Rumi Scorns Daewoo Stories.
Minardi boss Gabriele Rumi has denied that Korean company Daewoo is likely to feature as its engine supplier next year.
Rumours first appeared yesterday [Thursday], as negotiations with Flavio Briatore's Supertec outfit continued to drag on. Minardi is believed to have all but secured a supply of the French engines for 2000, but has yet to tie up the last few loose ends in its contract.
Minardi boss Gabriele Rumi has denied that Korean company Daewoo is likely to feature as its engine supplier next year.
Rumours first appeared yesterday [Thursday], as negotiations with Flavio Briatore's Supertec outfit continued to drag on. Minardi is believed to have all but secured a supply of the French engines for 2000, but has yet to tie up the last few loose ends in its contract.
"Briatore is very fastidious on certain points," Rumi revealed, "but we will finalise [the deal] very quickly. There is no truth in the Daewoo rumour - I was never in contact with Daewoo, and whoever said that must have imagined it."
The Italian minnow, which hauled itself off the bottom of the F1 pile with sixth place at the Nurburgring in September, is believed to be among the targets for outfits wishing to enter the sport by buying up an existing team. Prodrive, Toyota and Robin Herd's reborn March operation are all vying for the vacant twelfth entry, with the losers likely to resort to a take-over to gain a place on the grid. An secure engine deal may help to stave off the inevitable for Minardi.
