Bergamo entrepreneur Gabriele Rumi, owner of Fondmetal, now holds 70% of the Minardi team’s shares. However, even with the new ownership, the tiny Faenza-based outfit in Emilia-Romagna still fails to make the long-hoped-for leap in quality to at least be able to fight with the midfield cars. Nevertheless, the Minardi–Rumi duo fully reconfirms the group of technicians who worked on the 1999 M01: Technical Director Gustav Brunner, an Austrian engineer with a long history in Formula 1; Chief Engineer Gabriele Tredozi, with Minardi since the team’s very first F1 season; Chief Designer George Ryton, an English engineer whose single-seater design experience was honed under John Barnard; and Chief Aerodynamicist Jean-Claude Migeot, in his second year with the Faenza squad after working with renowned teams such as Renault, Tyrrell, and most notably Ferrari.
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| MINARDI M02, Marc Gene Suzuka, Japanese GP 2000 |
Under Brunner’s guidance, the new Minardi M02 takes shape, a car completely different from its predecessor, the M01, which was no small feat in a year when almost all teams preferred to develop their 1999 cars rather than embark on entirely new projects. Gian Carlo Minardi, an undisputed talent scout for promising drivers, this time rediscovers an unsung drafting board genius in Gustav Brunner, an engineer who had already lived through various experiences before setting foot in Faenza, but who, in Romagna, perhaps produces his masterpiece: the M02. The new Minardi is undeniably a unique and perhaps slightly quirky single-seater, but it embodies the full creativity and skill of the Austrian engineer, introducing several innovations that would later make history in other cars. The titanium gearbox, for example, never before tried by much more prestigious teams with far larger budgets, was first used on Brunner’s M02. The suspension mounting system was also completely revised and built in titanium, as were the wheel hubs. The suspension design itself changed: at the rear, it adopted the layout Ferrari had used for its front suspension the previous year. The chassis and cockpit also underwent major changes, with a lower driving position.
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| MINARDI M02, Marc Gene Monza, Italian GP 2000 |
The car also featured a distinctive flat floor with two new side appendages, a slimmer nose whose underside resembled a boat hull, and a much lower and sleeker engine cover, as well as a refined front end and sidepods. The M02 was essentially a triumph of innovation without spending vast sums, as the small Italian team, despite the boost of scoring its first point in 1999 after more than three years without, once again faced the new season with a budget of just $50 million, nearly seven times less than a top-tier team, and with only about 100 staff. The only sponsors for the 2000 season were Spain’s Telefonica, personal sponsor of confirmed Spanish driver Marc Gené, and the South American TV network PSN, personal sponsor of Argentine driver Gastón Mazzacane, hired as the second driver. The M02 project was nurtured with love and meticulous patience by Brunner’s team, who lacked large facilities but had great hearts and a deep passion for racing, as is typical of Romagna’s motorsport culture.
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| MINARDI M02, Gaston Mazzacane A1 Ring, Austrian GP 2000 |
Minardi applied the “zero-kilometer” philosophy to the letter, sourcing everything needed for the car within a few hundred kilometers, from Fondmetal’s wind tunnel in Parma, to titanium components made by CRP in Modena, to other parts produced in Fondmetal’s Bergamo foundries, proving once again the great passion Minardi has always brought to each of his ventures, even if it meant going against the tide in a globalized world where top teams spare no expense for quality components. In this respect, Minardi set an example: the M02 drew curiosity from engineers at much more prestigious teams, and Brunner’s ideas would be copied, adapted, and improved in the years to come. Unfortunately, the strength of the car’s design was undermined by the engine the team had to use in 2000. After running the modest Ford-Cosworth VJM in 1999, Rumi aimed to secure the Renault-derived Supertec for the new season. However, once Supertec struck a deal with Arrows, they denied supply to Minardi, forcing the team to once again fall back on the outdated 1998 Ford-Cosworth used the previous year. Renamed “Fondmetal,” this engine was about 30 kg heavier, required a larger cooling system that compromised internal airflow to the sidepods, and produced roughly 80 hp less than the Supertec, itself far from the best engine in the field, making it impossible for the M02 to match its rivals’ performance.
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| MINARDI M02, Marc Gene Montecarlo, Monaco GP 2000 |
Despite ending the season with yet another zero in the Constructors’ Championship, the M02 proved to be a solid and reliable car, finishing 22 races, though badly handicapped by its heavy, underpowered engine. Midway through the season, Rumi decided to leave in 2001 and began talks to sell his shares to PSN, again promising that the team could obtain Mecachrome engines for the following year. However, Renault’s decision to return to F1 as a constructor killed the deal, and PSN withdrew to follow its driver, who was set to join the French Prost Grand Prix team. Gian Carlo Minardi thus found himself once again alone, facing an even more critical financial situation threatening the survival of his tiny team.
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