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Autosport Article on RB takeover
Copyright law prohits me from postuing the full article. But here's a short precis.
They ( Autosport) seem to think that the RBR takeover means the team will be running an updated verrion of the RB1 chassis. That means transferring the intellectual rights to the team and building the chassis at Faenza.
Just wher that leaves Tilley and Tredozzi remains to be seen. Steiner is likely to be appointed as TD. As he is Italian. They seem to think that the team will run on Michelin although that seems unlikely.
Is this pure speculation or inside info? In any event it looks like there will be no building of an independent design or R and D department. Minardi will become a defacto race team.
Comments
Hasn't someone explained to you that in having won, you also lost?
And in a final Duplicitous twist he claimed to have had the employees interest at heart when he took the money from Re Bull.
I would also like to point out that 2 other bids were on the table guaranteeing the teams Italian future. I think people would have more respect for Stoddart if he just came out and said he was in it for the money nothing else.
Lets see how successful this Ozjet venture is. If its anything like the F1 adventure....
It was clear that Stoddart's resources would only go so far. At some point, he'd either have to find a major sponsor/partner or sell the team. Unfortunately, the former never became a reality. Yeah, one show was Eddie Irvine and the Russians. Seeing how successful similar ventures *cough*Midland*cough* have been, that would have been a real riot!
I haven't seen any evidence suggesting that there was a realistic offer on the table, one that would have guaranteed the future of the name, staff and location. How many people are willing to invest $30m plus tens of millions of dollars in coming years just to allow us to continue?
It also APPEARS to me that the Team were all shocked by the sale - you would have thought that PS would have had the coutesey to at least tell GCM PRIOR to selling.
One day the facts will come out and I think we will see the true villians and heroes.
if you look a this season, Minardi started the year 6 seconds behind RedBull Racing. Now it is less than one, with a worst engine, worst tyres and drivers who are fast but usually don't know the tracks. And, mainly, with 10 times LESS testing time, including no third driver for most of the year. Put it all togheter and its obvious that you have more talented people at Faenza than at RBR.
Given that, I suppose that to run with the RB1 chassis is definitely a drawback, and, the main thing, it would be BIG drawback to loose good personnel to the "first team".
Red Bull were never any sort of suitable match for Minardi. They have clearly only truly bought the entry, not the team. Stoddart must have seen that. I've generally agreed with what he's done (if not always the way he's done it), but this final betrayal seems inexplicable. Guarantees my arse!
20 odd years of following the team, now it gets killed off needlessly.
Carthorse, on the whole the supporters were very 'supportive' but there has to be room for debate. Surely you wouldn't want a Stalinist silence? There was only ever one boss and we knew it.
Firstly a Welcome to Nuvolari. I hope that someone with the brazenness to use a moniker that I can say only in hushed tones, after crossing myself 3 times and genuflecting at a potrait of Il montavante volante, has a serious knowledge of motorsport.
For as long as I can recall, people who say Stoddart was good for Minardi, can only say that he rescued the team. But what did he achieve in terms of a legacy for the new owners?
There's been a lot of talk about keeping the name. Personally I'm more interested in the future of the 100 or so dedicated employees at Faenza. Anyone who's visited the area knows that in represents a high tech island in a small industrial area. Many employees have grown up in the area and have strong family ties. Any talk of a UK resettlement is just far fetched.
I don't see selling to Tariko was out of the question if Stoddart was interested in the employees. Irvine stated the plan was to expand the Faenza site. Its unlikely he would do any worse than Marko.