Giancarlo Minardi founded his racing team in 1979 and following several years racing in F2 the Italian took his team to F1 in 1985. In one form or another the team (and name) survived through to the 2005 season. In those 21 seasons Minardi scored a total of 38 points. Despite this unremarkable record the team developed a strong and loyal fan base mostly around the notion that they were the ‘little team that could.’ Their cars were well designed despite having the lowest budget in F1 and they had a track record of allowing promising young drivers to break into F1. The long list of drivers who drove for Minardi and went on to establish themselves in motor sports include; Pierluigi Martini, Christian Fittipaldi, Alessandro Zanardi, Michele Alboreto, Luca Badoer, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Jos Verstappen.
Pierluigi Martini had the strongest connection with the Minardi team having raced his entire 9 year F1 career with the team. He was their first driver and scored 16 of their 38 total teams points. He secured the team their only front row start (2nd USA 1990) and led for one lap at the 1989 Portuguese GP; the teams only lap led. The team never achieved a podium, finishing fourth three times in their history (twice for Martini).
The little team that could was a fan and paddock favourite for their commitment to racing and longevity. They rank seventh overall for laps raced in the history of F1. Their inspired run came to an end in 2005 when the team was sold to Red Bull and renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso.
Tags: minardi, pierluigi martini, team points