The encouraging eighth-place finish by Pierluigi Martini driving the M185 in the final race of the 1985 season felt like a victory for Giancarlo Minardi’s tiny team. Despite immense difficulties, Minardi not only managed to compete in an entire Formula 1 championship but also saw one of its cars finish a race just outside the points, battling with another small Italian constructor, Osella, which had already been racing in the top tier for seven seasons. With renewed energy, the Minardi Team approached the 1986 season, deciding to field two cars for rookie Alessandro Nannini, who had tested the M184 but couldn’t race it due to a lack of FIA super license, and veteran Andrea de Cesaris.
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| MINARDI M186, Andrea de Cesaris Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexican GP 1986 |
Agreements with Pirelli for tire supply and with Motori Moderni to use Carlo Chiti’s 1499 cc Turbo V6 615/90 were renewed. Chiti slightly revised the engine to deliver up to nearly 800 hp in race conditions, though still significantly less powerful than the engines used by top teams. To start the championship, the 1985 car was reused with only minor modifications, mostly at the rear of the chassis, which now housed a smaller fuel tank as per new regulations limiting fuel to 195 liters per race.
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| MINARDI M185B, Andrea de Cesaris Jacarepaguà, Brazilian GP 1986 |
The Minardi M185B turned out to be a complete disaster, despite being built with a modern carbon monocoque chassis. The construction of the car remained crude and artisanal, using low-grade materials that could no longer compete with the new technologies emerging in mid-'80s Formula 1. Of the 26 races in which the M185B participated in 1986, it failed to qualify twice and retired 23 times, almost always due to mechanical failures occurring in the first half of the race. The low point came in Monaco, where neither car qualified for the Grand Prix.
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| MINARDI M186, Alessandro Nannini Österreichring, Austrian GP 1986 |
Following the race in the Principality, engineer Caliri sought to rectify the situation by designing a car to replace the M185B as soon as possible. Starting with the Hungarian Grand Prix, Minardi introduced the new M186, based on the same carbon monocoque chassis as the M185 but radically revised mechanically. The suspension system, in particular, was completely overhauled with a new double-wishbone layout, now essential in modern F1. Caliri’s focus wasn’t on outright performance but on achieving a minimum level of reliability, allowing the car to at least reach the finish line and enabling drivers and engineers to gain mileage and experience.
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| MINARDI M186, Andrea de Cesaris Monza, Italian GP 1986 |
The new M186, still powered by the Motori Moderni 619-90 V6 turbo, was driven solely by Andrea de Cesaris in the final six races of the season. Despite a slight improvement in performance, he only managed retirements, with the sole classified finish being an eighth place in the Mexican Grand Prix. Minardi’s second driver, Alessandro Nannini, drove the M186 only once, at the Austrian Grand Prix in Zeltweg, where he qualified over a second faster than his teammate, who was still using the old M185B, but retired from the race after going off track while running in twelfth place. Needless to say, the small Romagna-based team finished the 1986 season in last place in the Constructors’ Championship with zero points.
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