DECEMBER 16, 2002

Jos at Minardi - don't hold your breath

The announcement from Minardi that it is going to announce something on Tuesday morning at a press conference at London's Heathrow Hilton has led to the predictable speculation that the team is about to announce a deal with Jos Verstappen. Our sources say that this not what is going to happen and that despite lots of well-placed rumours about Jos he still does not have the budget that is needed for him to secure the Minardi drive. Verstappen and his management often insist that Jos is not a pay-driver and we undedrstand that this has made it rather more difficult for him to find money.

So what will Minardi be announcing? It seems almost certain that the announcement will be about a driver as no teams are currently announcing new sponsorship deals. The speculation as to who it will be is rampant and with so many drivers on the market in F1 at the moment it could be one of perhaps 15 drivers. Among the names that could be announced are British driver Justin Wilson, Americans Bryan Herta and Townsend Bell, Italian Giorgio Pantano, Belgium's David Saelens, Verstappen, Pedro de la Rosa, Felipe Massa, Enrique Bernoldi or Tomas Enge.

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart is again playing his cards very close to his chest.