Jordan - the new Minardi?

Rtech · 3rd October 2005, 14:40

Minardi being bought over by Redbull is the end of an era. The last "privateer" team has now been taken over by a faceless MNC who will use it to develop their own drivers from the Redbull driver programme.

Minardi may never have been in a position to fight for a win, let alone winning a Championship, but they played a key role in F1. They were the stepping stone for new drivers who didn't have contacts in high places to get into the other teams. Yes, they had to get money before they were given a seat, but still, it was their chance. The number of winning drivers that have taken the Minardi route are too many to list here.

So, how does a new driver get into F1 now? Jordan seems' to have taken Minardi's place at the bottom of the heap. With unsure ownership, minimum budget for testing and developing, they will rely heavily on the money a new driver can bring in.

So, for example, if NK manages to keep his seat in Jordan, it would be akin to him shifting from Jordan to Minardi. And, as history shows, not many drivers have achance of making it any higher if they spend more than 1 season in a Minardi.

Steeroid · 3rd October 2005, 14:44

IMHO NK should stop trying to become an F1 driver and in the process stop wasting sponsor funds that could be used productively in pushing younger drivers up the lower rungs of sport.

Its not worth throwing good money after bad, trying to purchase a seat for him for a second season running. He should've earned a seat somewhere else by now...

Rtech · 3rd October 2005, 14:52

Aside from the NK issue (I just used that as an example), it's now going to be EVEN harder for a new driver to break into F1, as all the seats are owned by high profile companies who may not want to risk too much on unproven talent.

I can't see BMW signing up a fresh Kimi the way Sauber did. So, I think we are set to see the same drivers being recycled within the sport for a few years.

Steeroid · 3rd October 2005, 15:01

Yeah and they will be mostly European, except for the odd Jap that Honda or Toyota may thrust on the teams that use their engines. The smaller teams were entry points for new faces, which just wont happen now.

I agree with you - if it werent for Minardi, we probably wont have Fernando Alonso as champion this year.

sridhar24 · 3rd October 2005, 16:52

Minardi has been very important in Formula1, most of the young drivers learn their racecraft in Minardi and then get promoted to bigger teams. So from now we will not see many new drivers in F1.
But in the next season or so Williams will bring in Nico Rosberg, this seasons GP2 series champion and very talented young driver.

Steeroid · 3rd October 2005, 17:17

BTW, there is no more "Jordan" in F1. Starting next year the team will be known as Midland and not Jordan.

Eddie Jordan is very interested in A1GP, it seems...

papps · 3rd October 2005, 17:19

i sure will miss minardi... i used to love it when a minardi finished high up in the order and get points, though it happened like once in 10 races... i guess thats made it interesting too...

but can more teams be added to F1 or not, as far as I remember 2 more teams can be added into F1... so is there a chance of any new team coming in...

sridhar24 · 3rd October 2005, 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by papps

i sure will miss minardi... i used to love it when a minardi finished high up in the order and get points, though it happened like once in 10 races... i guess thats made it interesting too...

but can more teams be added to F1 or not, as far as I remember 2 more teams can be added into F1... so is there a chance of any new team coming in...

Yeah 2 more teams can be added in F1 and remember there was a romur that Honda might have a junior team, but i don't think its going to happen next season. But it would be nice to see 12 teams competing in Formula1 and it will make F1 more interesting as there will be competition among the backmarkers also.

3rd October 2005, 14:40	#1
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	Jordan - the new Minardi? Minardi being bought over by Redbull is the end of an era. The last "privateer" team has now been taken over by a faceless MNC who will use it to develop their own drivers from the Redbull driver programme. Minardi may never have been in a position to fight for a win, let alone winning a Championship, but they played a key role in F1. They were the stepping stone for new drivers who didn't have contacts in high places to get into the other teams. Yes, they had to get money before they were given a seat, but still, it was their chance. The number of winning drivers that have taken the Minardi route are too many to list here. So, how does a new driver get into F1 now? Jordan seems' to have taken Minardi's place at the bottom of the heap. With unsure ownership, minimum budget for testing and developing, they will rely heavily on the money a new driver can bring in. So, for example, if NK manages to keep his seat in Jordan, it would be akin to him shifting from Jordan to Minardi. And, as history shows, not many drivers have achance of making it any higher if they spend more than 1 season in a Minardi.
	() Thanks

3rd October 2005, 14:44	#2
Steeroid Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A Posts: 7,046 Thanked: 2,751 Times	IMHO NK should stop trying to become an F1 driver and in the process stop wasting sponsor funds that could be used productively in pushing younger drivers up the lower rungs of sport. Its not worth throwing good money after bad, trying to purchase a seat for him for a second season running. He should've earned a seat somewhere else by now...
	() Thanks

3rd October 2005, 14:52	#3
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	Aside from the NK issue (I just used that as an example), it's now going to be EVEN harder for a new driver to break into F1, as all the seats are owned by high profile companies who may not want to risk too much on unproven talent. I can't see BMW signing up a fresh Kimi the way Sauber did. So, I think we are set to see the same drivers being recycled within the sport for a few years. Last edited by Rtech : 3rd October 2005 at 15:12. Reason: spellcheck!!
	() Thanks

3rd October 2005, 15:01	#4
Steeroid Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A Posts: 7,046 Thanked: 2,751 Times	Yeah and they will be mostly European, except for the odd Jap that Honda or Toyota may thrust on the teams that use their engines. The smaller teams were entry points for new faces, which just wont happen now. I agree with you - if it werent for Minardi, we probably wont have Fernando Alonso as champion this year.
	() Thanks

3rd October 2005, 16:52	#5
sridhar24 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,046 Thanked: 88 Times	Minardi has been very important in Formula1, most of the young drivers learn their racecraft in Minardi and then get promoted to bigger teams. So from now we will not see many new drivers in F1. But in the next season or so Williams will bring in Nico Rosberg, this seasons GP2 series champion and very talented young driver.
	() Thanks

3rd October 2005, 17:17	#6
Steeroid Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A Posts: 7,046 Thanked: 2,751 Times	BTW, there is no more "Jordan" in F1. Starting next year the team will be known as Midland and not Jordan. Eddie Jordan is very interested in A1GP, it seems...
	() Thanks

3rd October 2005, 17:19	#7
papps BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Newcastle, UK Posts: 271 Thanked: 0 Times	i sure will miss minardi... i used to love it when a minardi finished high up in the order and get points, though it happened like once in 10 races... i guess thats made it interesting too... but can more teams be added to F1 or not, as far as I remember 2 more teams can be added into F1... so is there a chance of any new team coming in...
	() Thanks