RedBull buys Minardi!

[Iliana]

from f1racing.net

Red Bull buys Minardi 

Today, at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, an agreement was reached whereby, from 1st November 2005, Red Bull will take over all the company shares of the Minardi Formula 1 team and will be responsible for running the team. Red Bull will therefore run two Formula 1 teams from the start of the 2006 season onwards.

The second team will be positioned as a "Rookie Team" and this and the current Red Bull Racing will operate independently of one another and compete against one another on the track.

A team statement explained that "The main reasons for Red Bull deciding to enter a second team starting in the 2006 Formula 1 World Championship are:

1. Red Bull has more talented drivers than it has available cockpits. This meant there were only two ways of helping up-coming drivers: either place them in other teams or to increase the number of cockpits available to us. After much careful thought, Red Bull decided to go with the second of these options.

2. Looking at the current state of Formula 1 we feel that the second team will be able to maintain its current assets while also being able to generate its own income in the future, in order to become almost selffinancing.

3. This acquisition also means that Red Bull now has a second vote in any matters raised regarding the future of Formula 1. At the moment, no decisions have been taken as regards the name of the team, its management nor its drivers."

Williams switches to Bridgestone

Bridgestone announced this evening that it will supply Williams with tyres for the 2006 season.  Williams will lose BMW power this year and switch to Cosworth engines next season. Bridgestone supplied the Williams with tyres in 1999 and 2000, during a period of single tyre supplier status.

"It is with great pleasure that I can now confirm that Bridgestone Motorsport and the  WilliamsF1 Team have entered into a tyre supply partnership, to commence after the end of the current season," confirmed Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Bridgestone Motorsport. "WilliamsF1 is one of the most experienced and respected teams competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship and I would like to thank Sir Frank Williams for his faith in our technological capabilities. Since entering Formula One in 1997, Bridgestone Motorsport has supplied the winning Constructors' and Drivers' Champions no fewer than seven times and we now look forward to working closely with the WilliamsF1 Team to help them achieve their goals in the future."