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A number of specialist magazines have stated that Jaguar, Minardi and Jordan were up for sale. Two of the three have now been sold.
The question remains what is Minardi's asking price. I don't think that the teams value can be more than $10 million, since any buyer needs to restructure the whole tech department and put in considerable investment.
The problem is that every year the decreasing performance means the teams value falls. At some stage we will reach the tipping point where the team ceasses to have a commercial value and its more expedient for it to be taken over. If Midland arrives on the scene next year I think we would have reached that stage.
Comments
It's not as though the team has been waving the 'For Sale' flag like Jordan and Jag were...
minardi can probably be bought for around 30 million and the liability of around 20m taken over by the buyer...and the buyer will not be bound with any minimum spending per year on the team.
good buy if the buyer wants to just keep the team going at the present spend rate and wait for the economy to turn around.
Unless you're a rich russian then its cheaper to strat up.....
huh? then why wave the flag looking for new owners? If you can turn a profit in such a difficult operating climate, then you would stick around...
I find it hard to believe they turned a profit. Revenue greater than 50M?
You should spend all that you make for the year....but when you work with 50mil that's going pretty close.
I thought the teams invest all the money they have into the season/car, etc.
in the 80s and 90s, teams order their drivers to carry brief cases of cash from kickbacks out of their country of domicile (usually uk) and deposited into swiss and offshore accounts. one team owner and his driver were caught but never publicised.
One day we will discover the connection - Sid!
If they can get the Jordan figures, why can't they get the Minardi figures? Or is that you just aren't interested, and it's easier to just pop up in here everynow and then and sling mud from the safety of your computer?
Lease you're flogging a dead horse with the support Stoddart at all costs. The team are in a dead zone under him. Does anyone really think 2005 will be any better?
Im not expecting a pole or wins but if the PS05 is a new design (not PS01 MKV) We should at least be back in the action rather than trailing by several laps.
One thing i have noticed is that a small increase in reletave performance could make a significant improvement.
In 2004 we were often 3-4 laps down by the end of the race.
If you assume that we lose around of 1 seconds each time we have to let past a car under blue flags with 18 cars lapping us 3 times (this allows for a few retirements) that makes just under a minute lost .
By racing in the pack not only get any reletaive perfomance gain but could save the "being lapped time" too. (Also this would put the cars in a better position for taking better advantage of any pace car periods)
:P
Next years aero changes will be brutal for Minardi, if they have not invested in an aero program, what chance of improvement?
On the engine front. We've been here before. 2003 better engine, worse chassis - disatrous season. QED!
Quig confirmed (in the testing in Jerez-thread) that the PS05 is having tunnel time !!!!
Come on lets face the stark realities people. Minardi lose or get rid of people and have never since PS took over, replaced them with equal talent or at all. When Walton passed, did they name a new team manager? Nope. When Ryton went did they replace him? Nope?
When Brunner left did they replace him properly...no disrespect to Tredozzi, but nope........
Its failure from top to bottom in this outfit right now. I'm pissed cos eventually Minardi is going to be run into the ground completely. 3 laps down from everyone last year will be a godsend compared with this coming season.
New design means nothing. I could create a new design but without the leading edge skills required I would'nt be any good at it and waste the money.........nuff said.
That being said Minardi HAS to get back to finishing on the same lap as the leaders or at least in contact with the majority.
Lastly
PS NEEDS to hire a new TM and the guy best for the job is GCM.
It is hard to see much improvement next season. Hope for the best, prepare for the wort must be our motto. Jordan has done it again (re: tech staff and engine) and Minardi has not, that is the blunt truth.
I wish Stoddie all the best and I wish he'd sell the team to someone who knows what they're doing. Increasingly, I feel Stoddie's doing this for the bloody paddock pass/grandstanding.
Forza Minardi!
2001 was his 1st season !!
An examole of the UK/US "special relationship":hehe:
Its a big ask to expect him to pull a rabbit out of the hat with no money.
As a positive aside Midland have appointed Gary Anderson to design their challenger. A chink of light, for although Anderson might design a car thats easy to engineer, he's just as likely to design an ill handling beast!