Minardi M197

**Minardi M197**
	A Minardi M197 on display at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Constructor:	Minardi
Designer:	Gabriele Tredozi (technical director) ; Mauro Gennari (designer) ; Mariano Alperin (aerodynamics)
Predecessor:	Minardi M195B
Successor:	Minardi M198
Technical specifications
Chassis:	Honeycomb sandwich -Monocoque from CFK
Engine:	Hart 830, 72 ° V8 engine, 3.0 liter naturally aspirated engine
Front suspension:	Double wishbone axle with internal springs and shock absorbers , operated via push rods
Rear suspension:	Double wishbone axle with internal springs and shock absorbers , operated via push rods
Wheelbase:	2900 mm
Weight:	0600 kg
Tires:	Bridgestone
Petrol:	Petroscience
statistics
Driver:	20. Ukyō Katayama 21. Jarno Trulli 21. Tarso Marques ; ;
First start:	1997 Australian Grand Prix
Last start:	1997 European Grand Prix
World Cup points:	-
Podiums:	-
Leadership laps:	- over 0 km

The Minardi M197 was a Formula 1 - racing cars from Minardi for the Formula 1 1997 World Series . It was an evolution model of the previous year's Minardi M195B and could not improve in comparison. At the end of the season, the best placement from last year, an eighth place by Giancarlo Fisichella in Canada , could not be beaten. Five top ten placements were achieved, but there were 17 failures and one exclusion.

Technology and development

The technical director of vehicle development was Gabriele Tredozi, who was supported by chief engineer Mauro Gennari and chief aerodynamicist Mariano Alperin. Unlike in the previous year, Bridgestone tires were now used and the fuel was obtained from Petroscience. The chassis was mostly okay for the small team's standards, but the main problem with the car was the very weak 3.0-liter engine from Hart . The Hart 830 was an eight-cylinder V-engine with a cylinder bank angle of 72 °, which generated 680 hp at 13,100 rpm . The transmission was a sequential semi-automatic transmission with six gears from Xtrac .

Alperin, the team's chief aerodynamicist, began developing the new car in mid-1996. With the support of Fondmetal, it was possible to rent their wind tunnel in Casumaro to test the car aerodynamically. This year the engineers wanted to find a car shape with more contact pressure , research the new restrictions of the FIA on the wings and implement them optimally. Many new approaches were developed, but in the end the aerodynamics were again kept simple.

Once the external shape had been determined, the mechanical construction of the vehicle began in early November. A major reason was the late decision to use Hart's weak V8 engine. Due to the relatively late commitment to the engine, a lot of work had to be put into the car in a short space of time in order to be able to complete sensible tests before the start of the season in Melbourne. One problem with the engine was that it was lighter and smaller than the more powerful competitor V10s and had a lower center of gravity. In theory this would be an advantage, but the chassis had already been prepared for a larger engine. In order to maintain the stability of the car, the entire rear had to be moved further down. As a result, the transmission and the rear suspension had to be completely revised. All wheels were individually suspended from double wishbones . Springs and dampers were on the inside and were operated via push rods.

Racing history

This year, the team was supported by Fondmetal in the development by the owner Gabriele Rumi acquiring shares in the team. The participation meant that there were no more money problems for the time being and the budget for 1997 could be set at the end of November. At the time of development, Minardi had around 70 employees and was considered the smallest team. It is worth noting that around 85% of all parts required were manufactured in Faenza .

The car was tested for the first time on February 1st, 1997 in Mugello and officially presented on February 4th in Monza .

At the end of the season, the number of points was sobering, you and Team Lola were in last place with no points. Problems were caused by the weak and unreliable Hart engine and many mistakes by the drivers, so they dropped out eight times due to accidents or twists. At the race in Austria the car was disqualified by Tarso Marques because it was too light at the FIA technical inspection. Jarno Trulli put you in ninth place twice , which was the best place this season.

Painting and sponsorship

A mixture of Minardis colors was chosen for the paintwork: black-white-yellow in horizontal stripes. The front wing and the lower part of the car were colored yellow, the side pods, the cockpit surround and the middle part of the car were colored white, and the rear wing and the upper part were colored black.

The sponsor Fondmetal advertised the rear wing as well as parts of the front wing and the side radiator. With the new driver Ukyō Katayama, the cigarette brand Mild Seven could be won as a new sponsor, the logo of which was placed in front of the driver and on the airbox. Because of the new contract with Bridgestone as a tire supplier, the logo of the Japanese company was applied to the nose and the front wings. The logo of the skating manufacturer Roces could be found on the side radiators .

driver

At the beginning of the season you could oblige Ukyō Katayama from Tyrrell . The second driver was the Italian Jarno Trulli , who competed in the German Formula 3 championship last year. The Brazilian Tarso Marques was taken back under contract as a test and replacement driver . He started two races last year, but he couldn't finish either of them.

Katayama struggled at the start of the season, but then recovered and often crossed the finish line. Trulli, on the other hand, was able to draw attention to himself in the first race with a ninth place, in the third race he was able to achieve this position again. In the middle of the season, Trulli was signed by Prost to replace the seriously injured Olivier Panis . This enabled Tarso Marques to work his way up from substitute to regular driver. However, his results were not consistent enough to permanently experience top positions. At the race in Austria , Marques was then disqualified because his car was too light.

In the end, the main driver Katayama was only able to defeat the actual reservist Tarso Marques in qualifying and in the race, while Trulli was almost always able to leave Katayama behind.

Results

driver	No.	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	16	17th	Points	rank
Formula 1 World Championship 1997																			0	-.
Japan U. Katayama	20th	DNF	18th	DNF	11	10	DNF	DNF	11	DNF	DNF	10	14th	DNF	11	DNF	DNF	17th
Italy J. Trulli	21st	9	12	9	DNS	DNF	15th	DNF
Brazil T. Marques	21st								DNF	10	DNF	12	DNF	14th	EX	DNF	DNF	15th

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)
violet	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
red	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
White	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
Light Blue	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

Web links

Commons : Minardi M197 - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns00957.html

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