Minardi M01

Minardi M01
Category	Formula One
Constructor	Minardi
Designer(s)	Gustav Brunner (Technical Director); Gabriele Tredozi (Chief Engineer); George Ryton (Chief Designer); (Chief Aerodynamicist)
Predecessor	M198
Successor	M02
Technical specifications
Chassis	Moulded carbon-fibre composite structure
Suspension (front)	Double wishbones, pushrod with coaxial spring/damper, and torsion bar
Suspension (rear)	Double wishbones, pushrod
Engine	Ford Zetec-R, 72-degree V10
Transmission	Minardi six-speed longitudinal sequential semi-automatic
Power	735 hp @ 16,000 rpm
Fuel	Elf
Tyres	Bridgestone
Competition history
Notable entrants	Fondmetal Minardi Team
Notable drivers	20. Luca Badoer; 20. Stéphane Sarrazin; 21. Marc Gené
Debut	1999 Australian Grand Prix
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The Minardi M01 was the car with which the Minardi Formula One team competed in the 1999 Formula One season. It was designated 01 because the team felt that the car marked a new beginning for the team. It was driven by Luca Badoer, who had previously driven for Minardi in 1995 and was Ferrari's test driver at the time, and Marc Gené, a Spanish rookie. Prost test driver Stéphane Sarrazin also drove the car for one race after Badoer broke his hand in a testing accident.

Despite the fact that the car represented a major step forward for a team of Minardi's small budget, they remained near or at the back of the grid, in a season-long battle with the Arrows team. Brunner identified the car's greatest shortcoming as its aerodynamics, as the Faenza outfit could not afford long periods of time using wind tunnels.

However, the team did score their first points in four years when Gené finished sixth at the Nürburgring, but this was only after Badoer retired from fourth with a gearbox failure with 13 laps remaining. This point was sufficient to take the team to tenth in the Constructors' Championship; the team was tied with Arrows on points count, but it ended up behind Arrows because Toranosuke Takagi had a better finishing place (7th) at the Australian Grand Prix than Badoer, who finished his highest with a position of 8th at the San Marino Grand Prix, but ahead of the well-funded and resourced British American Racing team.^{[clarification needed]}

Livery[]

For the first two races, the drivers' and mechanics' overalls were blue-gray. From the San Marino Grand Prix onwards, the drivers' and mechanics' overalls were blue-yellow to reflect on the corporate colours of the team's main sponsor Telefónica until the end of the 2000 season.

Complete Formula One results[]

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Points	WCC
1999	Minardi	Ford V10	B		AUS	BRA	SMR	MON	ESP	CAN	FRA	GBR	AUT	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	EUR	MAL	JPN	1	10th
				Luca Badoer	Ret		8	Ret	Ret	10	10	Ret	13	10	14	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret
				Stéphane Sarrazin		Ret
				Marc Gené	Ret	9	9	Ret	Ret	8	Ret	15	11	9	17	16	Ret	6	9	Ret

References[]

^ "Engine Ford Cosworth • STATS F1".

AUTOCOURSE 1999-2000, Henry, Alan (ed.), Hazleton Publishing Ltd. (1999) ISBN 1-874557-34-9

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[1] "Engine Ford Cosworth • STATS F1".

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