F1Weekly podcast # 627

The F1weekly pundits recap the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix and the now infamous pit stops. We also have some commentary on the needs of more testing for young drivers in F1 by Gian Carlo Minardi…

Private testing: YES or NOT? This is the great dilemma Formula 1 is focusing on. To cut off costs the Circus decided to ban private testing. Private testing is still a controversial subject for the Circus who has different opinions about it. On the one side some teams like Ferrari want to reintroduce them into F.1, on the other side teams like McLaren don’t stand up for them.

Gian Carlo Minardi is one of the strong supporters of private testing. The former Minardi Team owner competed in the top series for more than 20 years, running 340 GP; he has always dealt with young drivers, helping them to hone their talent and enter the world of F.1 “I’ve always supported private testing, because I think this is the right way to hone drivers’ racing skills. If costs have to be cut off, private testing shouldn’t be involved. The more a young driver has the chance to practice, the more he knows a F.1 car and has the opportunity to draw attention on himself.”

Minardi focuses his attention on another important subject: preparatory formulas. “If we don’t give fast drivers the chance to enter the world of the top series, it won’t make sense for lower formulas to exist. It won’t make sense to compete in an expensive championship such as GP2 if the series’ winner isn’t awarded a prize. This is what happens now in all other racing categories. Serious solutions should be found.”

“The project Ferrari Driver Academy is carrying on is the result of a cooperation work between ACI CSAI and FDA itself. Antonio Fuoco has made his debut into Formula Renault 2.0 and he’s drawing attention on himself and Prema Powerteam’s driver Raffaele Marciello is leading the F.3 Euroseries Championship. All these results are a good omen for the future. This means that all the efforts made over the last few years are bearing fruits. It is important to teach young drivers a working method, but if they don’t have the opportunity to enter the top series, all the work done will turn to be useless!”

[audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/mp3.f1weekly.com/podcasts/05-16-13f1weekly627.mp3]