SEPTEMBER 17, 2004

Minardi reminds Ford of contractual situation

The Minardi F1 team says that it has a contract in place for next year with Ford-owned Cosworth Racing and that it will be working closely with Cosworth to find a suitable solution to the problem, which could involve a substantial payment in lieu of the engines. Minardi is fortunate in that it has some possibility of running with its own engines, having prepared its own versions of the Cosworth engine a few years ago. It is possible that Minardi could end up with old Cosworth engines and the money to run them.

"We are confident of being able to arrive at a suitable arrangement," said team boss Paul Stoddart. "All of us at Minardi have been saddened by today's news, but fully understand the economic realities involved in competing in this sport as it is currently structured."