Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has said he is prepared to talk to any major car manufacturer interested in taking a stake in his team. The Australian is one of only three privateers left in Formula One following the almost certain demise of Arrows and the exit of Prost Grand Prix. And that has made him question the long-term future of the likes of Minardi, Jordan and Sauber unless they can get backing from a car giant.
"As far as equity partners and manufacturers are concerned, we are not in talks with any manufacturers," said Stoddart. "Yes, we would like to be. We run on the leanest, meanest budget in Formula One and it would be an asset to any manufacturer, but that's their decision, not mine.
"I think really what we are looking at here is the question of can the private teams survive and to be honest I don't know. There are three of us left in Formula One now, we have seen two go in the last 12 months. It's not easy. The world as a whole is not perhaps as easy a place to gather sponsorship from as it was in years gone by, but we are fighting as hard as we know how."
But Stoddart, who has given Britain's Justin Wilson his break for the new season, which gets underway in March, is excited about his link-up with Ford through their Cosworth engine arm. The aviation tycoon reckons the same-spec Cosworth engine which powered Eddie Irvine to third place for Jaguar at last September's Italian Grand Prix can see them move up the grid.
"Our engine package is the most exciting that we have ever had in the 19-year history of Minardi," he added. "It's an engine that is obviously a Ford Cosworth, it is an engine that was on the podium in Monza this year, and it gives us incredible horsepower.
"We are talking about a 70-horsepower increase over the engine we had last year and we are really, really genuinely looking forward to using this engine. And, of course, Cosworth is a company that is near and dear to our heart, we know them, they know us, and it should be a tremendous relationship."
Filed by Johnny Proby
