Giancarlo Minardi: “Without the past, we could not talk about the present or the future! »

For two seasons you have chaired the Commission Single seat of the FIA. How did you end up in this position?

Thanks to Angelo Sticchi Damiani, president of the Automobile Club of Italy (ACI)! A few years ago, he had already approached me about working within the Italian federation. In 2022, it was again he who asked me to take my current position. He had been contacted by President Mohammed Ben Sulayem (at the head of the FIA ​​since the end of 2021. Editor's note), but he thought that my profile better suited the needs of this commission. I am happy to have this opportunity, which allows me to further develop my professional career, and to use everything I have learned over the last forty years as a team boss, driver manager and circuit manager. 'Imola (Italy. Editor’s note). It’s also a way for me to give back to this sport a little of everything it has allowed me to experience…

How did the automobile come into your life?

I was born and raised surrounded by cars! My family managed a Fiat dealership and an Agip service station. It was my grandfather who created it Faenza (Italy. Editor's note) in 1927, and my father, Giovanni Minardi, took it over in 1947. He was also keen on motorsport, participating in competitions with his own cars in the late 1940s. His first