Minardi Will Run for Mayor in Faenza

Formula One and politics often go hand in hand, as recent events have showed us that endless discussions and negotiations regarding the future of the sport are just as part of it as racing is. However, this is not what this article is about. It appears a former team founder and boss inside Formula One has decided to run for mayorship in the Italian city of Faenza.

We're talking about Gian Carlo Minardi, the former team owner of Minardi F1 Team, who is allegedly considering a run for the mayorship of Italian city southeast of Bologna. The 62-year-old Italian benefits from the support of centre-right coalition parties, and his slogan for the campaign (as revealed by Brazil's globoestporte.com) is “Faenza torna a correre” (Faenza races again).

Minardi started his own racing team in the early '80s, while later bringing it on the Formula One grid in the mid-1980s (1985). He became a regular figure of the paddock for the next one and a half decade, before selling his outfit to Paul Stoddart in 2001. Later on, through the 2005 season, the team was partially bought by Austrian energy drink manufacturer Red Bull and turned into Scuderia Toro Rosso.

“It was a difficult decision. I'm 62 and have never been interested in politics. I have always lived in the sporting world, but you learn a lot there. I made the decision because I have the support and Faenza is in an extremely difficult time,” said Minardi for the Il Resto del Carlino newspaper.

“I know people nationwide and I can use it for the city. I need to change my way of working, but that does not scare me. I will bring a team of young professionals and want to deploy the methods used in the sport with Minardi,” added the former Formula boss.