Baumgartner Makes First Payment to Minardi

Hungarian Zsolt Baumgartner looks set to be able to keep his Minardi drive, as his management has decided to take a risk and transfer the first term of payment to the Faenza-based team on Wednesday.

According to an official statement, they did this in spite of the fact that some of the $US 8 million asked from them by Minardi are still missing. The statement said 23-year old Baumgartner would fly to Faenza for a seat fitting tomorrow, and the actual transfer - rated at about $US 2 million - would be made at the same time.

Baumgartner, who made his Formula One debut last year with Jordan, stepping in for the injured Ralph Firman at the Hungaroring, signed a contract with Minardi for the 2004 season in December. His chances took a wrong turn in January however, when one of his main sponsors, oil company Mol Rt. decided to reconsider its offer, stating it was only valid for Jordan, not for minnows Minardi.

After that, it was the fans' turn to save Baumgartner's career. Through a hastily established "Baumgartner's Supporters Club", several people helped to make up the money missing from his budget after Mol Rt.'s unexpected decision.

"I have received several kind offers," Baumgartner told Hungarian news agency MTI on Wednesday evening. "One of my former schoolmates has brought me HUF 100,000 ($US 480) himself, and there were also some children who have sent me their pocket money. But there were other offers as well, ranging from HUF 100 ($US 0,48) to HUF 50 million ($US 241,000)."

Baumgartner's management has also set up a dedicated telephone line through which fans could make their contributions, while a Hungarian petrol station has even offered to pay him a dividend from every litre of fuel it would sell in 2004.

A few months back, in order to attract more sponsors, Baumgartner considered to start the races in Austrian colors instead of Hungarian, but although he said he now had the opportunity to do this, he decided to decline it.

"My management has received an offer which would have solved all our problems at once," he stated. "But, together with my parents, I decided to race in Formula One only in Hungarian colors. So we didn't accept it."

Baumgartner's management now hopes to raise the rest of the money from recently contacted sponsors, some of which could take the place of Mol Rt. Baumgartner, the son of the largest Renault-dealership in Hungary, will be the first Hungarian to have a permanent Formula One drive. He will be partnered by Italian Gianmaria Bruni at Minardi.