Analysis: Minardi Drop Legal Action

Minardi will compete in Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix under the same rules as other teams after dropping controversial legal action against Formula One's governing body.

Owner Paul Stoddart told reporters on Saturday that the sport's smallest and least successful team had worked through the night to modify last year's cars to the 2005 aerodynamic regulations.

He had earlier secured an injunction in the Victoria Supreme Court to allow his unmodified cars to qualify on Saturday after stewards, appointed by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA), barred them.

"In the interests of the Australian Grand Prix which has been embroiled in this battle, together with the interests of Formula One as a sport, we have decided to discontinue the action," said the chain-smoking Australian.

"We've taken it as far as we needed to take it and throughout the night we've managed to convert two of the cars to 2005 specifications and we will be running."

"As far as we are concerned the matter is over."

The FIA confirmed that the cars complied with the regulations. Dutch driver Christijan Albers and Austrian Patrick Friesacher, both newcomers, took to a wet track for the day's opening practice session.

Publicity-Seeking

Stoddart, who is launching a new low-cost airline in Australia, denied that the entire furore had been a publicity-seeking piece of theatre.

"I think it was a landmark decision that a court actually saw fit to uphold the law as opposed to the FIA's regulations," he said.

"There is no point in us continuing this beyond proving the point that we need good governance, we need stable regulations for the sport's long term future."

Asked why he had not fitted the parts in the first place, avoiding days of posturing and increasingly intemperate comments, Stoddart defended his actions.

"We've got two race cars and we haven't got spares. If we have any offs (accidents), that's our weekend finished," he said.

"We had the support of the teams before this weekend. Clearly there's been a lot of controversy over it and I feel now that it was probably the right decision not to push it any further than we had."

Stoddart first petitioned other team bosses last September, seeking a dispensation to continue with last year's cars because the new rules were designed to reduce speeds on safety grounds.

He argued that Minardi were already several seconds slower than other teams and so should be exempted providing their cars satisfied safety regulations.

In the build-up to Sunday's race Stoddart had accused champions Ferrari of blocking his attempts to bend the rules but it became clear on Friday that other teams, notably Jordan and Red Bull, were also against him.

Local support also appeared to be waning.

"He has just established a new airline in Australia," wrote Patrick Smith in the Australian newspaper. "The timing of this latest aviation venture may be pivotal to everything that is taking place at Albert Park this week.