Minardi voted FIA single-seater commission president

Sam Cooper
Gian Carlo Minardi waves. Imola, April 2019.

Former F1 team boss Gian Carlo Minardi waves having been named president of the Imola circuit. Imola, April 2019.

Gian Carlo Minardi has been named president of the FIA single-seater commission following a vote by members of the World Motor Sport Council.

As part of his role, Minardi will oversee the commission that has recently redeveloped the FIA’s junior racing portfolio. The development of young drivers has been a particular focus point for Minardi throughout his career and he has been credited for kick-starting the careers of drivers such as Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber.

On his appointment, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “I warmly welcome the election of Gian Carlo Minardi as FIA Single-Seater Commission President.

“He is a major figure in motorsport. I look forward to working with him to further develop the single-seater pyramid around the world.”

The Italian has a history of managing in motorsport having established his own team in 1979. The Minardi team first competed in Formula 2 before an engine supply partnership with Ferrari in 1985 allowed them to make the step up to F1.

The team started 340 races and earned a total of 38 points but were unable to ever secure a podium finish. However, they did finish fourth on three occasions – at the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix, 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix and 1993 South African Grand Prix.

Minardi served as managing director throughout the team’s 16-year tenure in F1 and stayed in his role when the team was bought by Australian businessman Paul Stoddart in 2001.

The 74-year-old eventually left the team in 2006 when it was taken over by Red Bull and rebranded as Toro Rosso. Even after the team’s rebranding and later change to AlphaTauri, it still operates out of the original Minardi base in Faenza, Italy.

 

In 2020, he was elected as President of the Imola track, which is the next circuit on the 2022 calendar in staging the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

He is also president of the Automobile Club d’Italia Land Speed Records Commission and has been in the role since 2004.