Minardi: 'Moving AlphaTauri from Faenza would be very difficult'

Minardi have not appeared on the Formula 1 grid since 2005, but their factories are still full of people working daily. It's been 18 years since the team was bought by Red Bull, who turned it into their sister team. Once called Toro Rosso, now AlphaTauri. In recent months there have been several rumours about the fate of the Faenza-based team, and GPblog spoke to the team's 'father', Gian Carlo Minardi, about this subject. These rumours have since been dismissed.

When it became Toro Rosso, Minardi had been in Formula 1 for over 20 years. "We stayed in Formula 1 for 21 years, 340 Grands Prix. In some years we had fun. I remember in the most important years like '89, '90, '91 and '92 when we were always in the top seven/eight in the world championship, there were 18 teams, and the top six scored points, so the results we got were important," says Gian Carlo Minardi.

"After that, there was a continuous escalation both technically and economically, so it was more difficult to bring home points. We stayed until the end, and currently the team are still in Faenza," reflects Minardi. "They have grown from the 130 employees I had to more than 500. Today it is a very important reality, and consequently, I am happy and glad to have created this team."

The fate of AlphaTauri

Toro Rosso, and then AlphaTauri, have always remained in the Minardi factory in Faenza, which Red Bull have chosen to maintain and expand. Lately, however, there has been talk of a possible sale of the team or their relocation from Faenza. Minardi comments: "As far as I know, they are making further investments in the company, which means that there is no lack of will to stay in Faenza."

Minardi does not believe there could be any changes in the short term. "I would rule out a leadership change for many reasons of a sporting and political nature. Moving the company from Faenza, I am not saying it is impossible because nothing in life is impossible, but it is very difficult."

One of the obstacles that is usually mentioned is a clause that obliges Red Bull to keep their headquarters in Faenza. We asked Gian Carlo Minardi if this clause really existed. "It is the truth. The truth, however, is that they all got on very well, so it has now been 18 years, and there were far fewer years that they were committed to staying in Faenza'.

Technically Red Bull could move the team, but for Minardi, this is still unlikely. "It is a facility that cannot be moved elsewhere. The AlphaTauri is in the Motor Valley, remember that in the world today you can make a team either in Italy in the Motor Valley or in England in the triangle around Silverstone, so I think that for interest and technical it is difficult to do it."