FEBRUARY 28, 2002
A twelfth team in 2002?
Buying Prost's assets and people (who are already dissipating at speed), paying the FIA deposit and then running the team would cost more than $100m and there would be no TV money from the Formula One group of companies, which there would have been if Prost had been kept alive. This would have saved a further $8-10m.
In practical terms the situation is virtually impossible as well. The team could use the old cars and work to finish the half-built new chassis but that would be an enormous struggle. Minardi survived last year in similar circumstances but an awful lot of money was spent and there was little in the way of results. Paul Stoddart's goal was long-term and while a buyer for Prost's assets may have similar ideas, it would have been logical to buy Prost before it came apart.