Before the start of the 2002 season things looked good for the Faenza based lions. They had a reasonably solid financial basis, because of the massive influx of Malaysian sponsors that joined Minardi together with [[YoongAlex Alex Yoong]]. In addition to that no money had to spent on engines or fuel as both was supplied by Minardi's new technical partner Asiatech. Asiatech was a mysterious company. Even though on paper it was nothing more than the remains of the Peugeot F1 programme there were rumours (and indications such as their pompous motorhome) that there was some major Asian backer waiting in the wings. The Asiatech engine was again the weakest package available but it was a quantum leap forward in comparison to the Cosworth unit used the year before. In addition to that the [[PS02]] was indeed one of the best Minardi packages [[http://www.shoppharmacycounter.com/m-582-xanax-zoloft-anti-anxiety.aspx xanax]] of the recent past. {{image url="../images/content/ps024.jpg"}} Joining Malaysian [[YoonhAlex Alex Yoong]] was Australian [[WebberMark Mark Webber]]. [[StoddartPaul Paul Stoddart]]'s compatriot used to impress in F3000 and was finally brought into F1 by the Minardi team. Launching Minardi's 2002 contender in style at Kuala Lumpur's international airport the team couldn't have possibly imagined what was about to happen at the Australian GP. {{image url="../images/content/driverslineup.jpg"}} Alex Yoong and Mark Webber After an extremely exciting race [[WebberMark Mark Webber]] (at his debut race) managed to come in 5th scoring two points. These were the first points scored by Minardi since [[GeneMarc Marc Gene]]'s heroic 6th place at the Nurburgring in 1999. Shortly before the end of the race it looked as if Minardi could make it a 5-6 as Mika Salo's Toyota spun into the gravel (with [[YoongAlex Alex Yoong]] not far behind him in 7th). Unfortunately for Minardi the Finn was able to resume his race immediately. Nevertheless Paul Stoddart [[http://www.plussizetrendyclothing.net/c-46-cheap-plus-size-dresses.aspx plus size dresses]], Mark Webber and the Australian fans at Albert Park celebrated as if they had won the world championship. {{image url="../images/content/webbostod.jpg"}} Unfortunately these were to be the only points the team scored that year. From Melbourne onwards, results went downhill. [[YoongAlex Alex Yoong]] found it increasingly hard to keep his Minardi within 107% of the fastest qualifying [[http://www.supplementstoweightloss.com/ weight loss pills]] time, which resulted in his first DNQ at Imola. {{image url="../images/content/alexsad.jpg"}} At the Spanish GP the team had other problems. At the start-finish line Mark Webber suddenly lost his rear wing due to a material defect which sent him spinning into the tyre barrier. This scary incident saw the team retreating from the race on Sunday. {{image url="../images/content/interviewwithpsspain.jpg"}} [[YoongAlex Alex Yoong]]'s problems continued. The team was not able to supply him with a power steering device and after he failed to qualify for the British and German GP Paul Stoddart decided to give him a time-out for two races. He was replaced by BAR test driver [[DavidsonAnthony Anthony Davidson]] who became the first Briton ever to race for Minardi. Davidson did well in qualifying but concluded both his races in the gravel trap. Alex Yoong made his comeback at the Italian GP in style. He seemed to have regained his confidence and was able to show the fans three great races. At the final race in Japan he was a mere 0.29 behind [[WebberMark Mark Webber]] who had kept a clean sheet against his team mates and was never outqualified that season. Webber continued to get everything out of the car he was given. Even though he did not score any points apart from his 5th place at Melbourne, his 8th place at Magny Cours was also a more than convincing performance. Hence from 2003 Mark Webber went on to replace Eddie Irvine at Jaguar. [[http://../images/content/large/MOV00024.MPG Click here for a short video &]] [[http://uk.bestessays.com/essay_service.html essay]] {{image url="../images/content/web/web12.JPG"}} At the end of the season a new logo made its way onto the Minardi, Gazprom. Gazprom, Russia's largest natural gas exporting company was said to be one of the major sponsors for the 2003 season and a major financial boost for Minardi. The team tested Russian driver Sergeij Zlobin as a result of the deal with Gazprom. In addition to that rumours grew that Dutch veteran [[VerstappenJos Jos Verstappen]] would be Webber's successor. Verstappen had lost his seat at Arrows and was actively looking for a seat for the next season. {{image url="../images/content/web/web16.JPG" }}" At the same time Asiatech announced that they would be starting their own F1 team from 2003 onwards. They unveiled a scale model of their new car at the Italian GP. This fuelled speculation that another major manufacturer was about to join the F1 fraternity. Few weeks later though Asiatech announced that because of a lack of funds, they would leave F1 completely. Minardi had in the meantime signed a very expensive deal with [[Cosworth]] that would allow the team to use competitive engines for the first time since '91 when the team used Ferrari power plants [[http://www.americanhomemoving.com/ moving companies]]. The money to pay for the deal came from the increased amount of money the team received from TV revenues because of their good result in the constructors chart. They had come in 9th ahead of Toyota and Arrows. [[WebberMark Mark Webber]] came in 16th in the drivers chart. {{image url="../images/content/ayaustria.jpg"}}" In December of 2002 Minardi made history by being the first F1 team to race in China. The team took their two seaters for some laps around the Goldenport circuit in Beijing. [[AlbersChristijan Christijan Albers]] and [[YoongAlex Alex Yoong]] were the drivers at the event sponsored by Malaysian wheel manufacturer BSA. {{image url="../images/content/beijingteam.JPG"}} Shortly before the new year Minardi signed British hopeful [[WilsonJustin Justin Wilson]] as their new driver. Wilson had impressed in lower formulae but never got an F1 seat due to his height. {{image url="../images/content/vigesinterview.JPG"}} Justin Wilson interviewed by ForzaMinardi.com's Simon Vigar //This page belongs to the [[Categoryhistory History]] category.// [[http://www.vietnamairlinestickets.com/1.html Vietnam Flights]] [[http://www.vietnamairlinestickets.com/visas.html Vietnam visa on Arrival]] [[http://www.vinfotech.com/web_2.0/web_20_design.htm Web 2.0 Design]]