Minardi co-founder Martini dies

Former F1 driver and Minardi team co-founder Giancarlo Martini has died.

The news was reported late on Tuesday by Italian media sources and confirmed by Gian Carlo Minardi, the former owner and boss of the Faenza based Formula 1 team.

Minardi said Martini, whose nephew was the mid-90s Minardi driver Pierluigi Martini, was "a very generous and kind friend of mine".

Martini, 66, was also a driver himself, having raced some non-championship Formula 1 races in the mid-70s in a Ferrari run privately by Minardi.

Minardi is quoted by Autosprint: "I have lost a friend with whom I shared more than just my passion for racing."

La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Martini had been ill for some time. (GMM)