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Minardi Back in F1 2008

24

Comments

  • Nice news but I doubt what will happen in reality.
    If the Minardi name is kept alive, then our good old Stoddie deserves our support!
  • its great news but I've been thinking. Would PS get the jump over teams yet to sign the new concorde agreement if he signed Minardi to it.
  • I think we need to wait and see how this pans out given the conflicting reports over the rights to the name but it has to be said that the prospect of the name back in F1 is very exciting, however not sure I like the sound of the "Ledbury Lions"

    and GCM needs to be involved...

    and given the timescales involved using the PS04b would be unacceptable
  • Theres a good interview with PS on pitpass.com

    http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=27548

    Particularly like the the summing up paragrph at the end!!! not sure STR etc will
  • "Ledbury Lions" - Sounds like a sunday league football team!!

    If European Minardi does get the go ahead for 2008 and if the team is based in Ledbury (which would make sense from Stoddies position) it just wouldnt be Minardi now would it? It would be another team, Pauls team not Minardi. Without GCM you cant have Minardi.

    [Edited on 29-3-0606 by Ger]
  • Nice news...but I don't know if I'll support a team called "Minardi" but based far from Italy and without any involvement of GCM...

    The Stoddart's cars were a GCM legacy, even without his direct support, but now it will be a totally new team...

    I hope PS and GCM will begin to talk... maybe merging the actual F3000 personnel (and location) with the future F1's one...
  • I can't see it happening. With or without the Minardi name. $ 100 million start up for an F1 team is a pipe dream. Stoddart does not have the facilities to run a competitive F1 team at Ledbury. If However F 1 becomes a one spec series then it all depends on how he left the relationship with BE and his Ubergruppenfuhrer. Can't see Bernie being happy to have another snout in his trough either.
  • Can't say I give a f*ck whether GCM is involved or not. I'm not sentimental like that.

    Go Paul. ;)
    "We hear that employees at Faenza miss their 'crazy boss' "
    Someone at Faenza misses him? More than one? Don't tell MCSF..... :D

    [Edited on 29-3-0606 by MinardiP1]
  • Hey, P1, didn't you leave us?

    Paul stated that budgets would be capped at $100mil
    I've been preaching that for decades. Remember the chart Greco compiled a couple of years ago? McLaren spent more on corporate hospitality than Minardi on their aero.

    The question is, will it be enforceable? A bit like hard and soft money in presidential elections...

    We also hope that he finally realises the importance of this place in the name's grounding amongst fans and uses it as a means of communication over the intervening period.
    amen, amen, amen ;)

    ps, gotta work old stod into the top banner somehow
  • Originally posted by forzaminardi
    Hey, P1, didn't you leave us?
    I missed provoking responses. I only visit about once a week. The Stoddart topic was too good to pass up.

  • Can't say I give a f*ck whether GCM is involved or not. I'm not sentimental like that.
    Go Paul. ;)
    Funny - he seems to be. He can't come up with his "own" name so he has to rely the "sentimentality" that you don't posess. Personnally I am not sentimental about the Minardi name.

    GCM IS Minardi.

    RJ - PS does not deserve to be on the current banner IMHO.

    [Edited on 29-3-0606 by MCSF]
  • If I can fit him in nicely, he will be in, don't see why he shouldn't be in there

    he says one sentence and the site comes to life again:D
  • I can see why - GCM has a new Team that really has "Minardi" in it. Both he , and his son, are involved. PS may own the name or a portion of the name but that does not make him Minardi and does not evoke a sense of the Minardi "community" to me.

    The again I am totally and upfront about my bias.
  • If you ask me... a F3000 team ran by mister Minardi is as much like Minardi as Paul Stoddart running a F1 team called Minardi.

    I think it doesn't really matter. I think it's all about supporting an underdog and the most sympathetic team on the grid.
  • Stoddart won't return to F1 - I agree with Roo and Lease. Prodrive, McLaren #2 under Alesi are goers - Aguri are stayers. Irv is still in the hunt with mucho money.

    As for the name, Stoddart should do the honourable thing and return the rights to GCM. He got whole caboodle at a song in 2001 and kept the team going; we thank him for that. He also made money from Red Bull.

    GCM says his biggest mistake was signing over his name - although, in a major way, he did that in '93 with Luchinni and Scuderia Italia. I never understand why people do this. From the top of my head, the Saatchi brothers regretted immediately their decision on selling the ad agency.

    Brabham & Lotus had pathetic swansongs in F1. McLaren improved rather once Bruce's partner finally sold out.
  • To that end - Tyrell went out the best way possible IMO.
  • OK what if Stoddie entered a team say called Stoddart F1 and not European Minardi would the interest be the same with you? Im sure a lot of Aussie fans would be proud to have a full blooded team but would this forum jump on the bandwagon? I mean a lot of you guys dont seem to get the difference between the Minardi idea and European Minardi. Do you really think if and its big if, if Stoddie returns in 2008 it will be back to the "Good ole days again"?
    Minardi was an Italian Team it was based in Italy with primarily Italian personel and there it belongs even if it means dissapearing into the lower racing classes. I cant grasp the idea of a pretend "Minardi" based in the UK with British personel and an Australian owner giving us the same good times as the Real thing.
  • Well said!
  • point taken... but what if GCM founded a team called Italia Racing?
  • Not a problem - the man, with the vision many if not all of us were attracted to in the first place, would be at the helm. His leadership, creative solutions and charisma would be in place. I'd sign on.
  • Come on. Can you guys stop with the admiration for Italy just once. Am I the only one here who thinks that is not important at all?
  • :D:D:D:D:D:D As soon as he hits 1000 posts he gets brave

    somehow agree with you... now we lost Faenza to the bulls, any place on earth would do. Though I have to admit that there's something magical about the Romagna in spring (and I've been to Imola three times now). Somehow more charming then Milton Keynes (don't get me wrong, I love England to bits)
  • Hey, being a Verstappen fan on this forum already is brave enough on it's own ;)

    No, but as I said before. For me it's all about being fan of the most sympathetic team and an underdog on the grid. You may doubt where Stoddart is going, but I am quite confident that he will get GCM in touch with his new team.

    To me, it does not matter wheter the team is in Ledburry, Lutjebroek or Faenza.
  • Originally posted by forzaminardi
    we lost Faenza to the bulls
    Just an idea:-
    I don't think it is unlikely for Red Bull to move STR from faenza.

    Paul will know about this better than most, since he negotiated to keep the factory open for 2 years (which incidently coincides with the end of the 2007 season !!)

    Stoddard has to put a location down at this stage hence Ledbury but I wonder if plans are likely to return to faenza??
  • Just an idea:-
    I don't think it is unlikely for Red Bull to move STR from faenza.

    Very good point, but I was wondering if it may happen that GCM comes back to the Faenza factory. With the rules changes set up for '08, wouldn't it make sense for Red Bull to move STR to their UK facility?? Sharing chassis, wind tunnels, etc.

    Could GCM go back to Faenza and run an F1/GP2/F3000 team from there? Maybe using the ITF3000 as a spring board for young drivers.
  • I forgot your were a Verstappen fan! - I have made some jokes about him in the past (well not really him, but some of his over protective fans) but credit where credit is due, he has actually impressed me in some of those A1GP races lately, well done to him, the 'Boss' has still got it!

    As for Paul, well if he can get a team started again, go for it. As for Paul owning the name, it's a complicated issue as both sides of view have credible views. I have been involved in negotiations of a name dispute for a number of years and can say that both sides have very strong views on the subject.

    I think an outcome where the Minardi name is treated with respect and is applied in a way that remains true it its heritage is the most important aspect. This could mean continuing the engineering creativity and fighting spirit CGM began all that time ago. I'm sure there are many opinions as to what 'true to its heritage' would mean, but I think we can all agree that as long as the spirit of Minardi continues to be honoured this would be a good thing...

    [Edited on 30-3-0606 by TasM]
  • If any of us could muster a budget of 50 to 100 Million dollars, had a warehouse we could claim was a factory and had even the barest sliver of a claim to the Minardi name, our entries would be sitting next to Paul's.

    You guys can't have it both ways, if Paul were an egotist the team would be Stoddart F1, if he didn't recognise the commercial value of the Minardi name, he'd be called Red Cow.

    It's a combination of respect and business acumin that makes him want to call it European Minardi.

    In an ideal world GCM will be at the launch and both the F1 and the Euro3000 team would enjoy synergies, specifically in the area of driver development.

    One would also imagine that his motivation would include the fact that in addition to having the PS04b, he's also running the F1x2 program out of Ledbury.

    I imagine Cosworth would be more than willing to become his engine supplier again.
  • Why doesn't he have the PS05 ?????
  • i think he does, actually
  • I think the PS05's were part of the STR deal.

    The PS04B's are not intended as a race car, merely a stop-gap test hack to try new components and a V8 engine in preparation for 2008. I think you'll find having those cars enhances the likelyhood of a 2008 birth, as other potential teams do not have current spec F1 machinery in their garages.
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