01/06/2006
NEWS STORY
Midland F1 owner Alex Shnaider is considering selling the team following a "substantial offer" from a Dutch consortium, led by Lost Boys founder Michiel Mol.
Although nobody is willing to reveal the sort of money on offer, Midland spokesman Ron fine told Pitpass; "the offer is too good to simply say 'no thanks'. It must be very carefully weighed, and Alex is really wrestling with that decision at the moment.
"Alex has not made a decision yet," he added. "If this was purely a business decision he would have already sold the team. However, Alex has an emotional attachment to Midland F1, and wants to see it achieve its goals.
"However, this offer would allow Alex to make a significant return on his investment and leave the team in good hands for the future," Fine admitted. "These investors have a real passion for F1, they love the sport.
"Alex fully appreciates the potential of Midland F1 and knows that the team has been improving all the time. If the offer had not been made he would not be considering selling it.
"In all honesty... Alex is sorry he received such a strong offer in the first place," Fine revealed.
There has been media speculation surrounding the team for some time, much of it totally fanciful, leading to Shnaider lashing out in April.
"I wonder what their motivation is for spreading this bullshit," he told Canada's Globe and Mail, " and why they never seem to grow tired of publishing the same lies, over and over again. The fact is, despite the constant rumours, I have not sold the team and it continues to operate at a healthy level.
"I will continue investing in the team for as long as I'm passionate about competing in the sport," he added, "and given that I've loved F1 since my childhood, I don't see that enthusiasm fading any time soon.
"It frustrates me when people say we're not investing in the team, because we've been investing non-stop since we bought it."
However, Shnaider admitted that some of the blame for the speculation lay at his own door, for it was shortly after purchasing Midland in 2005 that he said that should the right offer come along he would be willing to sell the team.
"I made a comment to that effect last year and it keeps coming back to bite me," he said, "but I stand by what I said because it's common sense. Even Ferrari could be sold tomorrow if someone would offer Fiat enough money for it. The same is true for every team on the grid, without exception."