Paul Stoddart, you will be missed.

[SetikX]

Irregardless of whether you hate him, or love him- he will be missed. His frequent overzealous outbursts combined with a will to succeed has made Stoddy one of my favorite team owners.

I will miss him, I dont know about the rest of you guys.

[SpawnyWhippet]

I thought Eddy Jordan was a greater loss to the paddock, but Stoddie is definately up there

[KE30MAN]

I agree, Stoddy was nothing if not unique.

[mac]

Farewell Paul.

You will be missed!

[Marbot]

He hasn't gone yet!

I think he'll stick around F1 in some capacity or another.FIA president anyone!

[Halsey]

Originally Posted by martyn bott

FIA president anyone!

That'd be wonderful. No more Max!

[Oaksnaf]

Ahh ill miss those fiasco's and tension and rather controversial "say what you want" comments from Paul. Surely a colourful personality, much better than watching paint dry which resembles Ron Dennis.

FIA president? Who knows. Anything can happen, and it usually does.

[MRJUCY]

I'll miss Stody I hope he doesn't disappear from the radar completely

[BootsOntheSide]

Paul was a very easy guy for the common man to connect with, as he didn't come across as smug or elitist. He's a self-made man, a high achiever and a personable and charismatic guy, and he will be missed, although perhaps less so than Eddie Jordan.

[Frank_White]

Not by me.

[lookleft]

He will be back, he has been quoted saying as much. Give it a year or two and he will pop back somewhere. I suspect it will be in a sponsor roll, relivingthe glory without the personal agro.

Anyone that doesn't understand what PS bought to F1 might need to review the last 2 seasons.....

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by Oaksnaf

FIA president? Who knows. Anything can happen, and it usually does.

Theres more chance of me being FIA president than Stoddy In fact, the only one's who won't miss him will be the FIA.

[N I Tram]

He'd be the perfect FIA boss - he understands what needs to be done to make the sport financially viable and appealing. I hope he returns soon enough, he's a good guy.

[chillibowl]

a true individual in a sport which requires such people to be successful. i wish him the best in whatever he choses to do

[Knowlesy]

Launching a new airline isn't he soon? Don't expect to see him back too soon.

I always liked him. He stood up to be counted and not many F1 bods do that these days. A great character.

[Hugh Jarce]

It seems to me that 'corporate world' is gradually squeezing all the mavericks out. Mind you that's corporate world for you.

A privateer team can only thrive with an inspirational, charismatic person at the helm such as Stoddie, Eddie or even Mr Sauber. Their sheer enthusiasm makes up the the lack of a full size wind tunnel.

I think he will be missed and its such a shame now that Minardi are qualifying so close to Ferrari.

[Raven]

Not for a second.

[Dixie Flatline]

Stoddy is an canny character who marketed his image towards the "common man" to garner support in situations where otherwise he would not have. When he needed to be, he was ruthless, vis a vis, ensuring that he secured Prost's share of the FOM revenues a few years back. He is brash and outspoken but he knows what he needs to do to ensure maximum airplay for himself and his team. Unfortunately, his innate capacity to generate publicity did not translate to sponsorship dollars nor success for Minardi. He came into Formula One, promising a 5 year plan to turn Minardi into a midfield team; but Minardi has gone backwards thanks to a chronic lack of funds. If you judge his reign at Minardi purely on results, his time in Formula One should be graded a fail, even though he gave the likes of Webber and Davidson their chance to shine in Formula One (though Minardi had already been doing that prior to him taking it over).

I doubt he'll be FIA President. He already admitted that the role would be too time-consuming for him (though this was at a time when he had a Formula One business to run, along with his other interests) and secondly, those that vote for that position won't know him well enough to cast a vote in support for him.

[mac]

Originally Posted by Dixie Flatline

He came into Formula One, promising a 5 year plan to turn Minardi into a midfield team; but Minardi has gone backwards thanks to a chronic lack of funds.

I wouldn't say they've gone backwards - in fact this season they have regularly battled with the Jordans, beating them legitimately a couple of times.

Originally Posted by Dixie Flatline

If you judge his reign at Minardi purely on results, his time in Formula One should be graded a fail, even though he gave the likes of Webber and Davidson their chance to shine in Formula One (though Minardi had already been doing that prior to him taking it over).

I don't think he failed. The mere fact that Minardi is still around today is a huge success for Minardi.

Consider that even getting to Melbourne in 2001 was a mammoth effort on Stoddart's part and I would suggest that he would rate that as high as any achievement of his.

I would say he has done quite a good job with the team, and it certainly has not gone backwards.

Alonso, Webber, and more recently Doornbos, Albers and Baumgartner have all given Minardi something to cheer about throughout their time with the team.

When other team bosses slinked away from the camera to do backroom deals, Stoddy was more than happy to let the public in on everything that was going on. As knowlesy said, he stood up to be counted and for that I can only respect him.

[lookleft]

Agreed - in no way could you ever suggest Stoddart left Minardi in worse shape than when he arrived.

[Dixie Flatline]

Then I think at best you can say Stoddart left Minardi as he found it, as Minardi himself had been doing enough to stay around Formula One for 15 years before Stoddart came over.

I suggest you get a copy of The Piranha Club, which is an excellent book about the politics of Formula One. In this, the author explicitly quotes Stoddart as having a 5 year plan. He did not achieve that plan. Therefore, judging him by his own plan, he is a failure.

IMHO, I think Alonso and possibly Webber, given the name of their manager, would have made it to Formula One without Minardi. Alonso is particularly talented enough that he could have waited a couple of years (he was very young when he drove for Minardi) and gone into another Formula One team, IMHO. Of course, that's pure speculation and the fact that there are plenty of talented drivers who don't make it to Formula One suggests a possibility they wouldn't have.

When you compare the speed of Minardi against other teams, if the 107% qualifying rule was in place, routinely the Minardis would not be qualifying for a Grand Prix. As for battling with Jordan this season, IMHO, that's down more to Midland not particularly caring about this season and focussing on 2006 and beyond.

Just remember that Stoddart is a businessman first and foremost. He wanted to be portrayed in a light that makes him more friendly to the Formula One fan than the other team bosses. When most of us were complaining about Ferrari's dominance, Stoddart may well have sensed an opportunity to be the David to Ferrari's Goliath. To be perfectly honest, I have much more respect for the likes of Sir Frank Williams and Ron Dennis, who have built up their teams basically from scratch and become very successful (and very rich) in the process than I have for Stoddart. I admire Stoddart for his tenacity and his determination, but that does not mean I'm going to miss him.

[WebberForWDC]

No Minardi are improved this season, they have made their step to a new car with curvey sidepods etc. They are definately a good 1-2 seconds faster compared to the field then they were last year.

In all but 2004, Stoddart has had reasonably capable drivers like Jos, Justin Wilson, Albers, Doornbos, the well regarded star Baumgartner , Davidson, Alonso and Webber.

[Gt_R]

I'm not a known fan for Paul Stoddart.

But let me share my opinion.

In a way, i am sad that by the end of this year, we see 2 team owners made to step aside for the corporate guys. Mr Sauber and Mr Stoddart.

Regarding Mr Stoddart. I've always respected private team owners... and that Stoddart's ambitions to take over Minardi must be applauded and respected. He promised to bring Minardi to greater heights, and although he had failed to do so, he shouldn't be criticised for it, for it is a hugely difficult task that even Flavio, Dennis, and Todt may struggle to overcome.

Money speaks volumes in F1, and it's simply that which condemned Minardi to failure. Stoddart had made huge sacrifices, and had to play mind games just to keep his team afloat. The auctions, his airline business, everything took a role in playing to keep his team alife (and the jobs that come with it).

What i felt was Paul's weakness is his attempt to play a political game too desperately. His insistence for the "fighting fund", his desperation to get "prost funds", his attempts to run the Australian GP in unacceptable cars (when proven that he could make regulation-approved cars but chose not too) and his unfortunate role of being used by the big teams in their political game... went to some extent to taint his great sacrifices for team Minardi.

He could be a hero, a great man who fought the odds. But those issues above, with the huge coverage that follows, made him seem a tad desperate, a bit naive, abit of a trouble maker, and lastly and sadly, made Minardi almost like a beggar. Something Minardi, despite it's financial woes, should never be made to look like.

But we can't say he failed. Minardi saved cash for 2 seasons, using old cars, so that the cash could be used once on developing a new car in 2005. It may not beat the Ferraris, the Mclarens, the Renaults... but it sure is a huge improvement. It looks nice. And it's something Minardi team can be proud of. And a suitable way for Paul to end his stint has Minardi's boss.

[Dixie Flatline]

Originally Posted by Gt_R

I'm not a known fan for Paul Stoddart.

But let me share my opinion.

In a way, i am sad that by the end of this year, we see 2 team owners made to step aside for the corporate guys. Mr Sauber and Mr Stoddart.

They were not made to step aside for the corporate guys. They chose to sell their investment in their respective teams at a price that was acceptable to each of them. Nothing more; nothing less.

Regarding Mr Stoddart. I've always respected private team owners... and that Stoddart's ambitions to take over Minardi must be applauded and respected. He promised to bring Minardi to greater heights, and although he had failed to do so, he shouldn't be criticised for it, for it is a hugely difficult task that even Flavio, Dennis, and Todt may struggle to overcome.

Not denying it is a hugely difficult task. However, Stoddart made claims he would improve Minardi to a mid-grid team within 5 years of him assuming ownership of the team. He has not done so. Therefore, he has not achieved what he publicly stated he set out to do. I'm not criticising him for his failure to do so; I'm just pointing out that Stoddart made public his goals and failed to reach them.

Money speaks volumes in F1, and it's simply that which condemned Minardi to failure. Stoddart had made huge sacrifices, and had to play mind games just to keep his team afloat. The auctions, his airline business, everything took a role in playing to keep his team alife (and the jobs that come with it).

Some might say that he diverted too much money, resources and attention away from his businesses to continue his interest in Formula One.

What i felt was Paul's weakness is his attempt to play a political game too desperately. His insistence for the "fighting fund", his desperation to get "prost funds", his attempts to run the Australian GP in unacceptable cars (when proven that he could make regulation-approved cars but chose not too) and his unfortunate role of being used by the big teams in their political game... went to some extent to taint his great sacrifices for team Minardi.

He could be a hero, a great man who fought the odds. But those issues above, with the huge coverage that follows, made him seem a tad desperate, a bit naive, abit of a trouble maker, and lastly and sadly, made Minardi almost like a beggar. Something Minardi, despite it's financial woes, should never be made to look like.

That, in my view, is the difference between Stoddart and others like Sir Frank Williams and Ron Dennis. In my view, the latter two would never have dreamed of trying to run cars that did not conform to regulations at a Grand Prix. They would have expressed their differences to Max Mosley in another forum. They would have played the game smarter and more effectively.

Indeed, it is worth noting that the Concorde Agreement provides that in the event there is a dispute between a constructor, such as Minardi, and the governing body, the FIA, the parties are required to arbitrate, thereby avoiding the very fracas that Stoddart generated before the Australian Grand Prix. To be sure, the FIA's response was heavy handed in the extreme, and it could have been handled by the FIA in a much more dignified manner, but it was Stoddart who chose to go to Court to obtain an injunction in the eleventh hour rather than biting the bullet and fitting the complying parts to his cars - at least, not until the FIA pointed the gun to his head and told him the Grand Prix would be off if he did not do that.

But we can't say he failed. Minardi saved cash for 2 seasons, using old cars, so that the cash could be used once on developing a new car in 2005. It may not beat the Ferraris, the Mclarens, the Renaults... but it sure is a huge improvement. It looks nice. And it's something Minardi team can be proud of. And a suitable way for Paul to end his stint has Minardi's boss.

Then one needs to ask why Minardi was forced to save money for two seasons, using an old (2002, I believe) chassis to run until it had enough money to develop a new car. Why weren't sponsors more willing to commit funds to Minardi? Even if Minardi came next to last, the changes to the qualifying format at least guaranteed some broadcast time to the sponsor, exposing the sponsor's brand to millions of potential purchasers. I don't know the answer, but it is an intriguing question, IMHO.

[mac]

For those of you suggesting Paul is a businessman first and foremost, let it be known that he is totally passionate about racing. His passion brought him to buy a collection of F1 cars, a F3000 team and finally a F1 team.

He drove the Minardi 2-seater because he loves racing. Just because he does not have any great racing experience does not make him any less of a racer than an Alain Prost.

And he did leave it in better condition than when he purchased it because when he purchased it it was not even going to make it to Melbourne for Round 1, 2002.

Kudos to the man for thinking about the good of the team and its employees regarding the sale.