Stoddart envisions the short-term return of Minardi F1!

Paul Stoddart, the head of the Minardi company, who has been present in motorsport for several decades, has expressed support for a return to Formula 1 in the short term.

The former Minardi F1 director, sold in 2005 to Red Bull Racing, would like to make a reappearance in the top discipline of motorsport.

Following the merger of the North American Champcar and IRL championships, the Australian director refused to participate in the new 2008 season with the Minardi USA team. This year, the company is taking a break from sports activities but hopes to resume with renewed vigor in 2009.

Even though he does not appreciate the direction the F1 championship is taking, Stoddart is indeed in favor of a takeover of Super-Aguri. He would have liked to make an offer if the company had declared bankruptcy, but he is also waiting for other opportunities.

« I recently sought to return to F1 (through Super Aguri), and I will probably look elsewhere again if the opportunity arises. But I fear that in reality it will be very difficult for me to come back, especially as long as Max [Mosley] is active. » He confirms. Max Mosley, president of the FIA, is indeed said to be opposed to the team’s return, having experienced too many difficulties in the past.

In 2007, Minardi was in competition with Prodrive to seize the spot as the 12th team in the 2008 F1 championship. But following the evaluation, Prodrive was chosen.

The team is ultimately not present due to legal reasons concerning the chassis the team wanted to purchase from McLaren. According to Stoddart, if the license had been granted to him, his cars would be on the starting grid on Sunday…

Mosley’s term expires in 2009 while the presence of a 12th team in F1 could be renewed by the Concorde Agreement for next year. « If the opportunity arose, I wouldn’t miss it to have this place » concluded Stoddart.

The potential departure of Max Mosley would thus help the return of the orange single-seaters to F1 as early as 2009. Prodrive is also in the race, provided they produce the chassis themselves.