Trade ya - Webber for Cosworths

[Wrex]

Stolen from F1Racing.Net

Mark Webber has not yet signed a contract with the Jaguar team of Niki Lauda. Both parties are working on a deal, but the demands of Minardi team principal Stoddart seem to be causing a problem for Webber.

Up until now everybody seemed to be pretty sure that Mark Webber had already signed a contract with the Jaguar team for 2003. One thought the news was just being kept quiet for commercial reasons. However Niki Lauda has now told a journalist from magazine Sport 1 that his team has not yet signed an agreement with Webber. Jaguar is interested in the young Australian, but in order to close a deal Minardi team principal Paul Stoddart would first have to lowen his demands.

Stoddart has already said he doesn’t want to get in Mark’s way, but the Australian is determined to get something out of this transfer for his team. Stoddart is eager to trade Webber for a supply of Cosworth engines, but that does not seem to please Lauda.

"We have not yet come to an agreement,” Lauda said. “Stoddart still has an option on Mark and we haven’t been able to find a compromise so far. We don’t know what decision we will take regarding Webber and Irvine.”

Irvine is considered to be too expensive for the struggling Jaguar. However it would seem to be cheaper to retain the Irish driver, rather than trading Webber for Cosworth engines.

Well I must admit, I was one of those that believed a deal was signed, but obviously my theory of a trade for Cossies was right.

I hope they can pull this off, for Mark, Minardi's and Jaguars sake.

Personally, I'd pay more for a development driver like Webber over Irvine. Lets face it, Webber has given Eddie a hurry up in many races this year, in a Minardi.

[Valve Bounce]

Good grief!! It seems the big spending days at Jaguar with an unending supply of money and extravagance is finally over. However, Paul Stoddart must remember that Niki can always hire Bernoldi if money is tight.
Or McNish (who finds that teams are talking to him), Salo (if he can be tempted out of retirement, or Jos, Wurz, Gene, Badoer, ......
Sooner or later, Niki must accept that if he wants Mark, then he must trade horses.

[Lee Janotta]

Niki just doesn't want to explain next year to Ford why both his cars keep getting beaten by Bryan Herta and Justin Wilson in the Minardis...

[Mania]

I think Stoddart is nuts to assume Lauda would give him Cosworth engines for Webber. Webber is good but he isent THAT good and there is no reason for Nikki Lauda to bend over backwards in order to put Webber in the Jaguar.

Irvine and Del-a-rosa can easily get the job done providing Nikki gives them the equiptment to do so.

[f1manoz]

Webber will eventually sign for Jaguar but Stoddart had better pull his head in.

Originally post by Valve Bounce
Good grief!! It seems the big spending days at Jaguar with an unending supply of money and extravagance is finally over.

Those orders probably came from head-office who were seeing millions pumped into a project that wasn't achieving anything. Along with that the financial downturn in world markets (Ford has had huge losses in the last couple of quarters) and you have teams that are now having to save every penny, including manufacturers (except for Ferrari and Toyota perhaps.....)

Originally posted by Mania
Irvine and Del-a-rosa can easily get the job done providing Nikki gives them the equiptment to do so.

Irvine is well overpaid now and has already stated this would be his final season anyway. PDLR has achieved mediocre results ever since he joined. They need a proven test drive, a young driver and someone who is prepared to wring the neck of the car - in Webber they have all three.

[Stephen Green]

With the news that Ford are supplying Jordan next year, would they actually be in a position to supply three teams with engines and at what cost?