Ecclestone Helps Red Bull Founder Buy Second F1 Team

Minardi Second F1 Team Acquired By Mateschitz In Past Year

Red Bull Founder Dietrich Mateschitz will buy Team Minardi from Paul Stoddart for more than US$34.6M, marking the second F1 team he has bought in 12 months, according to Alan Henry of the Manchester GUARDIAN. F1 Management Chair Bernie Ecclestone, “by giving Mateschitz his support, ... has “further strengthened his hand as he works to see off the threat of a possibly breakaway” series in ’08. Minardi will join Ferrari, Jordan and the main Red Bull team “on Ecclestone’s side of the political divide.” A principal from another team said, “Now it’s just a question of Bernie picking off Toyota and Frank Williams then the rest of the paddock will have no alternative but to fall in line.” Henry noted Stoddart also “clashed with” FIA President Max Mosley earlier this year over the way the governing body implemented its rules changes (Manchester GUARDIAN, 9/12).

CLOSE BUT...: The AP’s Raf Casert noted F1, with new rules changes promoting competitive balance, “is closing in on its most thrilling finish in years, yet there have been many empty seats” at recent races. The Italy Grand Prix the weekend of September 4 drew “a paltry 60,000 on race day and only 93,000 fans for the whole weekend, far fewer than the record 160,000 in 2000” (AP, 9/10).