Toit allows Minardi to race the old car

Manni

If our cars are not allowed to race then I feel that we should put stickers on them with something along the lines of "PISS OFF FERRARI"

We should have them parked outside our garage so everytime a car goes into the pits they will see our cars protesting the cause.

I am going to email Graham Jones with the idea. This pisses me off!

Linus

Every Minardi fan at the Australian GP should have a banderole that says something bad about Ferrari.

MCSF

...that's the reason why Paul is the ideal boss for Minardi. He is the last hope among Rons and other Todts for what is good about racing at this level. He'll always do what's the best for his team.

I'd say the guy with Minardi as his last name is the MOST ideal.

Manni - it is not TOIT's fault we are in this predicament - it is our own. No use crying about it or being obscene - it is time to figure out a solution.

JuniorMin

Not entirely our own... are there not mitigating circumstances??

MCSF

Yes, there are very unusual and unforseeable circumstances to what CAUSED the delay. But for months now there has been opposition to the idea of running an old car - and not all from TOIT. Others have raised eyebrows at one time or another. A solution should have been remedied in preparation for just this scenario.

I still feel that PS and the team will pull one out of their hat. I truly do.

JuniorMin

Well, I'm off to the launch now... When I get back tonight I'll have as many pics and as much gossip as possible. Lease, you coming to the launch?

MCSF

Right on - say hi to Massimo and Fabiana - well all of them for me/us.

FORZA

Manni

Manni - it is not TOIT's fault we are in this predicament - it is our own. No use crying about it or being obscene - it is time to figure out a solution.

We didn't have an engine stiched up, but further to that it is radically different in design to what we are running today. We can't afford to come up with a half assed chassis to meet regulations. Cause that means that we can not design another one for the year. So given our resources we can only have it made by Imola.

TOIT are being hard bastards and we should show that we may not be able to compete with money but we can with fight.

Until death do us part TOIT. I want to fight to the death on this. We all should we owe it to F1 and Minardi. I am not rolling over for TOIT. EVER!!!

Lease

LAUNCH!!!!!

I thought it was today.

Oh..crap.

Call me Rohan 0439 653 843

MCSF

OK, you're Rohan 0439 653 843

Have a drink fur me!

SuperRoo

Since Stoddart arrived in Australia he has been mouthing off about Ferrari to whomever would listen.

I would say that they are pissed and getting him back.

silverghost

Another one of those days when being a Minardifreak just hasn't been much fun at all. Why do we put ourselves through it? No choice I suppose, I'd rather chew glass than support any of those other tossers.

Tough on all you Ozfans if it doesn't get sorted. And the car was looking slightly better without the green on it...

max_torq

Now all Stoddart has to do is to get the other teams to agree that if Minardi can't race, they won't either.

Brooksey

I was against Stoddard using the entire 2004 car, but considering now it's just the diffuser, and there is a REAL reason why they have to run with that diffuser than I change my opinion on the whole topic. Roll on Melbourne! Roll on Minardi!

yokosuna

I'd have liked to be the legal way, but in the end that's what I love from the small teams: racing with guts and fixing problems in real time. I know the cars will be on sunday for sure, but I'd prefer to avoid legal actions.
Little Napoleon and TOIT can go fu** off:spank:

vuurmuur

Now we all know why Minardi isn't alllowed to race, as most of us already thought:

Playing hardball
Minardi boss: Ferrari trying to keep it out of opener
Posted: Wednesday March 2, 2005 7:24PM; Updated: Wednesday March 2, 2005 7:24PM

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- With the Formula One season just days away, Minardi boss Paul Stoddart is convinced Ferrari is trying to bully his struggling team out of the Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari, the constructors' title winner the last six seasons, is the only team which hasn't voted to give Minardi an exemption to new technical regulations. None of the specs -- a raised front wing and forward repositioning of the rear wing and diffuser -- from the 2004 car Minardi plans to race meet 2005 regulations.

Minardi needs all nine of its rival teams to agree to the exemption before it can compete at Albert Park on Sunday.

Stoddart said Ferrari general director Jean Todt was refusing to cooperate.

"Todt has refused point blank, to me in a telephone call," Stoddart told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I'm under no illusions, it's politically motivated.

"There's no sporting issue here, there never has been. We're not a realistic threat to Ferrari. Todt knows that I need that signature and he's told me we won't be getting it."

The Australian millionaire said he would not take legal action because he doesn't want the issue to overshadow the 10th anniversary of the Grand Prix in Melbourne.

The technical changes are designed to reduce aerodynamic efficiency and reward drivers with better control. If Ferrari insists on Minardi conforming to the regulations, "we'll be looking at what options we do have," Stoddart said.

Stoddart said he was confident the Minardis would make it to the starting grid. But if they weren't allowed, "the ramifications would be far reaching and long remembered."

"F1 does have problems at the moment, and this is not going to help it -- it could lead to a split.

"The real issue is not Minardi, forget that ... I'm the fall guy. The real issue is about the future of F1."

The start of the F1 season has been overshadowed by the mounting threat of a breakaway series by rival Grand Prix World Championship -- a holding company founded by major F1 carmakers BMW, Mercedes and Renault -- beginning in 2008.

An agreement between F1 teams, commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone and the auto racing governing body FIA expires following the 2007 season.

Hoping to head off GPWC, Ecclestone got Ferrari to sign up through 2012, but the other nine teams have balked at following, angry at special treatment for the Italian team.

Last month, GPWC met with the so-called "Group of Nine" -- the F1 teams excluding Ferrari -- and most seemed open to the idea of ousting Ecclestone and having GPWC run the sport or set up a rival series.

Stoddart said Todt was making him pay for being spokesman for the "Group of Nine."

"He said 'it's because you have having been talking bad things about Ferrari for the last three months,' " Stoddart said.

Mr. Napoleon indeed! :spank:

So also the 2005 spec frontwing and rearwing don't meet regulations. Why building that anyway. I don't get it.:o

[Edited on 3/3/2005 by vuurmuur]

Brooksey

Stoddart needs to take this story to Ch7, 9 and 10 in Australia. The ramifications for Ferrari would be MASSIVE and they could expect all of Australia to tell them to get fucked on Sunday.

Manni

How cool is that. I just got an email from Graham Jones regarding my idea. He is passing it onto Paul.

Now that's a team for you. Take note Red men!

MCSF

I, for one, will disavow myself of any behavior down that road - sanctioned or not.

Petroltorque

AFAIK, the aero regs include: raising yhe front wing by 50mm, increasing the length of the rear end plate by 150 mm. The changes to the diffusor inclde a reduction in its height and length. In addition the undertray cannot extend right up to the rear wheels, meaning one can't make use of the tyre revolutions to increas flow to the diffusor.
The undertray and diffusor rules are so critical I can't believe Minardi would not have built one to gain info fro the new car.
The whole situation is a pile of crap. The FIA should have just told Stoddart he can't race a non compliant car. Instead they just pass the buck with this unamnimity rule.

Minardus

The FIA accepted the cars at scrutineering !!!!!!:D

But, why does TOIT still have to give permission ????
If the FIA says it's OK, than it's OK RIGHT ????

Jello_Biafra

The car passed safety scrutineering.

viges

Thanks to Bernie.

Jello_Biafra

Eh? Thanks to carbon fibre I'd imagine..

Minardus

See this: http://www.updatef1.com/news/article/1109834657/formula_one/F1gossip/Bernie-to-fast-track-Minardi/view.html

We will race !!!:)
As a last resort the mechanics might saw away on the diffusor (if I interpret the article correctly) !!!:(

JumpeySpyder

The rumour mill seems to suggest that we have 2005 aero parts for the PS04 except the diffusor.

If there is a choice I'd rather have the mechanics alter the 2004 diffuser and race (albeit slowly) for points.

I see little benefit in using the 2004 diffuser and being faster but not able to score points

[Edited on 3/3/2005 by JumpeySpyder]

Ger

I see Horner from Red Bullshit has come in on th act:spank:

Petroltorque

Are you surprised Horner's come in on the debate. Racing an 04 diffusor is a big advantage. Horner cut his teeth in the cut and thrust of F3000, why turn a blind eye to an advantage from an imediate competitor.
AFAIK this whole debate is Stoddart playing the poverty angle. " I want to be in F1 but I don't want to have to pay for it". The whole Minardi operation has fallen apart. I don't suppose there were any new sponsors rushing to the team at the launch. And frankly I'm not surprised.

Jello_Biafra

The new diffuser regulations have mandated more space between the floor and the rear wheels. In theory... yea, you could saw it away. :rolleyes:

vuurmuur

Stoddart: We won't run new bodywork.
THURSDAY 3RD MARCH 2005 - PAGE 1 OF 1

Paul Stoddart insists that he won't relent and send his car out with legal front and rear wings, despite the fact that there are some suitable new parts in the back of the Minardi garage.

News that the team had the option to upgrade to 2005-spec has reportedly angered Ferrari, who apparently feel that Stoddart is now pursuing a point of principle.

However, Stoddart insists that he doesn't have enough pieces to run both cars properly, and is also concerned that the cars have not been tested in the new configuration.

"We haven't got enough with us, so what are we going to do?" he said, "Send one guy out and, come on, give us your car so the next one can go? We've got two development specs. They're not complete, they've not been tested. We went out and did two laps, and the car crashed, and that's it. No wind tunnel, nothing. So I'm not prepared to go down that road. Somebody could protest the engine – it's not a two-race engine, it's a one race engine. So where do you stop?"

The team boss pointed out that the situation is not good for his rookie drivers.

"Spare a thought for my two drivers. It's their first day in a grand prix. They've waited all their lives to be in this position, and they don't need this sh*t either. This needs sorting out tonight so we do not go into the race weekend with this hanging over us."