IS IT THE END? (Minardi Team)

Member Name: thecoin

Product:	Minardi Team
Date:	17/11/00 (45 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: A loss of a team with potential with a little cash investment

I have just read the news on the Autosport website that Minardi could pull out of next years F1 World Championship because of financial problems.

They may be the whipping boys of F1 but I think it will be very sad if they go.This years car was actually in my opinion one of the best chassis of the year if not the best proved by the fact that now and again Minardi where fast enough to compete with other teams during races and sustain a fight.The fact that they where so low down the grid was because of the engine nothing else.

They had financial trouble before this years Championship but just in time were saved by Cosworth who offered Minardi a one year deal.Minardi re-badged the engine as a Fondmetal but the engine was actually the engine Stewart used in 98 so therefore was very underpowered compared to the other teams new engines and so Minardi couldn`t comepete with other teams.Cosworth won`t continue this deal.

Minardi where hoping next year to use Supertec engines which would I believe have helped them to move a vast way up the grid.Considering how well Arrows did this year with the engine and that I believe that Minardi`s chassis was better than Arrows`s I thought that if they could have struck a deal to use the Supertec engine they could have been a midfield team.

Although in saying that because of the fact sponsorship is vital to keep Minardi running they have to employ drivers who can bring the most sponsorship money,not nesserarily the driver that they want.i.e Why Gston Mazzacane raced this year when he was clearly not F1 standard.

I feel sorry for Marc Gene because I think he is actually a good little driver that if put in the right car could be a force to be recond with but due to the termoil at Minardi which recently led to the loss of title sponsor Telefonica he could now be dropped all together from the F1 program for next year even if Minardi can find an engine supplier as his main sponsor which he brought
to the team was Telefonica thanks to his Spanish nationality.

Minardi would have been OK financially for this season as Gabriele Rumi the former chairman sold his 69% stake in the outfit to Argentiniean Television network PSN in September but now they are rethinking the offer as Minardi can`t find an engine for next year.

I really hope Minardi can strike a deal for next year as grids will dwindel to 10 teams for the first time since 1971 and also the FIA I believe should now step in to help out the smaller teams such as Minardi to find engine suppliers.

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