Last Saturday, at the Auditorium della Conciliazione in Rome, just a few metres from St. Peter's Basilica, the award ceremony organised by ACI Sport, ‘Campioni dell'Automobilismo 2025’ (Motorsport Champions 2025), took place. During the event, over 400 drivers who distinguished themselves in various motorsport categories last year were honoured.
Gian Carlo Minardi was also among the guests. We at Formula1.it had the pleasure of sharing a few words with him once the event concluded
We discussed the current Formula 1 and the big changes we are experiencing this year with the Faenza-born founder of the historic Minardi team. When we asked him for his opinion on the new technical regulations, he said: "I'm a bit old-fashioned, so it takes me a while. I must say that I haven't fully understood it yet, and there are many things we will have to learn. It's a bit premature to make judgements at this stage. However, I can say that I am very surprised by the overwhelming reliability, which I did not expect at this time of year. Let's hope it stays that way in Melbourne. Certainly, there are some teams in difficulty, but the majority have come very close in these last tests".
The Italian then added: "However, there are still many aspects to interpret, so let's wait a while before making judgements".
Continuing our interesting chat, we then touched on a sore point for many fans and enthusiasts, namely the Imola-Formula 1 chapter. Currently, there is no news of a possible return of the Romagna circuit to the Formula 1 calendar, not even on a rotational basis as has happened at Barcelona and Spa circuit, but despite this, Minardi said: "Never say never, although honestly it will be increasingly difficult to have two Grand Prix races, given the costs involved, so I don't know if Italy can afford two events. I am no longer the president, but Imola must always be ready, as they showed in 2020 when they managed to have four years of races. Let's hope that there will be opportunities in the future".
It will therefore be essential for Imola to remain on alert, ready as it has been in the past, should Formula 1 need it. The desire to see the historic track back in the world championship is very strong, and we can only hope for some ‘twists and turns’ in the future.
We would like to thank Gian Carlo Minardi for his kindness and availability during the interview. Partial reproduction of this exclusive content is permitted provided the author (Giuseppe Cianci) and the source Formula1.it are cited with a link to the original content.
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Original article: Esclusiva - Minardi: «Imola? Non credo che l'Italia possa permettersi due GP»
