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Stoddart Hoping Ambitious Gamble Pays Off

Minardi owner Paul Stoddart ordered his drivers to abort their qualifying laps at the Australian Grand Prix today as part of an elaborate gamble he hopes could give his team a rare advantage over their richer rivals.

Minardi owner Paul Stoddart ordered his drivers to abort their qualifying laps at the Australian Grand Prix today as part of an elaborate gamble he hopes could give his team a rare advantage over their richer rivals.

Stoddart told Reuters Justin Wilson and Jos Verstappen were instructed not to finish their qualifying laps so the cars would not have to be impounded overnight under Formula One's new regulations.

While the remaining teams will be unable to work on their cars overnight, and will have to start Sunday's race with the same tyres and fuel loads they used in qualifying, Minardi's mechanics will be free to make as many changes as they like.

Stoddart said it was a risky strategy because his vehicles would have to start at the back of the grid but if the Melbourne weather turned foul, his team would have a huge advantage because they could start with wet-weather tyres and full tanks of petrol.

"It was a conscious decision, we checked the rules, made absolutely sure we could do what we're doing, so for us there was little downside and mega-upside if it rains," Stoddart told Reuters.

"If it rains we're going to have a good advantage, because we'll have a wet set-up on the car, we'll have the right fuel load on the car and we'll be ready to go out and race. If it's dry, we'd probably have been at the back anyway so we've probably lost nothing. I think it's a bold move but hopefully a sensible one."

Stoddart said he had checked his team's strategy with the sport's governing body and there was nothing in the rules preventing them from doing what they did.

"What we did was within the rules, it was carefully thought out, it was checked and re-checked before we did it," he said.

"This is not a case of Minardi doing this at every race, we may never do it again, but if there is a balance of probability, a worthwhile risk versus reward scenario that gives us the advantage over our opponents, then that's what's racing's all about."

More Interest

Stoddart, who was raised in Melbourne where the weather is notoriously fickle, said his team's tactics would add more interest to racing because they showed how the new rules allowed teams to try a variety of different strategies that best suited their needs.

"We've not damaged the sport, we've actually made the sport more interesting and our interpretation of the rules is just another strategic decision that throws another aspect of interest into the sport," he said.

"This is not a loophole, we're paying a heavy price, we're starting at the back of the grid.

"There's no way Ferrari's ever going to do this because why would they ever want to start from the back. I'll take criticism if it's fair and whether people think we did the right thing or the wrong thing is for them to judge.

"But anyone else could have done it as well so I don't think it gives us an unfair advantage. Most people probably honestly watch qualifying until the last few minutes but they'll be watching it now because they don't know what's going to happen.

"These new rules will provide exactly what they're supposed to provide: different scenarios for different teams over different races and different weather conditions, and that will hopefully add up to something new and something more exciting."

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