together with Vito Postiglione, dictated at the historic Silverstone Circuit as well, in the second round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa.

Despite being on his debut at the demanding British track, the Polish driver followed by Minardi Management adapted quickly to the pitfalls of the track taking top positions beginning in free practice and worked together with his teammate on the setup of the car without neglecting performance, as shown by the second place in the first round which ended only 45 thousandths of a second behind the best time.

The hard work carried out on Friday was repaid during the qualifying session when Karol Basz gained the second row of the grid on the strength of the fourth fastest time, repeating his teammate’s performance, before going on to take a strong win in Saturday’s race with a perfect performance.

The intense weekend closed with important points in view of the championship with fourth place in race-2 which left regrets at having let a win slip which would have made the weekend unforgettable and perfect. Taking off from fourth Place Karol Basz had taken control of the race on the strength of a hard rhythm which the direct rivals could not match but, at the change of drivers a technical problem with the door handle cost seconds and victory.

“After the win at Monza we managed to win here at Silverstone as well and this is surely very important for the continuation of the season, even if we are left with the regret caused by the problem with the door handle which cost us race-2. It was the first time for me at Silverstone and the track is really fantastic and above all we managed to be fast right from the start. On Friday we tried out some setups and gathered a lot of data which will be useful at Misano as well. I thank both Vita Postiglione and the Imperiale Team for the excellent job. I now await the next round to recover the points lost today,” commented Karol Basz.

“La fortuna non è certamente dalla nostra parte perché dopo il successo conquistato sabato avremo potuto vincere anche gara-2. L’episodio al cambio pilota che ci è costato 14”. Avremo potuto lasciare Silverstone in testa al campionato, mentre ci troviamo ad inseguire a sette lunghezze di distacco. Il ritmo gara era veramente buono come dimostra la rimonta messa in atto da Vito Postiglione. Avremo potuto vincere con nove secondo di vantaggio. Ora ci aspettano i test di Misano dove nel Racing-weekend proveremo a conquistare la vittoria in entrambe le gare. Il campionato è molto competitivo e ogni errore lo paghi pesantemente. Anche su una pista impegnativa come Silverstone però Karol non ha commesso errori e si sta confermando tra i protagonisti del Super Trofeo” commentano i manager Giovanni Minardi e Alberto Tonti

“Luck certainly wasn’t on our side because after the win on Saturday we could have won race-2 as well. The episode at the change of drivers cost us 14”. We could have left Silverstone at the top of the ladder, whereas we are now 14 points behind. The race rhythm was really good as shown by Vito Postiglione’s comeback. We could have won with a nine second lead. We now await the test at Misano where in the Racing weekend we will try to win in both races. The championship is very competitive and you pay a heavy price for any error. However, even on a track as demanding as Silverstone Karol made no mistakes and he confirmed he is one of the protagonists of the Super Trofeo,” commented managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The next round is at the Misano Circuit, on June 22nd and 24th.

Karol Basz is part of the 2018 Lamborghini Young Drivers Program and is getting ready for Silverstone

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Last year’s excellent debut in the Italian Gran Turismo Championship and, above all, Karol’s win at Monza in the opening round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europa at the wheel of the Imperiale Racing Team’s Huracán EVO, together with the positive weekend in the United States did not go unnoticed by the people from Sant’Agata Bolognese which included the Polish driver amongst the 20 participants of the next Young Drivers Program.

This is significant recognition for the driver followed by Minardi Management who is only at the beginning of his second season in the GT championships and who this weekend will fly to the historic Silverstone track for the second round of the single make competition in partnership with Vito Postiglione.

The Young Drivers Program organized by Lamborghini’s Racing Team had reached its fifth edition and its protagonists will be involved in specific training which provides tests, on track development with the Huracán Super Trofeo Evo and athletic training under the supervision of professionals in the sector, as well as lessons in theory and training on Lamborghini’s products and communication.

“I feel honoured to be in the Lamborghini Junior Driving Program. The trust which the Italian brand gives me even more motivation and its support will allow me to achieve even better results. Already during in the next round we will do our best not to disappoint the expectations of the Lamborghini Group and all my fans and sponsors” commented a satisfied Karol Basz

“We are very satisfied in this opportunity that Lamborghini gave Karol because it further enhances his talent. It will be a great chance to grow, but now we must concentrate on Silverstone which is a circuit that is as beautiful as it is demanding that Karol will discover only this weekend, even though he is doing a lot of work on the simulator, as well as continuing his athletic training. We are sure that with Vito Postiglione and the Imperiale Team that he will be able to fight it out for the top places,” commented managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti

F1 | Gp Baku, PRESENTATION by Minardi

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This weekend Formula 1 will be back with the fourth Grand Prix on the Baku street circuit which last year, against all predictions, gave us a race that was full of twists which in fact ignited the rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel who were the protagonists of a contact behind the safety car with the Ferrari driver reacting to the excessive braking by the British driver which caused a collision between the two.

The race was won by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in front of Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll.

Due to the very shape of the circuit it will be a weekend conditioned by the presence of the safety car, even if it does not present any specific technical characteristics for both the aerodynamics and the tyres with Pirelli bringing the Soft, SuperSoft and UltraSoft mixes.

Unlike the expectations at the beginning of the season, we come to this round with Mercedes running on the defensive and without a win, unlike Ferrari which managed to make the most of its opportunities with Vettel’s two wins and Raikonnen’s third place in China where Red Bull was very good at exploiting the mistakes of the others.

In recent days much has been said about Ferrari’s tactics concerning Kimi Raikonnen but we must not forget that the Finn’s contract renewal is dictated by internal conditions and therefore I do not understand this bad mood. The priorities are the team’s objectives and those who work for the team must adapt to the team’s choices. Right or wrong, Sebastian Vettel is the number one driver, just as Lewis Hamilton is Mercedes’ lead driver. Despite the unexciting start to the season by Mercedes and its champion, it will be a very tight fight between the two drivers and I am convinced that the Brit will manage to overturn the situation.

Gian Carlo Minardi

Karol Basz at Monza for his debut in the Super Trofeo Lamborghini

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The Monza circuit will inaugurate Karol Basz’s new course in the European Super Trofeo Lamborghini Championship which this year will run its tenth season. The season of seven rounds, including the World Final al Vallelunga, will begin this week at Monza followed by Silverstone, Misano, Spa-Francorchamps, Nurburgring and Vallelunga.

The 27 year old Polish driver will wear for the first time the colours of Imperiale Racing and will share the cockpit of the new Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO number 44 with Vito Postiglione in the Pro class. The car is equipped with completely redesigned aerodynamics compared to last year’s model. This will be the first important appointment for Karol as he has not yet had the opportunity to test the powerful car from Sant’Agata Bolognese.

After his positive debut in GT cars in last year’s Italian Gran Turismo Championship – Super GT Cup in which he set pole position and three podium finishes, all with a Lamborghini Huracàn, Karol is called to take another important step forward in his Gran Turismo career.

“I am pleased to come back to racing and to make my debut in the Super Trofeo Lamborghini with Imperiale racing and with an expert driver such as Vito Postiglione. If in the next rounds I will also have learn the circuits, this weekend I will be able to concentrate only on the new “Lambo” as I already know Monza’s secrets”.

“A new season is beginning for Karol which is becoming a new step forward in his career towards professionalism. Last year he managed to amaze us by quickly setting pole position on debut and then with a number of podium finishes. Now he is called to an even more demanding challenge but he has his papers in order for a season at the highest levels,” commented managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The two rounds of 50’ each will start on Saturday 21st beginning at 3.10pm and Sunday 22nd at 12.20pm.