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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gian Carlo Minardi

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

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

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

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

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

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

A good grand prix to all.

Gian Carlo Minardi

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

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

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

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

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

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

Karol Basz at Misano to continue the path of the Italian GT championship

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A little more than a month after his debut in the Italian GT Championship on the Imola track Karol Basz is ready to go back to the wheel of the Antonelli Motorsport team’s Lamborghini Huracan Super GT Cup to front up to the second of the seven double appointments at the Misano circuit.

After the exciting baptism with pole position and the podium finish in race-2 the Polish driver is determined to continue along the road of his apprenticeship together with Japanese driver Takashi Kasai.

In the course of these weeks Karol climbed into the cockpit of the supercar from the company from Sant’Agata Bolognese for one of the two days of testing at the Misano World Circuit and the very fast track at Monza, the stage for the third round.

“They were two very important days for me as they gave me the chance to get to know circuits and to increase the feeling with the car and team in light of this weekend. Beginning the season with the pole and the podium was really fantastic and I can’t wait to go back on track to try and improve myself. I have much to learn and each round is a vital piece of the puzzle,” commented Karol Basz.

“After the first discrete weekend at Imola we can’t wait to see Karol in action once more in the Lamborghini Huracan. With started on the right foot, but unfortunately we made some mistakes that compromised the win in race-1 at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit. Therefore at Misano we must try and grow in terms of results. The chances are good and thanks to Team Antonelli and team-mate Kasai we were able to take to the track at both Misano and Monza. In this way we will be able to push right from the start,” was the analysis of managers Giovanni Minardi and Alberto Tonti.

The curtain will rise on Friday in the first trials in preparation for the two qualifying rounds planned for Saturday at 11.25am and 11.50am. The two races of 48’ + 1 lap each will start on Saturday at 7.25pm and Sunday at 1.50pm. Both will be broadcast on direct streaming on the websites of www.acisport.it and AutomotoTV.