LUKA SAMMALISTO, THE FIRST FINISH DRIVER JOINS THE MINARDI MANAGEMENT

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The Finnish driver born in 2007, Luka Sammalisto joins Minardi Management.
Luka’s first season in single-seater started already in the first months of this year, participating at the UAE F4 Championship, starting already once from the front row in Race 2 in the last event in Dubai, and now he is ready to attack the most competitive F4 Championship, the Italian one.

Giovanni Minardi: “I am very happy to start working with Luka. We met a few days ago in Imola during the first F4 test sessions and I immediately got on well with him. I am convinced that together we can achieve excellent goals.
Luka is a very intelligent guy with an impressive desire to learn, I immediately noticed how much he dedicates himself to this sport, he leaves nothing to chance, he studies everything down to the smallest detail and above all he has a very good ability to learn extremely fast the tracks, when he runs on them for first time.”

Luka Sammalisto: “This is my first season in single-seaters and I am very happy with my collaboration with Minardi Management. They have long professional experience in motorsport. I look forward to working with Giovanni Minardi and I believe that together we will achieve our goal.”

DATE AND LOCATION OF MATTIA BUCCI’S TEST HAVE CHANGED: THE SCHEDULED TESTS WILL NOW TAKE PLACE ON APRIL 2ND AT MISANO

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The test, originally planned for March 28th at Mugello, was postponed to a new circuit

Mattia Bucci’s test session on the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo of the Best Lap team at Mugello was canceled due to adverse weather conditions. The debut at the Tuscan circuit has now turned into a return to the “Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli” in Misano Adriatico, a track that brings back sweet memories for the young talent from Abruzzo. As per the program, Mattia will take the Prancing Horse car belonging to the Roman team onto the track.

The Misano circuit was the venue for the final round of the “FX Pro Series” of the “Formula X Italian Series” in 2023, where the ace from Catignano shone brightly with the Tatuus F4 T-014 from SG Motors. In his most recent appearance in a single-seater, Bucci achieved a third place in Race 1 and the long-awaited victory in Race 2, his first win in his very brief career in cars.

Mattia Bucci said: “I am very sorry that the Mugello test was canceled, but this has only fueled my desire to get behind the wheel. I can’t wait to get back on track to enjoy this spectacular car, especially at a circuit like Misano where I have won and where I hold special memories. I want to thank the Best Lap team for giving me this opportunity, Giovanni Minardi and Minardi Management, my family, my staff, my trainer Walter Marini and his team and my sponsors for their support.”

Matteo Gaudieri
Press Office Mattia Bucci

MATTIA BUCCI WILL BE BACK ON TRACK WITH THE FERRARI 488 CHALLENGE EVO FROM THE BEST LAP TEAM, TEST SESSIONS ARE SCHEDULED AT THE MUGELLO CIRCUIT

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At the Tuscan circuit, the Abruzzo driver will continue his apprenticeship with a Grand Touring car

Following the test session at the “Piero Taruffi” circuit in Vallelunga, Mattia Bucci officially transitioned to GT competitions. On March 28th, the Catignano ace will be back on track for testing the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo by Best Lap team at Mugello.

This will be Mattia’s debut at the famous Tuscan circuit, known for hosting the MotoGP continuously since 1994, as well as being part of the 2020 Formula 1 calendar with the first and only edition of the Tuscan Grand Prix. Additionally, the circuit is owned by Ferrari, the brand with which the young talent from Abruzzo is taking his first steps in closed-wheel racing.

Mattia Bucci: “I am very happy and excited to be able to drive for the first time at such an important circuit like Mugello. It will be a great challenge, but I am ready to face it and I can’t wait to get in the car. I thank Giovanni Minardi and Minardi Management, my family, the Best Lap team, my trainer Walter Marini and his team, my staff, and all my sponsors for their support.”

Matteo Gaudieri
Press Office Mattia Bucci

SWEDISH GIRL MILLA SJÖSTRAND JOINS MINARDI MANAGEMENT

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We are pleased to announce that the Swedish driver born in 2008, Milla Sjöstrand, becomes part of the large Minardi Management family.
Milla has participated in various Championships in Sweden up until this year and finally in 2024, she will participate in a Championship outside of Sweden.
We decided together with her to participate at the Rotax Dutch Championship, divided into 8 weekends between Holland, Belgium and Germany, and then in 2025 take part in an even more international Championship, in preparation for the car debut in the 2026 season. Moreover, another fact which makes us really proud to have her on board is, that she was selected three times to participate at the FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars, both in the category Junior and Senior. An evidence that she is on fire!

Giovanni Minardi: “I am very happy that Milla is joining our Agency and that we are adding another pink quote to the team.
Milla has shown on several occasions that she is a very fast girl and with the program we are building I hope we can show it to everyone very soon. Milla has a beautiful attitude on and off track and she presents a very interesting package for the female world of Motorsport”.

Milla Sjöstrand: “I am happy to announce that I am working together with Minardi Management. Minardi Management is working on giving me the best conditions, both now and for the future. I am excited for what lies ahead and and sure we will find the right route towards my dream of racing at the highest level. This year I am racing in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium with Team Kartstore Benelux supported by MP Motorsport. It’s a big challenge to race there against drivers who have grown up on those tracks, but I enjoy a good challenge. I am sure what I learn this year will be a big asset to me in the future, and Minardi management is an important part of it”.

MINARDI MANAGEMENT COLLABORATES WITH THE RACING SPIRIT BRAND

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Minardi Management is pleased to announce the collaboration with Racing Spirit, a lifestyle clothing brand inspired by motorsport by Racing Force Group, a world leader in safety equipment for motor racing.
Starting from the 2024 racing season, the Minardi Management staff will be provided with a range of customized Racing Spirit teamwear garments, on the occasion of the numerous race weekends on the karting and car circuits, both in Italy and internationally.
The agreement will also see the other Racing Force Group brands involved, with the supply of OMP racewear, Bell Racing helmets and Zeronoise audio communication systems to best support Minardi Management and the drivers it follows in their competitive journey.

Giovanni Minardi: “I am really happy that a leading company in the Motorsport sector like Racing Force Group has chosen my Management Agency to advertise an elite brand like Racing Spirit and I hope our collaboration will continue for a long time.
We will show the whole world of motorsport the quality of the products and I am sure that everyone will love them”.
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Corrado Audisio, Sales Senior Manager di Racing Force Group: “We are pleased to support Minardi Management, a company that with experience and passion has stood out for years in supporting young talents on their growth path towards the top of motorsport. Together with Giovanni we have selected a range of Racing Spirit technical garments capable of satisfying the comfort and functionality needs required by the agency during the intense race weekends, together with customizations that strengthen their recognizability in international paddocks”.

JAMES EGOZI JOINS THE RED BULL JUNIOR JUNIOR TEAM

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After the great success of Minardi Management in bringing Andrea Kimi Antonelli into the Mercedes F1 Academy in 2018, we are happy to announce another important achievement of ours. Giovanni Minardi managed to get the driver James Egozi into the Red Bull Junior Team. In 2023 we had already included him in the private PHM Racing Academy, giving him the opportunity to participate in an entire season in the Italian F4 Championship, however in 2024, thanks to the new collaboration just concluded with Red Bull he will have the opportunity to increase his programs to aim for its ultimate goals. Minardi Management and Giovanni Minardi demonstrate once again that they give each driver of their Agency the opportunity to open all possible doors, taking advantage of the excellent network of knowledge and respect towards Giovanni Minardi himself within the world of Motorsport and ensure its drivers a future in this sport.

Giovanni Minardi: “Who would have thought that in just two years of a management contract, we would have managed to get here. Having included him last year at the last moment in the private Academy program of the PHM Racing team and now in Red Bull, which allowed him and will allow him in the future to race like a professional, we believe we have achieved a true sportive miracle according to James Egozi.
Now it’s all in the hands of him and Red Bull to find the right path to reach the final goal, that is, Formula 1.
At this point we believe that there are no longer the conditions to continue our journey together, because it will be impossible to obtain more than what we have achieved in these two years and therefore our paths will separate, but with the awareness on our part of having done an outstanding job for James.”

POSITIVE BALANCE FOR MATTIA BUCCI AFTER TEST WITH THE FERRARI 488 CHALLENGE EVO BY BEST LAP AT VALLELUNGA

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The debut in GT with the Prancing Horse for the Abruzzo representative ended with smiles of satisfaction

Mattia Bucci made his track debut with the Best Lap team in a Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, a Grand Touring car, at the “Piero Taruffi” circuit in Vallelunga. The test program for the young driver from Catignano included a first contact with the GT from Maranello, useful to understand the differences between the Formula world and closed-wheel competitions.

Despite the rain making an appearance at the Lazian circuit in the early hours of the day, the asphalt gradually dried up, helping Bucci improve his feeling with the Prancing Horse car lap after lap, thanks in particular to the materials provided by the Roman team.

The experienced Driver Coach Fulvio Ferri was following and monitoring the debut of the Catignano ace.

Mattia Bucci: “I am very happy, satisfied, and even amazed by how the test day unfolded and the result achieved. It’s a dream for me to drive a Ferrari at this age. Together with Coach Fulvio Ferri, I achieved good results. I tried to adapt my driving style to this car and I think I did it in the best way. Now it’s necessary to get back on track to get more and more used to this car in order to be as competitive as possible. I thank Giovanni Minardi and all of Minardi Management, my family, the Best Lap team and Coach Fulvio Ferri, my sponsors who always support me, my staff and my athletic trainer Walter Marini and his team.”

Fulvio Ferri, Driver Coach: “Mattia is a wonderful young man, he’s focused and has the ideal character to excel in this sport as he learns in silence and puts in the effort, implementing everything that is told to him. He is very talented because, despite never having tried closed-wheel cars given his Formula backgroud, he performed very well given his young age. He listened to me and we improved lap by lap in progression, which is fundamental. He is a driver to keep an eye on.”

Matteo Gaudieri
Press Office Mattia Bucci

A NEW TEST SESSION AWAITS MATTIA BUCCI AT VALLELUNGA ON THE FERRARI 488 CHALLENGE

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On March 2nd at the Laziale circuit, Bucci’s transition from formula cars to the GT world will take place.
Three total podiums and one victory: this is what Mattia Bucci has achieved in his, albeit short, career with single-seaters.
Now a new challenge awaits the Catignano ace: he will hit the track on March 2nd for a test drive on a Ferrari 488 Challenge provided by the Best Lap team, a client of the Prancing Horse.
Being able to drive a car made in Maranello is the dream of any driver and Mattia Bucci, who will drive it at 16 years of age, is no exception.

The young Abruzzese driver commented on the news: “I am very happy to start this new adventure in the GT world. I will have to adapt to a new driving style, different speeds, and a completely new car but, as I have always said, I like this kind of challenges, so I am super excited. I want to thank the Best Lap team that will take me on the track for my first GT test, it is an honor for me to drive a Ferrari; I also want to thank Giovanni Minardi and the whole Minardi Management, my family, my trainer Walter Marini and all his staff, and the sponsors for their constant support.”

Matteo Gaudieri
Press Officer Mattia Bucci

THE KOSMOPOULOS FAMILY JOINS MINARDI MANAGEMENT FAMILY

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Minardi Management and the Kosmopoulos family begin a collaboration of management for their two children Jason and Nefeli.
Jason will participate in 2024 in the WSK Championships and the Italian Championship in the Mini category, and we are extremely excited to see him already racing in January here in Italy! Regarding Nefeli, we are deciding at the moment together with her parents beside her commitment at school the possibility to race internationally and at which races and championships she will participate in 2024.

Giovanni Minardi: “For me it is a huge honour to collaborate with the entire Kosmopoulos family. They are a family that live for motorsport by managing a karting team, a karting academy and soon a brand new karting track in Greece. I felt from the first time very familiar with them and with the same ideas and visions in my mind. Jason, I noted the first time last year at the end of the season here in Italy on track and I was immediately impressed by his performance, his excellent attitude and his natural driving ability. I am sure, that this young man from Greece will rock the Mini category this year in the WSK and Italian Championship. Instead regarding Nefeli, I am extremely excited to start working also with her this year. Nefeli will be the third karting girl in our agency and I strongly believe that we can collect many successes together. We as a management believe strongly in the girls power on track and are very happy about the last developments regarding girls and women in the world of Motorsport. We together with Nefeli will try to equilibrate this sport one more time.”

Jason & Nefeli Kosmopoulos: “We are very happy to start a collaboration with Minardi Management for the season 2024 in Mini Gr.3 and OKJ, and we are sure that we can obtain fantastic results together.”

BENJAMIN WESTWOOD CONTINUES WITH GP RACING KARTS IN 2024

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We are pleased to announce that our Maltese driver Benjamin Westwood will continue in 2024 with the GP Racing Karts team.
Benjamin’s main program for the 2024 season will be the ROK Italy Series Championship with the Winter Trophy, ROK Trophy and ROK Superfinal, but probably you will see him also at some WSK appointments. Keep fingers crossed!

Giovanni Minardi: “I thank Gian Cavaciuti for the magnificent proposal that made us keep Benji in his team. I am sure that this year Benji will be one of the protagonists of the Mini ROK world. We will aim to be on the podium every race weekend and above all we will aim to obtain an excellent result in the Superfinal in October.”

Benjamin Westwood: “I’m happy to be driving with GP Racing as a team driver for the ROK Cup Championship in 2024. I believe this year can be a very strong year especially since we have a team of mini drivers all pushing together. I feel super pumped to start the year. Looking forward to seeing everyone on track.”

Gian Cavaciuti: “It will be a pleasure to continue the collaboration with Benji Westwood for the 2024 season. I am convinced that, with our support and the recent partnership with Minardi Management, we will achieve excellent results. Benji will give his all in the Italian ROK Championship and in selected international races.”