Ciao, Minardi

Yesterday, one of the legendary names in Formula 1 ceased to be. Small Italian team Minardi, who were purchased by Red Bull last month, officially morphed into Squadra Toro Roso (that's "Team Red Bull" in Italian) on November 1. While they routinely circulated at the back of the field, Minardi provided a number of young drivers with their first step into F1, including new World Champion Fernando Alonzo and current Williams pilot Mark Webber. And, as my brother pointed out at Indy one year, even a Minardi running at the back of the field is still one of the fastest race cars in the world.