Minardi

Minardi was the archetypal small independent team of the early 2000s. It had limited money and performance, yet it gave Formula 1 opportunities to future names such as Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Justin Wilson. Webber’s fifth place at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix was celebrated like a victory, and the team scored again at the unusual 2005 United States Grand Prix with Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher. Sold to Red Bull after 2005 and transformed into Toro Rosso, Minardi remained beloved as a talent-finding underdog.