Davidson to drive for Minardi

**Stephen Green** · 13 Aug 2002, 11:10 (Ref:356750)

Anthony Davidson will replace Alex Yoong at this weekend Hungarian Gp and again at Spa on September 1st reports Reuters. A formal announcement is to be made tomorrow (Wednesday)

DNQ · 13 Aug 2002, 11:35 (Ref:356760)

YES! How good is that, another British driver in Formula One, and two great drivers in the Minardi. Fantastic!

f1manoz · 13 Aug 2002, 11:39 (Ref:356764)

Good news. Finally Yoong is off the grid.

Sato san · 13 Aug 2002, 12:00 (Ref:356782)

Thats Brilliant news !.....

...another Formula Ford Festival winner makes it to F1 .

Daisy · 13 Aug 2002, 12:12 (Ref:356787)

I hope it's true. I read this already yesterday, the confirmation date changes all the time, so I hope it's true. Hopefully we can than realy see if Webber is realy so talented as we think.

Francesca · 13 Aug 2002, 12:48 (Ref:356817)

yes it is true:
Anthony Davidson signed for Minardi today, as Mark Webber's teammate for the Hungarian Grand Prix next weekend. If all goes to plan Anthony will contest the remaining races to the end of the season with the Italian based team.

Anthony has not tested the PS02 and has never been to the Hungoring. His first experience of both will be in first official practice on Friday.

av8rirl · 13 Aug 2002, 12:55 (Ref:356827)

This will be brilliant news (when its officially confirmed).

Lets just hope the both cars have exactly the same spec. From what I've read on other threads, Webber seems to be getting all the new stuff.

If AD does really well, I wonder what is the possibility of him joining Button at BAR next year???? JV a test driver???

Daisy · 13 Aug 2002, 14:26 (Ref:356888)

Anthony Davidson to race for KL Minardi Asiatech

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda are pleased to confirm that test driver Anthony Davidson has been released from his testing duties to drive for KL Minardi Asiatech at the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix this season.

Davidson remains under contract with B.A.R until the end of 2006 but the team have excused him from a usually intensive programme of testing to allow his participation in the next two rounds of the Formula One World Championship. Anthony is expected to resume his B.A.R testing duties after the Belgian Grand Prix.

B.A.R Team Principal David Richards commented:

“We are happy to release Anthony to Minardi for the next two races. It is a great opportunity for a talented young British driver to race in Formula One and we wish him every success. I’m sure he will do as good a job in the Minardi race car as he has in testing for us over the last couple of years.”

Anthony joined B.A.R in 2001 from a successful season in Formula 3 with Carlin Motorsport, in which he finished second in the British Championship and clinched the FIA F3 European Cup. This year, Anthony took a year out of racing to concentrate on his duties as B.A.R test driver as well as being the team’s reserve race driver.

LucaBadoer · 13 Aug 2002, 14:53 (Ref:356901)

This can't be done!

Yoong drives the No.1 Minardi - that car is only allowed one driver change per season.

Swithcing from Yoong to Davidson and back to Yoong = 2 changes!

And I expect that Davidson will struggle to qualify - making his debut in the slowest car on the grid. At least Alex had experience in the car.

LucaBadoer · 13 Aug 2002, 15:08 (Ref:356910)

CHANGES OF DRIVER

60) During a season, each team will be permitted one driver change for their first car and will be permitted to have three drivers for their second car who may be changed at any time provided that any driver change is made in accordance with the Code and before the start of qualifying practice.
After 16.00 on the day of scrutineering, a driver change may only take place with the consent of the stewards.

Marcel ten Caat · 13 Aug 2002, 15:08 (Ref:356911)

Maybe they've listed Mark Webber as the No. 1 Minardi.

Remember Panis/Villeneuve last year. Villeneuve had no. 1 status but drove car 10, while Panis drove car 9

**Adam43** · 13 Aug 2002, 15:15 (Ref:356915)

I don't think it'll be a problem, even if Yoong is in the "no.1" car

What about Webber to the no.1 car (1 change in the no.1 car).

Then Davidson to the no.2 (1st change in the no.2 car)

Then Yoong into no.2 car (2nd change in the no.2 car)

They could even slip Herta into a car (no.2) for a race!

Red · 13 Aug 2002, 15:21 (Ref:356917)

Actually that Article 60 puzzled me in 1999 too. Schumacher was replaced by Salo then he replaced him back. Now, what exactly does first and second car mean? If it is the car with the lower number, then Webber's car has no 23 and Yoong's 22. And in Schumacher's case his car was no. 3. I don't think that it is the status of a driver within a team, since one of the proposed "rules" (well, not exactly proposed, more like an idea) after Austrian incident is to force each team to make public such arrangements. I assume that was not the case before. :confused:

**Adam43** · 13 Aug 2002, 15:25 (Ref:356918)

Schumacher's accident may well have meant it was a case of Force Majeure.

Anyway I meant to say in my last post: this is great news for Anthony. I hope he does well. I feel a bit sorry for Alex.

Red · 13 Aug 2002, 15:27 (Ref:356924)

Quote:

Originally posted by AdamAshmore
I[...]to the no.1 [...]Then Davidson to the no.2 (1st change in the no.2 car)[...etc...]

Hmm Adam that makes sense. Actually rereading the article 60, it doesn't say that 3 changes are permited for the car no. 2. It says that the car can have 3 drivers and they can change them anytime they wish. So for the remaining 5 races they can do Davidson-Davidson-Yoong-Herta-Yoong

**Adam43** · 13 Aug 2002, 15:59 (Ref:356939)

Red, oh yeah, I didn't read that properly. However that means Herta won't get a drive. If they are having to swap Webber to the no.1 car from the no.2 car then the no.2 car will have already have two drivers (Webber and Davidson). This leaves room for only one other!

I suspect that this will not make any difference. At worse they'll probably have to ask all the other teams if they can do any further swaps and they will probably all say yes.

Red · 13 Aug 2002, 16:13 (Ref:356942)

Hmmm.... still to be clarified what is a No 1 car and a second car. It may be Webber in a car (with one possibility to be replaced) and the other car with Herta Davidson and Yoong. Of course, that doesn't really mean that Herta will actuall drive.

Nicholas · 13 Aug 2002, 18:04 (Ref:357016)

Shame about Yoong, but he just wasn't good enough. I hope Davidson gets a decent chance and maybe we'll see just how good Webber really is.

Ej10 · 13 Aug 2002, 18:42 (Ref:357046)

how convenient F1 yet again gives us yet another driver who already has 4 fellow countrymen in the sport already. Between Germans and Brits how can the sport actually call itself an international sport. nearly half the grid is taken up by 2 countries.

**Adam43** · 13 Aug 2002, 18:56 (Ref:357056)

But surely that is better than having a driver who isn't in F1 because of his talent, but because of the country he is from and the money that is behind it?

All the teams are from Britain or Mainland Europe so it isn't surprising that a lot of drivers come from their too. The strongest domestic lower formula are in Britain and Germany too so I suppose the home drivers have a bit of an advantage. (A notable exception is for South American drivers. A lot of these non-Europeans tend to get into F1.)

It is this nurturing that means that they get into F1. They are not chosen because of their nationality, but their talent. The resources are there to develop home talent, whereas other countries don't have that. However what should the teams do? Take a lesser driver because he is from a country outside Europe?

The USA consistently develop the best athletes at the Olympic games and they win everything. Should they put the resources into other countries athletes because it would be nice if another country won for a change?

Minardi have purposely given Alex Yoong an opportunity because he was from Malaysia. It didn't work too well, so they are giving another driver a go. One who has been testing in the background for BAR and also one with talent.

Sato san · 13 Aug 2002, 19:35 (Ref:357109)

Its gonna be tough for Ant...but lets hope he can get it qualified and get some mileage under his belt in the Minardi .

**Adam43** · 13 Aug 2002, 20:58 (Ref:357219)

Does anyone know how much mileage he has had at BAR? I think it's quite a bit as I remember seeing his name in the tesing times lists a lot.

rdjones · 13 Aug 2002, 21:19 (Ref:357237)

Well done to Anthony, but I you have to feel a bot sorry for Justin Wilson the only reason he missed out on the drive is because he was too tall..........

Sato san · 13 Aug 2002, 21:31 (Ref:357258)

Ant has had a awful lot of mileage this year with BAR , i think he's done all the major tests with them . And he done some last year also .

Mr V · 13 Aug 2002, 22:09 (Ref:357287)

Quote:

Originally posted by LucaBadoer
This can't be done!

that car is only allowed one driver change per season.

How long has this been in effect LB? As Red pointed out, Ferrari did it in '99

But what about in the '94 season when Benetton had Lehto, Verstappen and Herbert all in the No 6 car.

Lotus had Lamy, Salo, Adams and Zanardi all in the No 11 car.

(there are many more examples from '94, but it will take too long to type out)

p.s Congratulations Anthony

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