Rumi Quits As Minardi Looks To Spain.
Minardi shareholder Gabriele Rumi is set to leave the team at the end of the year, opening it up to bids from its main sponsor.
Rumi, president of Minardi's technical partner Fondmetal and the team's majority shareholder, is set to step down at the end of the season concerned that the Italian minnow will not be able to compete with the major manufacturers entering the sport.
"It is impossible to stay in F1 like this," he said, "In comparison to Toyota, BMW and Honda, we are tiny. Something has to be done."
Minardi shareholder Gabriele Rumi is set to leave the team at the end of the year, opening it up to bids from its main sponsor.
Rumi, president of Minardi's technical partner Fondmetal and the team's majority shareholder, is set to step down at the end of the season concerned that the Italian minnow will not be able to compete with the major manufacturers entering the sport.
"It is impossible to stay in F1 like this," he said, "In comparison to Toyota, BMW and Honda, we are tiny. Something has to be done."
The most likely course of action will see Minardi's primary sponsor - Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica - take a major stake in the team. The company has already rejected one opportunity to increase its stake, but may see Rumi's departure as the chance to build a Spanish outfit based around its current driver Marc Gene. This, according to Rumi, could be Minardi's best chance of survival in the modern, manufacturer-led, era of Formula One.
"Telefonica intends to play a more important role in F1," he insisted, "Nothing has been signed yet, but I must make a choice that will allow the team to grow."
Rumours of a possible name change have been played down by all concerned, as has the suggestion that Benetton team manager Joan Villadelprat would join an increasingly Spanish effort based around Telefonica money and drivers Gene and Pedro de la Rosa.
