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The fourth chapter of the series highlights a place known by several names, the most famous of which is Minardi. Although it is now part of Red Bull, the Faenza factory still retains its rich heritage.
1985-2005: Minardi, the eternal underdog After several years in F2 and F3000, Minardi finally made its F1 debut in 1985. Its black and yellow livery was instantly recognizable, but the attractive Italian design was not enough to improve its results. Scoring points was a rare luxury; finishing in the top six was considered a triumph. The small team did have a few memorable moments, however: it escaped the dreaded pre-qualifying sessions and scored its first point in Detroit in 1988, a remarkable feat for such a modest team. Pierluigi Martini became the face of Minardi's brief golden period, remaining loyal to the team for almost his entire career. He achieved the team's best qualifying performance with a front row spot in Portugal in 1989, a feat that has never been repeated. Martini also remains the only Minardi driver to have led a Grand Prix, in Phoenix in 1990. The team's best result in the race came three years later at Kyalami, where Christian Fittipaldi took fourth place. Despite occasional points, Giancarlo Minardi's team never managed to climb out of the bottom of the standings. Luca Badoer, a solid Ferrari test driver, almost equaled the team's best result at the chaotic 1999 Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, where he was running fourth before an engine failure forced him to retire, leaving his teammate Marc Gené to finish sixth.
The early 2000s were marked by a few other highlights. After Paul Stoddart bought the team, Minardi became the springboard for Fernando Alonso, who made his debut in the remarkable PS01 in 2001. Mark Webber made an impressive debut in 2002, finishing fifth in front of his home crowd in Melbourne. In 2003, Jos Verstappen almost clinched pole position at Magny-Cours thanks to a rainy Friday; a rainy Saturday could have given Minardi a front row spot. The Italian team's last points were scored in 2005, when Christijan Albers finished fifth in the controversial Indianapolis race. No wins, no pole positions, and no podium finishes were achieved, but a courageous 30-year career in F1 finally came to an end. 2006-2019: From Paul Stoddart to Red Bull, a big change
When Dietrich Mateschitz entered F1 with Red Bull in 2005, he quickly decided to run a second team the following year. Thus, Toro Rosso was born from the ashes of Minardi – “Red Bull” translated into Italian.
The STR01, driven by Scott Speed and Vitantonio Liuzzi, was the last F1 car to be equipped with a V10 engine, competing against 2.4-liter V8s. Its modest power ensured fair competition, but the results were meager: a single point in 2006, won by Liuzzi in Indianapolis.
2007 proved just as difficult, until the Chinese Grand Prix offered a surprise with a double points finish: Sebastian Vettel finished fourth and Liuzzi sixth, marking Toro Rosso's first simultaneous top-six results. The team's rise accelerated in 2008. Vettel teamed up with Sébastien Bourdais, who scored only four points (two seventh places) while his German teammate shone. Vettel's breakthrough came at the Italian Grand Prix, where he took the win, a junior victory a year ahead of the senior Red Bull team. A one-two finish was within reach had Bourdais not stalled in fourth place. That season remains Toro Rosso's best, finishing sixth in the constructors' championship and seeing Vettel battle for the title against Massa and Hamilton. In the years that followed, the Faenza-based team trained future stars such as Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz Jr., Max Verstappen, and Pierre Gasly. The team retained the Toro Rosso name until 2019, when Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly each secured a podium finish (in Germany and Brazil) before a name change hinted at a brighter future. From 2020 to today: thank you, Pierre Gasly!
Red Bull has mastered the art of telling its brand story, even if it sometimes blurs the lines between its products. In 2020, the junior team was renamed Alpha Tauri, after the company's clothing line, although many fans remain attached to the Toro Rosso identity. The 2020 season, delayed by the pandemic, began in July.
Pierre Gasly, always solid but sometimes unlucky, finally had his moment of glory at the chaotic Monza Grand Prix, ending a 24-year drought for French drivers in F1 and sparking a wave of celebrations across the country. After being demoted by the parent team in mid-2019, Gasly's podium finish in Baku in 2021 still failed to convince Red Bull, which continues to favor Sergio Pérez.
Neither Daniil Kvyat nor Yuki Tsunoda have matched Gasly's performances, and the Frenchman remains the team's best driver. As the 2022 season approaches, the future remains to be written.
