NOVEMBER 26, 2000

Stand by for Sir Jackie Stewart

THE hottest tip of the weekend's gossip columns is that triple World Champion Jackie Stewart is set to join Sir Jack Brabham and Sir Frank Williams as one of the handful of Formula 1 knights.

It is being suggested that British prime minister Tony Blair, anxious to curry favor with the Scots, has recommended to the Queen that Jackie should become Sir Jackie, following on after his compatriot Sean Connery was knighted earlier this year.

It is being speculated that Stewart will be ennobled in the New Year's Honours List, rounding off a year in which McLaren boss Ron Dennis was honored with the presentation of the CBE (Commander of the British Empire). No official confirmation of this news can be expected until the official lists are published in the British newspapers on New Year's Eve.