Book Review: Forza Minardi! by Simon Vigar

So former team boss Giancarlo Minardi thinks Vettel in the RB9 in Singapore was a little too dominant and questions whether he’s getting a little traction control assistance. Life is definitely tougher at the back of the grid! Also, seeing Fernando Alonso giving Mark Webber a ride in the Singapore Grand Prix (even though they are friends and share Flavio as a manager), I couldn’t help think of how important Minardi (now Toro Rosso) was as a feeder team of junior talent to the grid. Alonso and Webber both entered F1 via Minardi and had success with them despite the fact that the team in the 90’s were seen as bottom of the grid backmarkers (a la Marussia in recent seasons). Simon Vigar’s book Forza Minardi! is one of the few books on Minardi that I’ve seen.

While it covers every season from 1985 to 2005, the book is a light read.  Each season has a dedicated chapter but the early seasons only get 3-4 pages including race and driver photos. There are quotes from most ex-drivers (Nannini, Campos, Perez Sala,  Fittipaldi, Alonso, Webber, Davidson, Badoer, Gene, etc.), technical personnel (Costa) and of course the team principals (Minardi and Stoddart).  I didn’t know that Ayrton Senna toyed with the idea of joining Minardi before retiring from F1. Costa’s comments on various drivers in the team’s early years are interesting to read  – its a shame there isn’t more content in the book though. For example, the 1998 season is only given 1 page while 2002 gets 13 pages.

The photography is compiled from different sources and are a mix of race shots and drivers. Photo panels are magazine style and there are unfortunately no technical closeup photos or double page shots.

Its a shame that more technical information couldn’t have been included for each season’s car. The second half of the book from season 2002 has more content, maybe due to access to Stoddart. In fact, a lot of the later part of the book deals more with Stoddart’s clashes with Mosley than the on-track performance of the team.

The rear of the book includes a chapter with quotes from members of the Minardi fan club and a table of all Minardi’s race results from 1985 through to 2005.

In many ways just like the team itself, this book has a lot of promise and could have been much more.  If only there was a little more technical detail and information about the team’s development each season it would be great book.

Wow Factor or Money Shot: Definitely the photos of the M185, M185B and M187.  Still love the yellow & black livery of the M185.

Suitable for: Late 80’s and 90s F1 fans