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The Middle Eastern backers have pulled out faster than you can say "build your own car". A shame for all the people at Leafield (again) but not for the ideal of 'Formula One'.
Comments
Anyone else heard that the rate for half of the Toro Rosso team is $80 million? They sure value themselves pretty high for a team that doesn't have much left of a design team or facilities that are up to par. Doubt Red Bull will be making any sale any time soon. At least Super Aguri's price to sell includes all its debt and isn't over valuing a customer team.
Real shame for F1, that shall remain with only 10 teams, and for the team, that last year did really well and showed a promising potential. See if now, after Prodrive and Super Aguri withdrawal, Bernie and Max will try to do something (F1 may lose also Force India and Toro Rosso in the next 24 months....)
can't believe Aguri folded so quickly! just shows you the thin ice some teams are on, if one plug is pulled they're gone. same for toro rosso, if didi calls it a day, it's all over
Why are we folks talking about Minardi years after it's departure? It is not because they bought Ford engines at a bargain price, it is (not only but I guess mainly) because it was a real constructor. Would some one make such an effort as writing a book(*) about a customer team? Does Dave Richards absence in the grid a problem for F1 or anyone? Jordan, Prost and Arrows (and of course, Minardi), make a much better grid than Toro Rosso, Super-Aguri and Prodrive.
The fact that we miss the former does not mean that we want the latter.
Put three or four cars of the top teams in the grid if 24 cars is what we want.
* - BTW, congratulations to the author.
Aguri fell foul of the inadvertantly showing up the dreadful 2007 honda, and the prospect having to use the crap chassis in 2008. Fry seems to have white-anted hondas support and talked down both the rescue deals... showing the vulnerability of the customer teams, they are capped by their parents performance, and killed if they are rivals.
Former F1 team owner Giancarlo Minardi on Wednesday expressed his sympathy for Aguri Suzuki, one day after the Japanese team Super Aguri closed its garage doors at the end of a financial crisis.
"I myself have lived this situation first hand. I can understand how he is feeling at this moment," the Italian said.
Faenza born Minardi sold out to Paul Stoddart at the end of 2000, and left the outfit altogether when it changed hands again to become Toro Rosso.
"I know Aguri very well and I am very sympathetic," Minardi is quoted as saying by minardi.it.
"Unfortunately, an F1 that is so competitive is not very interested in small teams with financial problems."
"It happened in the past to Minardi, but also to others. We were used like servants to make up the numbers and help with the sport's promotion and interest.
Minardi, 60, observes that Super Aguri was created by Honda ahead of the 2006 season due to the backlash in Japan after Takuma Sato's removal as a works driver.
"Perhaps the marketing failed, or perhaps the Team Principal was no longer interested in having a stable satellite operation."
"The current F1 is not interested in the various struggles that occur at the back, and now that the cars are so reliable, the small teams falls by the wayside," Minardi added.
E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM
[Edited on 7-5-2008 by PistonBroke]
[Edited on 8-5-08 by Biker]