Ex-Minardi team principal Paul Stoddart compares his own Formula 1 days with today and sees one big aspect that is holding him back from a comeback
It is now more than 18 years since Paul Stoddart sold the Minardi Formula 1 team, which he owned until the fall of 2005, to the Red Bull Group. The racing team, which was founded by Giancarlo Minardi in 1979 and competed in Formula 1 from 1985, was known as Toro Rosso from 2006. This name is now also history
From 2001 to 2005, Stoddart, who also owned his own airline (European Aviation), was team principal and owner of the Minardi team. During this time, future world champion Fernando Alonso drove for the team. Mark Webber, Jos Verstappen and others were also employed by Minardi under Stoddart and occasionally made it into the top 10.
It is unforgettable how Webber sensationally finished fifth on his Formula 1 debut (Melbourne 2002). An exceptional rule allowed the two Australians – Webber and Stoddart – to celebrate this fifth place on the podium in front of their home crowd.
While the careers of Alonso and Webber in particular really took off following their brief time at Minardi, Paul Stoddart’s career has been quieter since the team was sold to the Red Bull Group. In the recent past, the Australian was mostly to be seen in the Formula 1 paddock when he was driving the two-seater
Stoddart would not categorically rule out a comeback as team principal. However, the 68-year-old sees one major aspect that is holding him back. “It’s not that I wouldn’t be interested at all,” he says,
“Of course I would be interested, but the sport has moved on 20 years, 19 years to be precise,” the Australian thinks back to the end of his Minardi days and openly admits: “In today’s social media age, I would probably have problems. I was lucky to have been spared that in my years.”
“You only have to look at what happened with Christian Horner,” says Stoddart, referring to the affair surrounding the Red Bull Racing team boss. The much-cited Horner affair was the number one topic in the Formula 1 paddock at the start of the 2024 season, ahead of all sporting aspects. “I wouldn’t like something like that at all,” admits Stoddart.
Nevertheless, there are aspects that the former Formula 1 team boss does miss and that mean he cannot completely rule out a comeback, at least on paper. “So much has changed in terms of racing and technology. But when it comes to the actual management of a team, I definitely miss that,” he says.
“What you see from the outside is only part of the whole. There’s so much more going on behind the scenes,” says Stoddart, giving an insight into what he personally enjoyed most: “Negotiating with Bernie [Ecclestone] and the other teams was a lot of fun, a lot of fun. “
