Minardi Saved?

[Marshal]

Just lifted from Autosport.

The struggling Minardi team appears to have secured its Formula 1 future by striking a buy-out deal with French industrial giant Mecachrome.

The Faenza-based outfit has yet to formally announce its engine supplier, sponsors and drivers for 2001, but a deal with Mecachrome would guarantee a supply of Supertec engines, as the engineering specialist builds the Renault-based customer V10s.

The F1 minnow’s chances of staying in the category this year have looked bleak since plans for the team to be bought out by South American television network PSN fell through last September. But team founder Giancarlo Minardi recently confirmed that his team would be on the grid for the first Grand Prix of the season in Australia on March 4:

“We are sure that Minardi will be at the start of the championship in 2001,” he said. “We are doing everything in our power to come to a solution because time is money and Grand Prix dates don’t move.”

The team’s drivers from 2000 are both unavailable: Marc Gene has left to become Williams test driver and Gaston Mazzacane seems set to drive for Prost Grand Prix.

Formula 3000 ace Fernando Alonso is likely to fill one of the two vacant seats. The 19-year-old is believed to be under contract to Benetton team boss Flavio Briatore, who is also the chairman of Supertec, after the young Spaniard was bought out of a long-term deal with Minardi. The Spaniard was impressive when he tested for Benetton at Barcelona before Christmas, and Briatore will be keen for him to gain mileage in F1 this season.

So, that's Supertec engines, Alonso and ? (Webber or Pizzonia?). Great. Isn't this what Minardi fan said was his dream line up for next year (barring Marc Gene of course). Cool, but do we want Flavio with his fingers in more pies? Or has Bernie bought them using Flav as a front?

Whatever, this is great news for Minardi, I hope!

[MGF]

Brilliant!! I hope that Minardi do well this year.

[Craig]

Sounds more like Renault have stumped up the money if anyone other tha Mechacrome themselves have... so expect to see plenty of weaving and blocking going on as the cars which Renault (I mean Benetton ) are racing come up to lap the Renault (I mean Minardi )

As for Pizzonia - he's committed to F3000 - and he says it's something he wants to do - he doesn't want to miss out whole stages of his career development. Unlike some others...

[R]

Excellent news!

Alonso is a cert for one of the seats, so the question remains: Who'll get the other??

[wodonnell]

Briatore was said to have wanted Alonso in the Minardi to allow him to gain experience.

I see no reason why he can't do the same with Webber as he has not yet been confirmed at SuperNova for the F3000 season.

[Minardi fan]

Flabio has had his finger in the Minardi pie for a long time - why do you think Trulli went from Minardi to Prost, and Fisichella from Minardi to Jordan to Benetton??? This is of course good news and is what was expected. Question is of course who will be driver no.2? I'm guessing it will be Fontana, Webber or someone we have never heard of...

[Craig]

Maybe they will follow the current F1 trend and we'll see Lewis Hamilton installed in the seat later this year

[Carrie]

Lewis Hamilton - nah, Craig, don't be silly, he's getting far too old for F1 now