JULY 19, 2001
Todt given Maserati
JEAN TODT has two of the most evocative names in Italian motoring under his command - adding Maserati to Ferrari.
Luca Montezemolo, the Ferrari and Maserati president, has done much to reclaim the once-great Maserati name from the doldrums in recent years, and with the 3200 sports car has taken great strides in re-establishing the marque as a desirable performance car manufacturer.
It now seems that his plans to take Maserati back to the race track will soon be announced with the appointment of Ferrari's sporting director, Todt, to oversee the plans. It has been thought that CART would be the scene of Maserati's return but now sports cars are considered to be a more realistic option.
wAnother option is that the customer Ferrari engine supply may well become rebranded Maserati if a team were willing. One such team might well be European Minardi, which is thought to be in pole position to take over Alain Prost's supply of Ferrari engines in 2002 and may well be keen to run its car as a Minardi-Maserati if it reduces the $26 million per season bill from Maranello.