Archive for category: News

Tre weeks after the last grand prix and a July rich in events, Formula 1 is ready to turn on the engines again and get to  a circuit that has written important pages of the motoring as Spa-Francorchamps.

A circuit in which the drivers have still a central role, differently from many other realities, more or less innovative.  A racetrack that is always fascinating and very demanding for tires. After last season, Pirelli has made some corrective actions, and it will present itself on the track with the Medium, Soft, and SuperSoft tires. At Ferrari, they bet decisively on the softer tire compounds, and they will bring just a set of Medium tires for each driver.

A track in which the engine, along with the weather, has an important role, and McLaren should have an updated power-unit at its disposal that could help Alonso and Button in reaching the point zone again, keeping their growth in view of the last grand prix.

At this point of the season, some teams wonder if they should to keep developing their 2016 cars or focus on the next season that will be at the center of important technical changes that could lead, guessing the right design of the car, to a change of the forces on the field. This is the first question for Mattia Binotto. Ferrari is struggling for the second place in the World Championship along with Red Bull, but if they want to have some more ambitious plans, it is possible that they sacrifice the current season, especially in the imminence of so important changes. They can keep developing those components useful also in 2017.

At Manor, they will have the newness of Esteban Ocon, winner of Formula 3 and Gp3 titles in the last two years. They have two interesting young drivers and they are focusing their efforts to defend the tenth place in the standings against Sauber, thanks also to the backing of Mercedes.

Karol Basz’ dream to win the European OK title in 2016 vanished two bends away from the finish line on the Belgian track in Genk at the last CIK FIA championship event.

The Polish driver of the Kosmic Racing Team, 2015 World Champion, was almost to celebrate an excellent third place that would have given him the chance to fight as a protagonist for the European title when the engine betrayed him two bends away from the chequered flag. This way, the dream of celebrating a second CIK FIA title in two years vanished, after being among the great protagonists of this edition of the European championship. Karol proved to be the driver to beat for the whole weekend.  After winning the second qualifying manche and after signing the fastest lap in the first lap, the driver handled by the Minardi Management had started the Prefinal.He kept himself away from any troubles and recovered up to the third place. He had decided not using the new tires with the aim of using them in the Final where he would have made the winning strike with his Kosmic.

“Such a regret. We had the win in our pocket. Losing at two bends away from the end in Prefinal hurts a lot. Anyway, we must congratulate with the whole Kosmic Racing team and with the OTK group because, once again, they put an excellent material at Karol’s disposal.  Unfortunately, the luck did not want to help us. This kind of drawbacks can happen, sport, especially the motorsport it is also made up of this. Now, we remain focused for two rounds in the German Championship, and waiting for the World Championship in Baharain”, manager Alberto Tonti says.

“Our pace had been really good for the whole weekend. Unfortunately, I had to withdraw at the last Pre-final lap when I was in third, going out of the game for the Final. In spite of everything, I ended the European championship in third. This is also part of motorsport. After the summer break, we will be back, stronger than ever. I want to thank, once again, the whole Kosmic Racing Team staff”, Karol Basz says regretfully.

Karol Basz greets the European Championship with the third absolute place.

While the weekend was in full swing, and in Hockenheim was preparing to live the qualifying before the summer break, the Team Principals gathered around a table to try resolving the set of problems emerged during the Hungarian weekend.

They made different proposals to make a step back respect the current regulations. As it had happened early in season with the new qualifying format that was annulled very quickly in favor of the current one.

The F1 Strategy Group decided to liberalize communications between drivers and pit again, except for the warm-up lap. They want to avoid any assistance to the drivers at the starting phase, instead drivers and engineers will have the possibility to talk freely during the race. They had also found a balance, especially between Mercedes-Ferrari-Red Bull Team Principals, on the track-limit as it is difficult to evaluate if the crossing of the white line gives or not an advantage to the driver.

Charlie Whiting started an arm wrestling and put on the scale “the responsibility” and “the rules”. So, we have consulted Gian Carlo Minardi. “The proposals of the F1 Strategy Group have to be approved and have to officially modify the current regulations for becoming operative. Otherwise, it is difficult to apply them, and Whiting relied on this very point. So, as we can read so far, even in Hockenheim drivers will be penalized if they cross the white line”, the manager from Faenza explains. “”, Gian Carlo Minardi continues.

Starting from 2017, the starts with the safety-car will be modified. If the start, due to track arduous conditions, will be done under the safety car, at the return of the safety car, all the cars will have to align on the grid for a “traditional” start, as it happens at the end of the classic warm-up lap. “I am absolutely favorable. Watching the start of a grand prix behind the safety car is not the best of the show. In Great Britain, as instance, we had a security excess. We are always talking about Formula 1, the ultimate expression of motorsport, where there are the best drivers racing”.

In Germany, it start the new path of Ferrari after James Allison’s greetings and the welcome to Mario Binotto as a Technical Director. “I think that Binotto is an excellent choice for Ferrari. He lived the golden age of Maranello beside Ross Brawn, Jea Todt&C. He will contribute for the renewal of this stable”, Gian Carlo Minardi concludes.

Starting from the Swedish date of the KZ World Championship, Riccardo Negro will wear the official colors of the Energy Corse. After careful appraisals from Mick Panigada’s staff, Riccardo Negro becomes one of the official drivers, making available his know how and his experience to the factory from Seriate for the development of the frame and TM engine.

The first official race at the wheel of the Energy/TM will happen on the track of Kristianstand on next September, 4^th. An event valid for the CIK-FIA International KZ2 Super Cup. An essential appointment for Riccardo, a driver with a great experience and a prize-list in which, among the others, it stands out the World Cup 2012 and the WSK Euro series victory in the following year.

“I am very glad for this agreement because it allows Riccardo to race for an official team. We hope it is the beginning of long-lasting cooperation with Energy Corse. Riccardo has all the qualities for be again a winning driver and along with this team, he will have a lot of satisfactions. Moreover, he can put his knowledges at their disposal for developing all the material, including the TM engine, at the best. I must congratulate my associate, Alberto Tonti, for reaching this important goal. It wasn’t an easy negotiation, they rewarded Riccardo’s qualities“, manager Giovanni Minardi says.

“We are very pleased to announce the beginning of the cooperation between Riccardo Negro and energy Corse. It is the result of careful assessments. In the testing days, he demonstrated professionalism and impressed the patron, Mick Panigada, his technical collaborators, and Piero Rizzi. The first step will be the World Championship in Sveglia. For Riccardo it is going to open an interesting project alongside one of the most renowned manufacturers”, manager Alberto Tonti explains.

“I am glad to take part in a competitive factory like Energy Corse and I must to thank Alberto Tonti and Giovanni Minardi. The aim is to collect, all together, the best possible result from the first race”, Riccardo Negro says.

After starting as a second power in the World Championship with the ambitious goal of equaling and surpassing Mercedes, at the middle of the championship Ferrari has to safeguard itself from Red Bull Racing that is growing fast. Max Verstappen, who was in Brisighella to receive the Bandini Trophy, spoke about a Red Bull ahead the Red. In few days, we will have the Hungarian GP, an important testbed for team principal Maurizio Arrivabene.

The situation in Maranello, unfortunately, does not seem serene and some rumors talk about a Sergio Marchionne ready for important changes (the latest of many) in the Sports Management. Some rumors, that are getting more and more persistent, tell of a meeting in Forte dei Marmi for convincing Ross Brawn to make a sensational return. “Ferrari lacks a reference point and since he is a strong and charismatic character, Brawn could play this role, although so far the smoke has been gray. They need to give again some reliability to a milieu animated by some diatribes.In the coming weeks there will certainly be fundamental changes, although I see a 2017 already compromised. Vettel himself starts pawing and could look to other shores”, Gian Carlo Minardi explains.

Last year, Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari won the Hungarian GP ahead of both Red Bull cars. “An important result, but it was the outcome of some problems at Mercedes. Now, I see Red Bull in a great growth that has managed to exploit occasions at its best, as Verstappen himself stressed at the Bandini Trophy. I hope that this hot can give a hand to Ferrari in calming the spirits down.