Minardi M02

Minardi M02

Gaston Mazzacane in the Minardi M02
Constructor:	Italy
Designer:	Gustav Brunner (technical director) Gabriele Tredozi (design) Jean-Claude Migeot (aerodynamics)
Predecessor:	Minardi M01
Successor:	Minardi PS01
Technical specifications
Chassis:	Monocoque made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic and aluminum honeycomb composite
Engine:	Fondmetal 3.0 V10 ( Ford Zetec )
Length:	4420 mm
Width:	1800 mm
Height:	950 mm
Weight:	600 kg
Tires:	Bridgestone
Petrol:	Eleven Aquitaine
statistics
Driver:	20. Marc Gené 21. Gastón Mazzacane
First start:	2000 Australian Grand Prix
Last start:	2000 Malaysian Grand Prix
Starts Victories Poles SR 17th - - -
World Cup points:	-
Podiums:	-
Leadership laps:	- over 0 km
Status: end of season 2000

The Minardi M02 was the racing car of the Italian Formula 1 team Minardi for the 2000 season . It was used in all 17 races.

Technology and development

Gustav Brunner developed the chassis in his role as technical director. Gabriele Tredozi , who was responsible for design , and Jean-Claude Migeot , who headed the aerodynamics department, also had a managerial role .

The M02 was a further development of the predecessor Minardi M01 ; u. a. the nose was built lower. On the basis of an overall good chassis, great progress was made from an aerodynamic point of view under Brunner's leadership.

The vehicle was still not competitive, as Minardi, due to financial difficulties (even if the budget was much larger than in the 1999 season thanks to the main sponsor Telefónica ), had to continue to use the outdated Ford Zetec naturally aspirated ten-cylinder engine from 1998 , which has always been one of the weaker ones Motors counted. It ran under the name Fondmetal 3.0 V10 . Hopes before the season of getting more powerful Supertec engines - Gustav Brunner was already working on appropriate adjustments to the vehicle for these engines - were dashed. Arrows got these engines and Minardi had to fall back on the approx. 80 HP weaker Ford engines. As a result, the two drivers rarely made it past the last row of the grid in qualifying. The V10 engine with 2998 cc capacity had a 72 ° - cylinder bank angle and had four valves per cylinder; the cylinder block was made of aluminum.

Minardi built the sequential six-speed semi-automatic gearbox itself. Like all other teams this season, the team got the tires from Bridgestone . Minardi obtained gasoline and lubricants from Elf Aquitaine . The disc brakes made of carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide ceramic were supplied by Brembo and the electronics were developed by Magneti Marelli . The spark plugs were supplied by Champion . The three-plate carbon fiber clutch came from AP Racing.

driver

In addition to Marc Gené , who had been driving for Minardi since the previous year, the team promoted previous test driver Gastón Mazzacane to regular driver. Mazzacane, who was supported as Paydriver by PSN , thus made his debut in Formula 1. The young driver Fernando Alonso , who is regarded as extraordinarily talented and who later became world champion twice with Renault , was used as test driver .

Mission history

The team was not competitive throughout the season due to the poor equipment and the precarious financial situation. In the qualification both drivers had no chance for the most part. Nevertheless, compared to the previous season, progress was made and the gap to the midfield teams was shortened. Minardi was also able to often beat the direct competitor Prost Grand Prix .

The best results of the season were three eighth places, which, according to the points system at that time, did not bring any points: Marc Gené already achieved eighth place directly in the first race of the season in Australia ; at the Austrian Grand Prix he repeated this result; Gastón Mazzacane also achieved eighth place at the European Grand Prix . Another highlight was the US Grand Prix , when Mazzacane, in fourth place, kept the reigning world champion Mika Häkkinen behind for several laps. The team completed its 250th Formula 1 race at the Belgian Grand Prix .

At the end of the season Minardi did not score any points, but came in 10th place in the constructors' championship, ahead of Prost. Gené finished 19th in the drivers' world championship, Mazzacane 21st.

Despite the progress made in the 2000 season, Minardi was in the end about to end, after Telefónica surprisingly canceled the sponsorship contract that had only been concluded at the beginning of the previous season and was further increased in early 2000. In addition, the team was without engines. The Australian businessman Paul Stoddart took over the team from Gabriele Rumi and thus ensured its continued existence. 2001 became a year of transition, in which the inferior and now very old Ford engines had to drive the new Minardi PS01 again.

Painting and sponsorship

The most striking visual change was the new yellow fluorescent color of the car with blue and white elements. The vehicles were in the corporate design of the main sponsor, Telefónica. Other important sponsors included a. PSN, Fondmetal, Lois and LG .

Results

driver	No.	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	16	17th	Points	rank
Formula 1 season 2000																			0	10.
M. Gené	20th	8th	DNF	DNF	14th	14th	DNF	DNF	16 *	15th	8th	DNF	15th	14th	9	12	DNF	DNF
G. Mazzacane	21st	DNF	10	13	15th	15th	8th	DNF	12	DNF	12	11	DNF	17th	10	DNF	15th	13 *

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	P / bold	Pole position
	SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

literature

• Vigar, Simon: Forza Minardi! The Inside Story Of The Little Team That Took On the Giants Of F1 ; Veloce Publishing Ltd; Dorchester 2008 ISBN 9781845841607 ( Preview on Google Books )

Web links

Commons : Minardi M02  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Vehicle profile at StatsF1.com
• Vehicle profile at motorsport-total.com
• The M02 Car Specifications , data sheet on atlasf1.autosport.com (engl.)
• PRMotor TV Spain : Presentation video about Gastón Mazzacane and the Minardi M02 on YouTube , August 6, 2009, accessed on January 10, 2020.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Minardi M02 , f1technical.net; Accessed April 20, 2019.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} 2000 - An uncertain future ... , forzaminardi.com; Accessed April 20, 2019
3. ↑ Vigar 2008: 61st
4. ^ The future of Minardi , grandprix.com of November 2, 2000; Accessed April 20, 2019
5. ↑ ^{a b} Pierre Ménard: La Grande Encyclopédie de la Formule 1st 2nd edition, St. Sulpice, 2000, ISBN 2-940125-45-7 (French), p. 456
6. ↑ David Hodges: AZ of Grand Prix Cars 1906-2001. 2001 (Crowood Press), ISBN 1-86126-339-2 (English), p. 180
7. ^ The M02 Car Specifications , atlasf1.autosport.com; Accessed April 22, 2019
8. ↑ Minardi, the underdog from the front row , motorsport-total.com of February 14, 2016; Accessed April 20, 2019
9. ^ Paul Stoddart: Fernando Alonso was the "quiet achiever" , formel1.de of March 4, 2016; Accessed April 20, 2019
10. ↑ ^{a b} Mazzacane and Alonso join Gene at Minardi , grandprix.com of February 21, 2000; Accessed April 20, 2019
11. ↑ Vigar 2008: 61
12. ↑ Vigar 2008: 61
13. ^ Minardi loses Telefonica backing , BBC Sport, October 17, 2000; Accessed April 20, 2019
14. ↑ Minardi: The Australian Samaritan , Spiegel Online from January 30, 2001; Accessed April 20, 2019
15. ↑ Telefonica confirmed as Minardi sponsor , Autosport.com of January 17, 2000; Accessed April 20, 2019