F1 | Minardi “Singapore, possible watershed for the 2018 drivers’ seats”

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We are in the second half of the season and in two weeks the motors will once again be turned on after a summer break that is only outwardly silent. Ferrari will go to Spa-Francorchamps in a strong position after the first and second places won in Budapest. It was an important testing bench for Maranello which it passed brilliantly and with full marks since it happened on a track that was favourable for it.

Now we await nine grands prix which, always on paper, four favour Mercedes and four Ferrari with Malaysia being the unknown quantity. It will surely be important for the men in red to arrive at the last appointment in Abu Dhabi with a good lead over the rivals. It will begin with two weekends labelled Belgium and Monza which will be pro Mercedes. Vettel will try to defend his place at the top of the ladder (14 points ahead of Hamilton) and with Mercedes that leads the constructors’ ladder with a 39 point advantage over the pair of drivers with the prancing horse.

Traditionally these two legs are important stages in the drivers’ market and this year will not be an exception with Vettel’s place being the true focal point. Ferrari apparently has placed nn the German’s desk a multiyear contract worth 120 million dollars in order to ensure its favourite who, on the other hand, could be persuaded for an extension of only a year.

Possible pair Vettel-Hamilton

The results of the next races will decide Vettel’s future in Ferrari and Singapore could represent the watershed for the drivers’ market. If the world championship should not go well the contract renewal would be difficult. In House Mercedes Valtteri Bottas’ renewal has slipped to mid September despite the fact the Finn is in the fight for the title. Vettel’s arrival at Brackley together with Hamilton would not be so improbable considering that Toto Wolff’s men have shown that they know how to handle two world champions who won together three world titles. Despite his four titles with Red Bull the German is still “hungry” and if 2017 should go badly the renewal would be difficult. Only the contract sum would not be enough.

Robert Kubica is chomping at the bit

The tests in Hungary gave us various positive points and signals. One of these was certainly the return of Robert Kubica in an official appointment, six years after his terrible crash in rallying. The Polish driver put together 142 laps at the wheel of the Renault making the fourth fastest time of the day and causing a fair bit of disarray in the French team.

Luca Ghiotto and Antonio Giovinazzi. Laudable work.

In the days after the grand prix in Hungary even Italy’s colours smiled. Luca Ghiotto at the wheel of the Williams at Budapest and Antonio Giovinazzi at the wheel of the Ferrari in the Pirelli tests figured well accomplishing their tasks with full marks and completing the day’s full programme. For Ghiotto it was his debut at the wheel of an F1 car and he managed to put together the distance of nearly three grands prix. They deserve a moment of peace.

Stroll is ready to buy Force India

There are rumours that Lawrence Stroll (father of Lance) is interested in Force India which over the last two years has shown that it is the fourth force in the world championship despite its financial difficulties. This could further upset the market, tied with the eventual retirement of Felipe Massa. If this is the case Stroll junior would leave Williams, taking the place of Sergio Perez or Esteban Ocon (a Mercedes driver as is Pascal Wehrlein currently driving for Sauber).

Keep an eye on the young Frenchman Charles Leclerc who in Budapest set the fastest time at the end of the first day of tests at the wheel of the SF70H, attracting the attention of a number of team owners. Even Sauber, ready to become a Junior Team Ferrari, expressed words of praise. In short, there is much meat on the fire.

F1 | GP Hungary, Testign ground for Mercedes and Ferrari

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This weekend Formula 1 will put down in Budapest, beginning the first race of the second half of the season. It will arrive on a track that that is traditionally sun kissed and with high temperatures in which teams will have to quickly find out the best mix (between Medium, Soft and SuperSoft) to be used on a road surface that is little used during the season. The track conditions will change swiftly after every session just as the performance of the cars will improve.

On paper we are talking about a track layout (similar to a karting track) that will favour Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikonnen, even though last year the two Red Bulls finished behind Mercedes and today they are in recovery phase, playing the role of party poopers.

Faced with such a competitive Mercedes there is little to be complacent about and they know this at Maranello. After a difficult weekend in Britain the support to the team from its President Sergio Marchionne was very appreciative.

The Hungaroring will be a good testing ground for Mercedes, but above all for Ferrari in light of the championship. If Toto Wolff’s lads should repeat the exciting result of two weeks ago on a track that is less favourable for it the championship can (almost) be considered closed, opening a boiling summer at the prancing horse’s home of the contract renewal front.

Let us not forget that on Tuesday two days of testing will begin in which we will see once again Robert Kubica at the wheel of the Renault R.S. 17. In front of a positive result the environment could be destabilized. It will be an important challenge for the Pole who will make his debut on the new generation car. I learnt with great pleasure the news of Luca Ghiotto’s debut on Wednesday at the wheel of the Williams FW40. I was able to follow the young man that together with the Federal Driving School from his very first laps in the formulas. On the other hand Ferrari’s third driver Antonio Giovinazzi will be at the wheel of the Ferrari powered Hass during the free practice of the grand prix.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Robert Kubica in Hungary with Renault for the post grand prix tests. Minardi “Many will fear this outing”

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During the post Hungary tests which will begin on Tuesday August 1st Renault will bring Robert Kubica onto the track. The 32 year old Pole will be on his outing with the French team after his terrible accident, but it will be his first experience with a 2017 car and the first occasion in an official test together with all the other drivers.

“The first two tests allowed the team and Robert to gather a lot of information. With the next outing on the Hungarian track at the wheel of the R.S. 17 we will a direct comparison of Robert’s condition” commented Cyril Abiteboul, Renault’s technical director.

“In giving Robert this important occasion Renault is making a very nice action. The Polish driver had all the papers in order to becoming a great driver in this world and with his stubbornness is making himself a talking point once more. There will be many who will fear this comparison, even though he will have to take into account the lack of experience with this new generation of cars. It will be a challenge within a challenge but I am sure he will not disappoint” was the comment from Gian Carlo Minardi who is keen to see the Polish driver in action once more.

“Robert could destabilize the mood of F1 and not only within the Renault team” concluded the manager from Faenza.

F1 | Haas conferms its drivers. Minardi “A defeat for the Ferrari system”

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As we near the weekend in Hungary, the eleventh round of the Formula 1 world championship that will mark the beginning of the second half of the season, Gene Hass – the owner/founder of the team that debuted last year and bears his name – in an interview released on the official site of the championship confirmed both his drivers. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will once more defend the colours of the American team in 2018.

“If this is the case it would be a defeat for Ferrari. I am still confident that it is a decision made only to keep peace within a team that is doing very well, whose sole objective is gaining just as many points in the second half of the season” was the comment of Gian Carlo Minardi.

After ten grands prix Haas is lying in seventh place in the constructors’ ladder with twenty nine points, the same total it amassed in all of last season.

“If it is otherwise it would be a defeat for the whole Ferrari system that is directed at young drivers and Italian motor sport” was the harsh analysis of the manager from Faenza who declared, “…sad, disheartened and disappointed. With the materialization of this scenario it would be obvious the Ferrari drivers do not enjoy any protection. Ferrari would have no more decision making powers in regards to its clients. I refuse to consider such a scenario.”

CIK FIA | A difficult weekend in Finlandia for Karol Basz

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It was definitely a weekend to forget for Karol Basz who was involved on Finland’s Alaharma track in the fourth and penultimate round of the CIK FIA European Kart Championship, The weekend was strongly conditioned by contacts that nullified the final result, irreparably compromising his position in the ladder.

The Kosmic Racing Team’s Polish driver had put himself on show from the very beginning of the qualifying heats, just missing out on success in the first round with a second place and fourth place in the third round which was the result of an imposing come back after a lightning start from sixteenth place following a time penalty due to the damaged nosecone in the previous round.

However, his excellent pace was completely nullified at the first curve of the final session when Karol was forced to start from the back of the grid after a contact. In any case, he set the second fastest time for the race but had to be satisfied with 22nd place.

With an excellent start from twentieth position after having scored in the warm-up, Minardi Management’s Krakow born flag bearer managed to reach up to fifteenth place before being hit with another time penalty for the fall of the nosecone and thus closing the weekend outside the points.

“It was surely not our weekend. Qualifying did not go as I would have wanted and so I was forced to start the Final well back in the grid. Making up on this track is really difficult despite our good race rhythm and after having made the fastest lap in the final. I will try to make up for it quickly in Sweden next week,” commented Karol Basz.

“There must be more control by the race director during the races because ever more often the work of an entire weekend is thrown away by too much impetuousness of many younger drivers which is then left unpunished. This behaviour is carried on even when they reach Formula 4 where these same drivers cause dangerous accidents.

“We came to Finland with the objective of making up important points to fight for the title in Sweden. Instead, we are forced to leave the track without points despite that fact that Karol was amongst the fastest drivers. A real pity,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The closing chapter of this European championship will take place next week in Kristiansad (Sweden) where Karol will try to reach the podium at the last gasp and which today is fifteen points away.

Photos by Alex Vernardis & Loredana LRN / The RaceBox

GT Italy | A podium double for Karol Basz at Mugello

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On Mugello’s choosey track which was the venue for the fourth appointment of the Italian Gran Turismo Championship Karol Basz once more put himself on display, just missing out on victory and putting himself on the podium both times thanks to his second and third places respectively in race-1 and race-2, putting together a haul of twenty seven points.

Together with Japanese driver Takashi Kasai, Antonelli Motorsport’s Polish driver conquered the front row of the grid in qualifying just missing out on the pole with his black and red Lamborghini Huracan numbered 102 in second place just 2 tenths of a second behind the best time. It was an important result which confirms Karol as one of the best debutants in the category and racking up the season’s best weekend.

“From the beginning of the weekend we did excellent work and reached the podium in both races with a second and a third place which was certainly a great result. Unfortunately in race-1 we lost some time as we started in fifth position, anyway we managed to make a comeback and reaching second place. I am truly happy and now I anxiously await the next appointment at Imola,” commented Karol Basz.

“We finally crystallized what Karol had showed he deserved. Twice on the podium in the same weekend and in the end also an excellent come back in race-1 after having taken back the car from Kasai. He gave us two breathtaking overtaking manoeuvres. We are now lacking the last piece to complete the puzzle, a win,” were the comments from managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

As we await the fifth round of the championship at Imola’s Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit on the weekend of September 10th Karol Basz will return behind the wheel of his kart in the final two rounds of the CIK FIA European championship in Finland and Sweden.

F1 | Valtteri Bottas gives a wink to the world title. Minardi “He is making the difference”

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With his win in Austria, the second of the season after the triumph in Russia, Valtteri Bottas has put himself just behind his team mate in the driver’s championship with his tally of 136 points against Lewis Hamilton’s 151. These points are also the fruits of the podiums he occupied with the third places in Australia and Bahrain and the consecutive second places in Canada and Azerbaijan. In the first nine appointments of the world championship he only failed to see the chequered flag in Barcelona.

“I was pleasantly surprised by Bottas’ first part of the season. Faced with Lewis Hamilton’s problems he was always ready,” commented Gian Carlo Minardi, “He is making the difference by giving a vital contribution to the Mercedes team in terms of points for the constructors’ title,” continued the manager from Faenza who at the beginning of the season had not seen Tom Wolff’s choice with a good eye. “I have to step back. Bottas is surely a second driver, but he is putting himself on show by finding himself a short distance from the British champion (editor’s note: fifteen points behind).

He is setting pace with which he is contributing to keeping Mercedes at the top the of constructors’ ladder in front of Ferrari. “He is doing what Kimi Raikonnen is not doing for Ferrari. The team from Maranello has the chance to fight for the constructors’ title, as I already pointed out at the beginning of the season, but he needs the Finn’s contribution. Even Red Bull has failed, closing behind the two drivers from Brackley and thus allowing Mercedes to pull ahead in the ladder. Valtteri is worthily taking advantage of all the opportunities in search of a contract renewal,” concluded the ex owner of the Minardi Team.

F1 | Silverstone, Minardi “It’s a track for Lewis, but Ferrari is a reality. 1989 was the most beautiful moment of emotion”

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In a week’s time the challenge between Mercedes and Ferrari will come alive once more with Red Bull the third inconvenient player. We are coming to the turning point of the season on a track, Silverstone, that traditionally favours Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, but Ferrari is a reality and it came out very well from the Austrian confrontation.

The weather will certainly be an important factor, but we are witnessing an exciting five sided battle on the edge of hundredths of a second between Hamilton-Bottas-Vettel-Raikkonen-Ricciardo, as they showed in the sequence of fastest lap times that they set during the last ten laps at the Red Bull Ring.

Outside the qualifying in which everyone has their secrets (just look at the double overboost set up at Brackley), in the race proper we have a levelling out of the forces in the field, even if the W08 is still the car to beat. If last year Hamilton or Rosberg could afford to start the race back in the grid and still be able to reach the podium, this year the job is harder. In Austria the British driver, springing into action from the fourth row, had to be content with fourth place behind a battle hardened Ricciardo who reached his fifth consecutive podium finish.

Silverstone is a fascinating circuit with an exceptional public which will be sure give Hamilton a lift with its support as he will be called to react to the defeat in Austria by trying to repeat last season’s success. Currently Vettel has a twenty point lead and will try to avenge the 2016 debacle when he did not mange to go beyond ninth place (fifth Kimi Raikonnen). In comparison to a year ago the situation at Maranello is decidedly different and Ferrari will bring a development of the Power Unit to oppose the German battleship which is showing some cracks on the reliability front. It is a very fact track and we will see the umpteenth lowering of times in both qualifying and the race. On the tyre front, Pirelli will bring Medium, Soft and SuperSoft mixes. It is a choice that plays in favour of Mercedes.

Silverstone gave the Minardi Team a number of satisfactions. The most important was surely labelled 1989 when with “Piero” Martini and Luis Perez Sala we won an un-hoped for fifth and sixth places, saving the fate of the team and leaving us in the first ten places of the constructors ladder (essential for the division of the television rights). In those years only the first six placed teams fell within the points zone. It was certainly a great satisfaction, even because in the first lap Piero came into the pits with an overheating engine. In desperation I decided to send him back out on the track. Luckily the overheating had been caused by a bubble that was reabsorbed, thus allowing him to cross the finishing line.

Gian Carlo Minardi

GT Italy | Karol Basz ready for Mugello “It will be a hot weekend”

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On the occasion of the fourth double round of the Italian Gran Turismo championship at Mugello this weekend (July 14th – 6th) Karol Basz will be back behind the wheel of the “black and orange” Antonelli Motorsport team’s Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup after the positive weekend at Le Mans in the European CIK FIA karting championship.

After having gathered many positive plaudits from insiders since his debut in the championship, on the demanding Tuscan circuit the Minardi Management’s Polish driver will try for a quick come back after the difficult appointment at Monza which was conditioned by the left rear wheel problem due to an explosion of a screw nut at 230km/h, in any case he managed to control the car before parking it at the side of the track.

“It will surely be a very hot weekend, but I am ready to get back to the wheel of the Lambo and to gain another important result on the most demanding track. It has been an intense period between the Kart and GT appointments,” commented Karol Basz.

“Karol is showing once more that he is a great professional with a great spirit for adapting skilfully between the kart to the GT races. External events conditioned the Monza weekend, yet he again confirmed that he is one of the fastest drovers on the track. At Mugello it will be a very hot weekend that will subject the physique of the drivers to a hard test. Another challenge,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The intense programme for the weekend will begin at 9.00am Friday with a single free practice session of 45 minutes before the two 15’ qualifying rounds (at 5.00pm and 5.25pm) which will assign the starting grid for the two races of 28’ + 1 lap scheduled for Saturday at 4.00pm and Sunday at 1.15pm.

F1 | Minardi “Ferrari must think for the future”

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We are only on the eve of the ninth grand prix of the Formula 1 world championship, but inside the factories they are already working on the vehicles for next season. From what I have been able to learn the Ferrari 2018 is truly getting along very well and there is an atmosphere of great optimism around the new project.

I hope that Maranello is also working on the drivers’ front as it would be a folly to continue the collaboration with Kimi Raikonnen. He is surely a nice guy, but his performance has not been constant. He is not a driver worthy of Ferrari and his team mate. In his career he has alternated between good and bad. With McLaren he lost world titles that were achievable and in 2007 he reached the title also thanks to mistakes by his opponents. In my opinion the moment has come for his to turn the page.

Sources from abroad announce the probable flight of flight of Sebastian Vettel (except for victory in the world championship) with destination Brackley, alongside Lewis Hamilton. At this point I would not exclude a return to Ferrari by Fernando Alonso, as long as within the team there are no longer the managers from three years ago with which the Spaniard had differences of opinion, to be accompanied by a second stream driver, or a young driver to grow.

I am a strong supporter of the line taken by Ferrari aimed at enhancing the value of those within the team and this could open the doors for a young driver already within the team structure. Ferrari must look to the future and have the strength to continue working to build a winning cycle. At the present time Mercedes remains the team to beat.

Gian Carlo Minardi

F1 | Gp Austria, Minardi “We’re coming out of a ridiculous week”

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The week just past was, to say the least, full of words that burst like soap bubbles at the meeting in Paris which was completely useless as it brought nothing except a reprimand in regards to an action that remains questionable.

During the weekend in Austria Sebastian Vettel will have the eyes of the marshals focussed on him and this could give an advantage to Lewis Hamilton in a possible scuffle with his direct rival. There is certainly tension between the two drivers, even though, considering the tight race for the world title, I never believed in a peaceful coexistence between them. This may be an extra hassle for Mercedes considering that my sources speak of a possible arrival of the German driver at Brackley as soon as 2018.

We will be going to a short circuit (barely 4,318) in which the weather could play an important role, but it is fast enough to give us close performances. Pole position could be decided on the edge of thousandths of a second.

Ferrari must be ready to counter the Mercedes domination, being careful to watch over its shoulders at the host Red Bull which will play at home and will give its all in qualifying to gain the front row and to mess with the fight at the fight at the top since it has opted for 9 sets of Ultrasoft, as opposed to eight for Mercedes and the 7 of Vettel and Raikonnen.

This season’s surprise is Force India which is confirming the fourth place it conquered last season. It was an extraordinary result for a small team which was bothered by no small number of financial problems and also called on to manage a fiery struggle between Perez and Ocon. The Mexican must redeem himself after the negative experience in Canada when he did not heed team orders, above all in view of the driver’s market.

Gian Carlo Minardi

CIK FIA | Important points for Karol Basz at Le Mans

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It was weekend with positive implications for Karol Basz, protagonist on the Le Mans track of the third appointment of the CIK-FIA European championship.
Kosmic Racing’s Polish driver managed to win important points in terms of the championship despite sixth place which was the result of a contact at the second passage of the final round of the qualifying heats with Collet (who would then be penalized 10 seconds), thus nullifying the two wins and fourth place achieved in the previous rounds.

“Our rhythm was always very good during the weekend, even if a small problem in the end and the contact in the final round of qualifying conditioned the final result. Despite all this, I managed to make up a number of points in the table in view of the last two rounds in Finland (July 23rd) and Sweden (30 July), “commented Karol Basz.
“In the first three qualifying rounds Karol showed that he was on pace with this track with two wins and a fourth place. Unfortunately Collet’s action nullified the work done up till that moment and forced Karol to start the Final in ninth place where he also had a problem with water temperature. In spite of all this he managed to pick up points over his direct opposition. Now we are preparing for the last two races,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

In two weeks (from July 14th to 16th) Karol Basz will return to the wheel of the Antonelli Motorsport Team’s Lamborghini Huracan for the fourth double round of the Italian Gran Turismo championship on the Mugello track where he has already made his mark amongst the best debutants.

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.