Minardi to Become Toyota's B-team?

[Led ZeppF1]

Toyota might supply F1 minnows Minardi with FI engines in 2006. Speculation hinted that Jordan might get Cologne's high-revving V10s but a report in 'Auto Motor und Sport' reckons Paul Stoddart is pushing for a supply.

It might even be free, or in exchange for Minardi running as a 'B' team, similar to the current union of fellow F1 privateer Sauber and works supplier Ferrari.

http://www.f1racing.net/en/news.php?newsID=48148

[RWC]

LOL
Toyota don't need a B team-they allready are one...

Seriously though.
No surprise Jordan and minardi are trying to get the same engines.It seems to be the best engine deal at the moment
I really don't think minardi have a hope though ,jordan have potential (over time)which is something that no one at all believe minardi has at the moment

[Skam85]

Sounds good for Minardi but I'd very much doubt if it was free. Even Ferrari charge Sauber for engine, chassis, gearbox, future drivers....

[Adam43]

Originally posted by RWC
I really don't think minardi have a hope though ,jordan have potential (over time)which is something that no one at all believe minardi has at the moment

Jordan are the better team and have more resources, but I'm not sure how much potential they are showing!

Also maybe Toyota could be put off by trying to conclude a deal with Jordan!

[GTRMagic]

So do you think Minardi might make a new tub design for their 2005 challenger, or keep the existing PS01 product for another few seasons....

The Cossie cost must be draining the design team of big bucks... keeping fundamentally the same shape under the skin for such a long period, only changing barge boards, noses, rear wings, diffuser work during the European winter gives the team the tag of the European version of Dale Coyne Racing....

[Gt_R]

I doubt Toyota would supply engines for free..But it's really BIG TIME that engine-suppliers have the responsibility to aid smaller teams by supplying competitive engines to smaller team.AND that basically includes BMW/RENAULT/HONDA/TOYOTA/MERCEDES.......

but for next year, we'd excuse Mercedes..i doubt anybody wants those engines now..

[Mark Webber]

sounds good to me this must mean Ryans good to go in 05

[DriverT]

Great news. Minardi could be about to move off the back of the grid. Well, by about 1 place anyway...

[Teretonga]

IF Toyota was able to supply free engines and provide an opportunity for the second drivers to run in a B team you might find Briscoe and one other (Zonta?) running in a second B team that would also have some of the engineering expertise of the A team loaned to it. I doubt very much that it would be crawling around with Jordan at the back of the grid for long. Jordan has only been crawling around at the back since it lost its engine deal with Honda so realise how important such a deal is to the competitiveness of a team.

There was a time (maybe too long ago for some of our younger contributors ro remember) when teams like Minardi were contenders for top ten places on a regular basis. What we have now(the manufacturers era) is an abberation when taken in the context of the last thirty or forty years of GP racing. The investment of many manufacturers in GP racing for an extended period of time is something that is only come about in the last ten years and may yet fall away during the next five years. Maunufacturers usually only came in for three-six years, often against weak opposition, dominated, made their point (or failed), gained publicity and departed. The Ford DFV was different but that was essentially a one off investment that paid diviends for well over a decade.
This new era is one of longer term investment for technical development and corporate image. The result of owning a team and splitting the profits or a large proportion of them amongst themselves may appeal but long term failure to be competitive is something few corporate boards will tolerate especially when it involves the investment of squillions of dollars.

[grumpy1]

This would have to good for Minardi if it came off as well as for F1.

The Grumpy1

[Mark Webber]

so would Minardi become DI@SU or LEXUS

[GP Racer]

I'm not getting to excited.

Sauber now has all of those fine Ferrari bits on it, and they are still wallowing around anonomously in the mid-field, with little or no improvement over last year. We all know that it takes more than an engine to make a last place car into a contender.

But I guess you've got to start somewhere...

[grumpy1]

GP Racer you have to remember that the red cars are at the front and there must be no way a partner team can even come close.Toyota on the other hand need to get something with their name on it up front and quick.If not the front at least seen to be moving forward unlike Toyotas current situation.

The Grumpy1

[Gt_R]

No..honestly i kind of agree with GP. Sauber has been nothing short of disappointing this season. You'd expect that given the best and rarest opportunity to showcase your team's ability with one effectively WORKS Ferrari engine, Sauber would do it good.. If anything they ought to have done a decent car and challenge BAR...they didn't.

As the engine regulation settle in and manufacturers update their engines, Sauber would find themselves with older spec engines again..

So while it's true that a good engine can't do wonders, it is essential to the competitiveness of the team...and Sauber squandered it because their technical team lacked the depth to produce a good car to match the engine.

[Mark Webber]

I think if Minardi was rebranded and use last year(this year) chassis and power plants it would work as no car company would like a losing face being presented so giving it a DI@SU or LEXUS brand has its benfit's but leaving it Minardi would be just like sauber to ferrari

[RWC]

Originally posted by grumpy1
.... you have to remember that the red cars are at the front and there must be no way a partner team can even come close.

Hey,yes they SHOULD come close!

[Snrub]

Given what we know about the Sauber one would expect it to be faster than a F2003. Theoretically that should mean they'd be doing battle with the Williams, Renaults, BARs. Instead they're hardly better off than last year.

[300kph]

2006 Minardi- the Toyota experimental kit?...

Interesting to see how Toyota intends to gear up against the top teams bec, if they supply the engine for Minardi I think they are not really that interested with the money but for something that can help Toyota on their road to the top....

[climb]

Toyota-Minardi: somehow reminds me of that story about rich man and poor Lazarus

[GTRMagic]

Noise around and about suggests that Mr P.Stoddart wanted to run the ex-Arrows chassis this season instead of his own design...

... until the day the car was due to be tested, and some of the Italian part of his operation feigned illness and did not appear at the test....

Now it seems the tail is wagging the dog....

If it is true of course

[John Abrahamsen]

I think Minardi will be given a great honor if they run Toyota engines. Sound analyze of the engine shows it are the most powerful so far this season