NEWS ARCHIVE
LIUZZI TO TEST FOR WILLIAMS
Vitantonio Liuzzi is to test for the BMW Williams team at the start of December. The Italian youngster, who has been racing in the German Formula 3 Championship this year, finished second in the highly-competitive German Formula Renault title at his first attempt in single-seaters last year.
STODDART DOES SOME HOUSEKEEPING
Paul Stoddart has told Melbourne's 3AW radio station that he is selling European Aviation - but this has got nothing to do with Formula 1.
ROSBERG TO TEST WILLIAMS-BMW ON DECEMBER 3
Nico Rosberg will test a Williams-BMW FW24 On December 3 in Barcelona. The 17-year-old son of former World Champion Keke Rosberg will get the chance thanks to his victory in the Formula BMW ADAC Championship this year, having scored nine victories in 20 races.
JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON
The outcry - largely from Belgium - about the demise of the Belgian Grand Prix has brought a few other people who have messages that they wish to deliver.
TOYOTA LEARNS FROM THE LESSONS OF 2002
Toyota has announced a restructuring of Toyota Motorsport GmbH organization based on the lessons that it learned in 2002. The company has appointed Briton John Howett as its new president starting in January in order to give Ove Andersson the chance to concentrate completely on Formula 1.
THE QUESTION OF OVERTAKING
One of the things which was discussed at the F1 Commission on Monday was the need to create more overtaking in Formula 1 - although many believe that overtaking is not as important issue as some would make out. The decision was that the FIA needs to look at how best to improve the situation.
MORE TERRESTRIAL TV PROBLEMS
The dwindling F1 television audiences have already impacted advertising revenues drastically, as it has been difficult to draw new advertisers as well as justify the rates to current advertisers as F1 viewing figures slumped this year.
THINGS ARE LOOKING BETTER FOR NISSAN
The Nissan Motor Company has announced that it expects to report an 84% increase in operating profits for the first half of the year to $2.8bn. The turnaround is being attributed to a combination of higher sales of new products, more efficient operations and lower costs.
TALKING DOWN THE GPWC
At the post-F1 Commission press conference Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone both spoke disparagingly of the planned GPWC, the alternative World Championship which the car manufacturers say they will establish in 2008.
THE FIA SLAPS COMMISSIONER BYRNE
The FIA has issued a statement in response to comments made by the European Health Commissioner David Byrne criticising the omission of the Belgian Grand Prix from the 2003 World Championship.
SATO SWITCHES TO MCLAREN
Takuma Sato has long been a driver with Honda links and so it is no surprise that he should take part in Honda's two-day 'Enjoy Honda 2002' festival at the Motegi circuit. Sato however did not show up in a Jordan but rather at the wheel of a 1989 McLaren-Honda MP4/5, which is owned by Honda.
ECCLESTONE PROMISES BETTER F1 TV SHOW
Bernie Ecclestone says that things are going to change in the televising of Formula 1 races. In recent years F1 coverage has been divided into two sectors: free-to-air and pay-per-view.
THE ROAD AHEAD FOR ARROWS
Tom Walkinshaw was present at the F1 Commission and was allowed to cast his vote but the future of the Arrows team remains in considerable doubt despite constant rumors that a new owner has been found.
BYRNE STICKS HIS FOOT IN HIS MOUTH
European politicians have a habit of sticking their noses into places where the intervention is not welcome and comments made by the European Union Health Commissioner David Byrne from Ireland about the cancellation of the Belgian Grand Prix have not gone down well in motor racing circles.
THE NEW POINTS SYSTEM
The new Formula 1 points system for 2003 will see points going to the top eight finishers on a scale of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 as opposed to the old top six system of 10-6-4-3-2-1. We have worked out what would have happened with a similar system this year.
BELGIANS BID TO SAVE THEIR RACE
The two Belgian senators who tried to save the Belgian Grand Prix earlier this year by introducing an amendment to the country's new anti-tobacco law say that they are now going to introduce an emergency bill to Belgium's parliament so that the law can be postponed.
FORMULA 1 MAGAZINE TO BE REVAMPED
Formula One Management has announced that it has acquired Formula 1 Magazine. The magazine was previously owned by a Bernie Ecclestone-controlled publishing company, which launched the title early in 2001.
MAIMAN GOES TO WORK
Grant Maiman, one of the four drivers chosen for the inaugural Red Bull F1 Driver Search, started testing with the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup team Jenzer Motorsport GmbH in preparation of a full season of racing in 2003.
THE GOOD NEWS FROM MONDAY
The good news from the FIA Formula 1 Commission is that the traditions and the spirit of the sport has not been compromised with weight penalties or driver switches. These have rather predictably been rejected as gimicky or unworkable and the changes which have been agreed are entirely sensible.
THE F1 COMMISSION IN DETAIL
The FIA Formula 1 Commission met in London on Monday and voted through a series of changes which it hopes will reinvigorate Formula 1 racing. The big changes come in qualifying with the vote for qualifying to return to Friday and Saturday.
F1 COMMISSION RULE CHANGES
Monday's F1 Commission meeting yielded some minor changes to the Formula One rules, including changes to the qualifying procedures, an expanded points system, changes to the tire regulations, and a ban on team orders.
BELGIAN GP OFF
The F1 team bosses met Monday at the scheduled F1 Commission meeting and, as expected, could not agree to run the Belgium GP without Tobacco sponsorship, so the race will not take place in 2003.
TODAY IS THE DAY...
The meeting of the Formula 1 Commission in London today is being billed as one of the most important in the history of the sport - but it seems unlikely that much will really come of it unless the Formula 1 teams can work together to agree to change the structure of the sport.
TENNIS OVERHAULS FORMULA 1
According to new market research from Sport+Markt, tennis has now overtaken Formula 1 as the second most popular TV sport in Europe. The Germany company has just published its European Sport Sponsoring 2002 study, which was produced after polls in Germany, England, France, Italy and Spain.
MINARDI FOLLOWS FERRARI LEAD
Last weekend at Misano Ferrari held a big celebration to show the Italian fans the cars which have been so dominant in this year's Formula 1 World Championship.
MICHAEL BORROWS A MINARDI
Michael Schumacher borrowed a Minardi two-seater racer earlier this week and took to the Ferrari test track at Fiorano to give some of his friends a ride with him in an F1 car.
LORDS ARGUE FOR GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR MOTORSPORT
The House of Lords of the British Parliament was the scene last week of a heated debate over whether the government should help to ensure that the British motorsport industry maintains its position as the world leader.
BELGIAN GP IN TROUBLE
The Belgian Grand Prix is probably not going to make it onto the F1 calendar next year. It is believed that the teams have been unable to agree on whether the race should happen and that means that it is off the calendar.
SAUBER HAS NO WORRIES ABOUT CREDIT SUISSE
The rumoured problems of Credit Suisse will not affect the Sauber F1 program at all, according to Credit Suisse spokesman Alexandre Fasel.
THE BATTLE BETWEEN BEIJING AND SHANGHAI
Although Shanghai has won the contract to host the Chinese Grand Prix for seven years between 2004 and 2010, there is still much talk in the Chinese newspapers of a bid for a Grand Prix by Beijing. How this could happen is not clear but the that has not stopped the stories.
NO DEAL BETWEEN CART AND F1
CART president Chris Pook says that there are no plans to combine the efforts of CART and Formula 1.
WHY ASBESTOS COULD HURT SAUBER...
There seems to be little connection between asbestos and Formula 1, the current state of the sport and the need for large amounts of money has created some unusual problems for team bosses to worry about.
AGNELLI LOOKS TO FRANCE FOR MORE MONEY
Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli has been in Paris this week amid rumours that Italy's best known industrialist is trying to find more money to keep Fiat afloat because of the losses that have been suffered by its Fiat Auto subsidiary. The issue is an important one for the Ferrari F1 team because is Fiat a major Ferrari sponsor.
JORDAN PLAYS THE OXFORD UNION
Eddie Jordan is known as a talker and so an invitation to talk to the Oxford Union, Britain's premier debating forum, was just up EJ's street. Keeping up his theme in recent weeks Jordan said that Formula 1 is in need of change.
GURNEY'S AMERICAN F1 TEAM ON HOLD
Dan Gurney's plan to establish an all American Formula One team has been put on hold due to the economic climate and the uncertainty in the future of F1.
GANASSI JUMPS TO IRL
While there is much activity at the moment trying to talk up CART as rumors circulate that there might be a takeover of the series by the Formula One group the series's major team - which has won four of the last seven CART titles - has announced that it is to follow Penske Racing into the Indy Racing League.
FORMULA 1 TEAMS TO MEET WITH FIA
Word is leaking out that there is to be another meeting between team bosses and the FIA on Friday at the federation's London headquarters in Trafalgar Square. This is believed to be a pre-F1 Commission meeting between the teams opposed to the changes being proposed and FIA President Max Mosley.
THE TROUBLE WITH F1 - CIRCUITS OR GREED?
At his recent press briefing Sir Frank Williams raised an interesting point. He believes that one of the problems of modern Formula 1 is that the circuits used are not up to standard.
BRITAIN'S ANTI-TOBACCO LEGISLATION CLEARS MAJOR HURDLE
Formula 1 teams do not use tobacco branding in Britain these days but the government continues pushing ahead with its anti-smoking legislation despite the fact that most of Europe is happy to wait until the FIA-backed ban on tobacco sponsorship begins in 2006.
FORMULA 1 AND CART
The stories circulating that Bernie Ecclestone may be buying into Championship Auto Racing Teams Inc. are interesting but there is still a long way to go before they become a reality. For a start CART is still a public company and in order for there to be a change in ownership the firm would need to get off Wall Street...
FERRARI HONORED BY ITALY
The Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi yesterday received members of the Ferrari team at the Palazzo del Qurinale in Rome. The party included Luca di Montezemolo, Piero Ferrari, Jean Todt, Michael Schumacher, Luca Badoer and Luciano Burti.
WORSE TO COME FOR FIAT?
Ferrari's parent company Fiat is set to announce even bigger losses for its Fiat Auto subsidiary after a board meeting on October 31. Reports suggest that the loss will be at least one third of its capital and that means that the company will, under Italian law, have to be recapitalised.
IS PORSCHE A SERIOUS CONTENDER FOR FORMULA 1?
There have been stories on and off for a couple of years suggesting that Porsche is planning to return to Formula 1 with its own Formula 1 operation in 2005. To date the idea has always been voted down by the company's supervisory board but now it seems there is more potential than ever.
GPWC ANNOUNCES F1 PROPOSAL
The board of the Grand Prix World Championship company met a few days ago and decided to make a proposal to SLEC, the holding company of the Formula One group, to restucture Formula 1 so that all parties can work together. The GPWC has now gone public with the proposal.
YOONG TO CART IN 2003
Alex Yoong may be moving to America in 2003, rather than staying on with the Minardi team in a testing role. The young Malaysian recently revealed that he is close to signing a deal in CART, which would be a boost to both Yoong and the struggling series.
FORMULA NISSAN TESTS NEW 450 HORSEPOWER ENGINE
Formula Nissan continues to grow and the Nissan 3-litre engine which will be used in the cars next year was given its first run on Monday at Valencia with Bas Leinders doing the development work.
HEYLEN WINS FORMULA FORD FESTIVAL
Belgian Jan Heylen won the Formula Ford Festival at the weekend at Brands Hatch. Victory in the event is a major step forward for any young driver and Heylen joins a distinguished list of former winners
MAJOR WORK IN MEXICO
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City is just finishing major renovation work in preparation for the return of international motor racing in the middle of November when the CART series arrives for the Telmex Gigante Gran Premio Mexico.
CART MOVING TO V10S IN 2005
The CART championship is looking to switch to normally-aspirated V10 engines in 2005. This would open the way for the American series to use versions of the current engines used in Formula 1 racing
FEDEX TO DEPART FROM CART
Federal Express has said that it will not be continuing its sponsorship arrangements with CART. This is a major blow to the US series but could be a bonus for the BMW Williams team which enjoys FedEx support in Formula 1.
BMW LOOKS AT THE FUTURE
Dr. Mario Theissen, the boss of BMW Motorsport, has been talking about the company's plans in Formula 1 and says that the Munich firm has three options for the future.
IS PEACE ABOUT TO BREAK OUT?
The Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper is reporting that a solution has been found between the banks which are now in control of the Formula One group of companies and the car manufacturers.
CART AND VILLENEUVE (AGAIN)
We are hearing rumors that the CART board of directors has given the go-ahead for chief executive Chris Pook to embark on a major investment program to save the series with a rumored $40m being taken out of the CART bank accounts to be used to attract teams and drivers to the series.
WILSON CHALKS UP HIS FIRST FORMULA NISSAN VICTORY
The International Formula 3000 champion of 2001 Justin Wilson is talking to Minardi about a drive for next year while also keeping his options open by testing for the Newman Haas CART team.
FORMULA 1 GOES TO IRL
Two former Formula 1 men are making waves in America at the moment as they build the first chassis to be produced by the all-new Falcon Cars in Charlotte, North Carolina.
ROYAL AIR FORCE MEMORIAL AT SILVERSTONE
The surviving members of the 17th Operational Training Unit of the Royal Air Force gather today at Silverstone to unveil a memorial to their fallen colleagues who flew from Silverstone during World War II.
IS CASTRONEVES THE MISSING LINK?
For some time Formula 1 observers have been trying to work out what is holding up movement on the driver market. Mark Webber is expected to be confirmed as a Jaguar Racing driver but the deal has not been confirmed. There is also much talk of Cristiano da Matta joining Olivier Panis at Toyota - but the deal has not been announced.
NO FERRARI SALE AHEAD
The chief executive of Fiat Gabriele Galateri says that he has no further plans to sell more shares in the Ferrari company, despite the financial troubles of the Fiat group. In an interview with the Fiat-controlled newspaper Corriere della Sera, he said that job cuts are needed at Fiat Auto if the company is going to survive.
ECCLESTONE GOES TO CHINA
Bernie Ecclestone flew out to Shanghai on Saturday in order to finish final negotiations with the organisers of the planned Chinese GP. The commercial agreements should be signed on Monday.
WILLIAMS CALLS FOR CAUTION
Sir Frank Williams had a discreet press briefing on Friday at the Williams factory at Grove and explained the team's views about a number of issues in the run-up to the forthcoming Formula 1 Commission meeting. Williams said that he hoped that sense would prevail and that the future of the sport would remain the focus.
FORMULA 1 IN CHINA
As we have been predicting for some months, the plans for a Chinese Grand Prix have now come to fruition with FIA President Max Mosley announcing plans for a race in Shanghai from 2004 until 2010.
DE LA ROSA HAS A POP AT IRVINE
Pedro de la Rosa seems a mild-mannered sort of fellow, always happy to please and not one to rock the boat but being team mates with Eddie Irvine has obviously been a strain for the Spaniard, not least after Irvine launched a critical salvo in his direction a few weeks ago. De la Rosa chose not to respond at the time. But now...
SCHECKTER LOOKS TO GANASSI
Tomas Scheckter once seemed on a trajectory which was going to take him to Formula 1 but the young South African, son of the 1979 World Champion, went off the rails in 2001 and was dumped by Jaguar Racing.
TEAM BOSSES CONSIDER THE F1 SYSTEM
Formula 1 team owners have an extraordinary amount of power, compared to participants in many other sports. The Concorde Agreement gives teams a strong voice in deciding the rules and regulations of the sport - and that is becoming more and more of a problem because the teams can never agree on anything.
THE PROBLEMS AT OCTAGON MOTORSPORTS
The Interpublic Group of Companies is the world's second biggest advertising company but in recent months its results has been adversely affected by its involvement in motorsports. The firm has just given its second profit because of the problems it is encountering at Octagon Motorsports.
MCNISH TO TEST FOR PENSKE
Allan McNish has flown to the United States of America and is due to test for the Penske IRL team early next week at the California Speedway at Fontana. McNish might be in the running for a Penske drive if Helio Castroneves gets the chance to race in Formula 1
RED BULL DRIVER SEARCH WINNERS
The Red Bull Driver Search is over with Danny Sullivan and his crew having picked the four young American drivers they think have the best chance of making it to Formula 1 in the future - after a series of tests at Paul Ricard.
WHAT HAPPENS TO ASIATECH?
The news that Asiatech has been unable to move to the second phase of its plans to become a Formula 1 team means that there is no reason for the company to remain in operation. This is bad news for the 200 people at Velizy, in the southern suburbs of Paris.
BERNIE AND CART
The French motorsport magazine Autohebdo has come up with an interesting theory about why Bernie Ecclestone was meeting with CART bosses Gerry Forsythe and Chris Pook recently.
EU CLEARANCE FOR FORMULA ONE DEAL
On September 2 the European Commission received notification that three banks: the Bayerische Landesbank, JP Morgan and Lehmann Brothers were planning to take control of SLEC Holdings, the Formula One group holding company.
CARLIN AND SAULNIER HEAD FOR SPAIN
The Telefonica World Series by Nissan, a rival championship to the International Formula 3000 series, has announced two major new signings for the 2003 series: Carlin Motorsport and Saulnier Racing.
NOW LET'S GET REAL, SHALL WE?
This week the big kerfuffle in Formula 1 circles is an apparent threat by Ferrari to race elsewhere if certain proposals suggested by the FIA are voted through by the F1 Commission on October 28. This is about as credible as the proposal to institute a system in which drivers switch between teams in the course of a season.
STARS OF THE FUTURE HEAD FOR BRANDS HATCH
This weekend the young racers of Europe will gather at Brands Hatch for the annual Formula Ford Festival. A victory in the Festival has been the launching pad for a number of drivers who ended up in Formula 1
WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO VOTE ON THE F1 COMMISSION?
The big question in F1 circles for those who have not gone away on holiday after the last race of the season, is what will now happen at the meeting of the Formula 1 Commission on October 28.
F1 LEADS PEOPLE ASTRAY...
A Monaco-based British banker was in court yesterday charged with siphoning money from the bank accounts of his clients, including Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher. Stephen Troth has confessed to spending up to $20m which belonged to others.
SHANGHAI CONTRACT SIGNING SCHEDULED
As we reported Monday, Max Mosley flew to Shanghai to break ground on the new Formula One circuit to be built in the city. It now appears that Mosley will return with Bernie Ecclestone on October 20th to sign an agreement to hold a Grand Prix at the planned facility from 2004 to 2010.
F1 BACK TO BBC?
The BBC will try to win back Formula One terrestrial television coverage in Britain when rival ITV's current contract expires in 2005. The Daily Mail is reporting that BBC executives have given the go-ahead for a $270 million bid to broadcast the championship for three years.
ARROWS DOES IT AGAIN
Arrows has once again avoided a winding up petition by paying off a creditor hours before the petition was due to be heard in court. An Arrows spokesperson confirmed Monday that the British Inland Revenue was paid (for what was believed to be unpaid taxes), thus avoiding a winding-up petition scheduled to be heard Tuesday.
FIAT'S TROUBLES DEEPEN
Fiat last week asked the Italian government to allow it to ignore employment law and close several factories. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has now said that this will not be allowed to happen.
WILL SATO'S FIFTH PLACE SAVE HIS DRIVE WITH JORDAN?
Takuma Sato's fifth place at the Japanese Grand Prix has opened the way for the Japanese driver to find sponsorship that will keep his drive open at Jordan next year.
CONFIRMATION OF CHINESE GP COMING SOON
Max Mosley flew to Shanghai on Monday to break ground for the planned Formula 1 circus in the city.
SAYONARA ASIATECH
Asiatech, the mysterious company which took over the Peugeot Sport engine operation at the end of 2000, has announced that it is giving up its plans to enter Formula 1 with its own team.
SUNDAY PHOTOS
Japanese Grand Prix Sunday Photos
MCNISH IS OUT
Allan McNish has been forbidden to race in the Japanese Grand Prix following his massive accident in qualifying. The decision was taken by FIA doctor Sid Watkins shortly before the event.
MCNISH TO MISS THE GRAND PRIX?
Although he took part in the warm-up on Sunday morning at Suzuka, it is thought likely that Allan McNish will be told that he cannot race in this afternoon's Grand Prix on the advice of the Formula 1 doctor Sid Watkins
PETRONAS TO DEVELOP ITS OWN F1 FUEL
The Malaysian national oil company Petronas, sponsor of the Sauber team, is to develop its own F1 fuels in the future.
FERRARIS AHEAD IN WARM-UP
Japanese Grand Prix Sunday Warmup Report
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE WEIGHT PENALTY SCHEME IS VOTED THROUGH?
The proposal made by Max Mosley that Formula 1 cars should be made to carry extra weight, depending on the number of World Championship points that they score, is one which has not really been taken seriously by the Formula 1 community.
MCNISH UNHURT
Allan McNish, in his last race with the Toyota F1 team, was fortunate to emerge unscathed from a high-speed accident in qualifying at Suzuka. The Toyota went out of control at the fast rigth-hander going out into the country and at around 160mph bounced across the short run-off area and hit the barriers hard, halfway up.
MCNISH HAS A HUGE ONE!
Allan McNish walked unaided from a massive accident during qualifying at Suzuka. The Totoya driver was exiting the fast left-hander after the sweepers behind the F1 paddock when he lost control of the car.
STODDART CONFIRMS BIG TEAM ATTACK
Paul Stoddart the boss of the Minardi team has confirmed that four teams have taken steps to challenge Minardi's right to the benefit monies from Prost Grand Prix.
IS ARROWS ON THE F1 COMMISSION?
The meeting of the Formula 1 Commission at the end of the month will be a key one for the sport with radical proposals being put forward by Max Mosley to revolutionise the sport. In order for these to get through the Commission a majority of 18 votes is needed from the 26 available.
SCHUMACHER BROTHERS TOP TIMES ON SATURDAY MORNING
Japanese Grand Prix Saturday Morning Free Practice Report
WILSON AND NEWMAN HAAS RACING
The 2001 Formula 3000 Champion Justin Wilson has struggled to get a break in Formula 1 and it now seems that the tall Englishman will be switching to CART next year. Wilson tested for the new CART champions Newman Haas Racing at the 1.5 mile Homestead Oval in Miami, Florida.
VILLENEUVE AND CART
The story of Jacques Villeneuve and CART is officially over. Jacques is under contract to British American Racing for next year and that is that. Or that is what is being said. And yet at the same time there remains a suspicion that we could still see Villeneuve disappearing off to America in 2003.
MORE MAYHEM AT FIAT
Ferrari's parent company Fiat has announced plans to wipe out more than 20% if its workforce as part of a plan to save the stricken Italian car company. This will mean that more than 8000 people are going to lose their jobs
RAIKKONEN FASTEST IN AFTERNOON SESSION (UPDATED)
Japanese Grand Prix Friday Afternoon Free Practice Report
SOMETHING IS MISSING FROM THE PICTURE
The lack of movement on the F1 driver market in recent weeks has been rather strange. Cristiano da Matta is expected to be at Toyota next year but has yet to be confirmed. Mark Webber is expected to join Jaguar but the move has not been confirmed.
ORANGE-ARROWS SPONSORSHIP ENDS
The three year sponsorship deal between mobile service provider Orange and Arrows ends after this weekend's Japanese GP, and, to no one's surprise, the agreement will not be renewed.
FRIDAY PHOTOS
Japanese Grand Prix Friday Photos
LAURENZ TO MERCEDES-BENZ?
BMW Motorsport has announced that Dr Werner Laurenz, the general manager of the F1 engine development program, is to leave the company. He will be replaced by Heinz Paschen, the lead designer of the powerful BMW V10 engines.
BLUNDELL GOES RALLYING
Mark Blundell, former Formula 1 driver and television commentator, is to make his rallying debut on the Network Q Rally of Great Britain next month. Blundell will drive an MG ZR Super 1600. His co-driver for the event will be Formula 1 journalist Bob McKenzie of the Daily Express.
THE INLAND REVENUE AND ARROWS
The Formula 1 circus is waiting for news of the Arrows team. No-one expects the team to be seen again and the news that the British tax authorities have now put in a winding-up petition against the team's holding company will probably put an end to the story once and for all.
DAVID NORTH TO RENAULT
David North, one of Formula 1's most experienced transmission engineers, has moved from McLaren to Renault.
ROSBERG TO TEST FOR BMW WILLIAMS
Nico Rosberg is to test a Williams-BMW Formula 1 car in the near-future at the invitation of BMW. The 17-year-old Finn, the son of 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg, won the Formula BMW championship this year
LANCE MACKLIN
The Grand Prix driver Lance Macklin has died at the age of 83
MOSLEY'S LETTER TO THE F1 TEAMS
FIA President Max Mosley has written to the Formula 1 team bosses outlining his proposals for changes in the F1 sporting regulations. The list includes several ideas which are at best unlikely, including the idea of drivers rotating between the teams in the course of the season.
MAX HAS SOME FUN
The suggestion that Formula 1 drivers should each drive for every team in the course of an F1 season is laughable - but it has provided the sport with a few more headlines as the leading players gear up for a major meeting
MOSLEY'S WORLD TOUR
FIA President Max Mosley is currently on a world tour with visits either having taken place or being planned to Bahrain, Shanghai, Suzuka and St Petersburg. The major goal of the trip appears to be to meet the people who will be involved in the new F1 races which are planned for the next few years
WILLIAMS HAS NO INTENTION OF SELLING TO BMW
The recent spat of rumors that Williams is talking to BMW about selling a stake in the company are not true. The team has always been the most independent of the independents and that is not about to change.
PETRUCCI TO JORDAN
Nicolo Petrucci, the chief aerodynamicist of the Arrows team, has signed for Jordan. The former Ferrari engineer is seen as having been one of the major reasons for the good showings of Arrows in recent years
POLLOCK SIZES UP CART
Jacques Villeneuve and Craig Pollock's visit to Miami over the weekend for the CART Grand Prix of the Americas caused some speculation that the 1995 CART Champion may still return to the US series, but Pollock may also be looking to the US to make his return as team owner and director.
MOSLEY REVEALS DRIVER SWAPPING PLAN
FIA president Max Mosley has revealed more about the letter recently written to the team bosses, which discusses possible rule changes aimed at making F1 more exciting.
THE QUESTION OF HANDICAPPING
The suggestion that there could be a system of handicapping introduced in Formula 1 next year is not very likely to happen. Formula 1 bosses Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone have long been traditionalists in their approach to the sport and to go against everything they stand for would be a big surprise
RED BULL SEARCH FORGES ON
Red Bull's American driver search is moving forward with the final candidates readying themselves for the run-off, scheduled for October 14th through October 18th at Paul Ricard in southern France.
WILLIAMS WOOING BMW
Frank Williams has been making noise lately, encouraging engine supplier BMW to buy into his team to provide stability and allow for long term plans. i
MEETINGS IN SUZUKA
FIA President Max Mosley is expected to be present at the Japanese Grand Prix and it is anticipated that he will be meeting with the various team bosses to gauge the level of support for his plans to make radical changes to the F1 rules. There is likely to be considerable opposition from the bigger teams.
PAFFETT IS GERMAN F3 CHAMPION
Gary Paffett has become the first British driver to win the German Formula 3 Championship. In recent years the series has been dominated by international drivers with the 2001 title going to Japan's Toshihiro Kaneishi and previous champions being Giorgio Pantano (Italy), Holland's Christjian Albers and Belgium's Bas Leinders.
BERNIE, POOK AND FORSYTHE
Bernie Ecclestone recently had a long meeting with CART's Chris Pook and Gerry Forsythe although details of what took place have not been revealed. It is not clear what this might have been about
JAGUAR AND FORD
The spat in the recent days over whether or not Helio Castroneves is in the running for a drive with Jaguar Racing is indicative of the way the team is run. There is no doubt at all - and it has been confirmed by Castroneves himself - that an approach was made.
UNRAVELLING THE FORMULA 3000 MESS
The International Court of Appeal met in Paris to examine various appeals resulting from the recent Formula 3000 race at Monza and the conclusions of the court ended up having a fairly dramatic effect on the championship order with Antonio Pizzonia dropping down the order.
THOSE SILLY PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA...
A Los Angeles jury has ordered Ferrari sponsor Philip Morris - the owner of the Marlboro brand - to pay $28 billion in punitive damages to a 64-year-old woman with lung cancer who blamed her tobacco addiction on the company's failure to warn her of the risks of smoking.
EUROPEAN RACERS HEAD FOR THE STATES
With the Formula 3000 series having ended and drives in Formula 1 being in short supply the recent days have seen a number of tests and contacts between Formula 3000 racers and the US teams.
MCLAREN PLANS TO LULL FERRARI INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY
The McLaren team has admitted that it intends to start next season with an updated version of the current car before bring in the new MP4-18 at the start of the European season.
MASSA TO RETURN TO SAUBER ONE LAST TIME
Felipe Massa was back behind the wheel for Sauber this week at the Mugello circuit, in preparation for his final race with the Swiss team next weekend, the Japanese Grand Prix.
BARCELONA TESTING CONTINUES
Antonio Pizzonia was the fastest man in Barcelona Thursday during the third day of testing before the Japanese Grand Prix.
PREMIER1 LIVES
The organizers of the Premier1 Grand Prix series, who have been silent in recent months, have released a statement confirming their intentions and where they currently stand in their plans to launch the series.
AN INSIDE LOOK AT F1
The Discovery Channel is to broadcast a three-part series called The Secret Life of Formula 1, a behind-the-scenes documentary featuring the WilliamsF1 team.
NO PROBLEM FOR AUSTRALIA
The FIA World Council 's new Formula 1 calendar for 2003 has one very significant but unnoticed change. The provisional status of the Australian GP has now disappeared, indicating that the problems surrounding the Melbourne race have now been sorted out.
NO TRACK ADVERTISING
The FIA World Council has ruled that in future there will be no advertising allowed on the race track itself.
WURZ SETS BARCELONA RECORD IN NEW MCLAREN
The McLaren MP4-17B, the updated version of the current car in development for 2003, broke the Circuit de Catalunya track record in the hands of test driver Alexander Wurz Wednesday.
GEORGE HAPPY WITH US FINISH
Tony George says he has no complaints about what happened at the end of the United States Grand Prix on Sunday.
HONDA'S F1 MANAGEMENT SHAKE-UP
Honda is having a major reshuffle of its Formula 1 staff with Toru Ogawa, the executive chief engineer of Honda R&D Ltd. being replaced by Takeo Kiuchi.
TURKEY GETS A WORLD RALLY FIXTURE
Turkey has been chosen to host one of the 14 rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship in 2003.
EFF ONE JOINS GRANDPRIX.COM
For the last 12 years readers of the British magazine Formula 1 News have enjoyed the adventures and revelations of a character called
BYE-BYE BELGIUM?
The 2003 Belgian Grand Prix will go ahead as planned next August - if all the Formula 1 teams agree to run without tobacco advertising. And that means that there is very little chance of the race taking place.
JAGUAR RACING DISAGREES WITH FORD
Jaguar Racing's spokesman Nav Sidhu says that Helio Castroneves is not in the frame at Jaguar Racing and never has been. This contradicts well-placed sources in Detroit who are indicating that there is a push from the Ford Motor Company top management to get Castroneves.
TESTING IN BARCELONA, TEAMS LOOK TO 2003
Testing resumed Tuesday in Barcelona, as the Formula One teams prepare for the Japanese Grand Prix in two weeks, as well as looking ahead to next year. McLaren, BAR and Toyota tested both current and future components at the Spanish circuit.
ENGE LOSES FORMULA 3000 TITLE
The FIA World Motor Sport Council has ruled that Tomas Enge will be excluded from the results of the Hungarian Formula 3000 race this year - which means that the title goes to his rival Sebastian Bourdais. The ruling came after Enge was found to have tested positive in a random dope test after the event.
FORMULA 1 RULES TO BE DECIDED ON OCTOBER 28
The Formula One Commission will meet on October 28 to discuss what shape the F1 regulations should take next year.
FORMULA 1 CALENDAR MODIFIED
The World Motor Sport Council met in Paris on October 1st and amended the Formula 1 calendar for 2003. The Hungarian GP has been pushed back a week to August 24, creating a three-week break between the German and Hungarian events but this means that Hungary and Belgium are now just a week apart.
CASTRONEVES CONFIRMS JAGUAR INTEREST
Helio Castroneves has confirmed that talks are going on to get him into a seat at Jaguar Racing, as we exclusively revealed on Saturday.
ANOTHER ROSBERG...
Nico Rosberg has won the Formula BMW championship - with two races to go.
WORLD COUNCIL DECISIONS DUE
The FIA World Motor Sport Council meets in Paris later today and it is expected that there will be a number of important decisions, notably the shape of the Formula 1 calendar for next year.
