The car that almost propelled Minardi into extinction

Minardi began the new millennium with a retina-scorching livery and a tidy new car, bankrolled by a Spanish telecoms giant. Held back by its obsolete engine, its plans to become a Spanish superteam almost propelled it into extinction.

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Initially part of the boom of Italian teams entering Formula 1 in the 1980s and early 1990s, Minardi somehow managed to achieve far greater longevity than its compatriots ever managed.

Eventually morphing into a synonym for underdog, the Minardi name was frequently accompanied by the words "plucky" and "minnow" as it continued to tread water amid a period in which F1 teams' budgets sky-rocketed thanks to the greater involvement of manufacturer teams. The team's 20-year stay in the top tier of racing came to an end after its sale to Red Bull to form the Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) team but, after a series of financial withdrawals, Minardi's tenure was perilously close to the end following the 2000 season.

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Author Jake Boxall-Legge

Jake Boxall-Legge Autosport’s Technical Editor. Having studied Automotive Engineering with Motorsport at the University of Hertfordshire, West Country-born Jake's original ambition was to design racing cars. During a year between studies in which he accidentally rekindled a love of writing, he took up a Master's in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes. Halfway through his master's year, he was offered a place on the Autosport Academy, conducting occasional freelance duties before becoming the press officer for Formula 2 and GP3 in 2018. Autosport offered him a return to the fold later that year to serve as its Technical Editor. His voice appears on a number of videos and podcasts, and can often be found writing about terrible Formula 1 cars in excruciating detail. In his spare time, Jake enjoys baking and blames his failure to make it past the Great British Bake-Off interviews on his tenuous grasp on choux pastry. His dream is to open a brunch cafe - and his willingness to make outrageous puns in inappropriate situations has earned him the contempt of his colleagues.