DECEMBER 3, 2000

More December movements

THE start of December traditionally marks a time of change in Formula 1 circles and this year in no exception. The latest move we have heard is that Dutch engineer Dino Toso, who has been working as a race engineer at Jordan alongside Sam Michael in recent years has decided to follow the Australian out of the team. But it does not look like Toso is heading for Williams, the latest rumors say that he may end up following former Jordan technical director Mike Gascoyne to Benetton. Toso was trained as an aeronautical engineer but then became involved in touring car racing before joining the Jordan test team in 1997. He became Damon Hill's engineer in 1998 and more recently has worked with Jarno Trulli. Trulli it should be remembered is also tipped to be on his way to Benetton at some point in the future although the team currently has three confirmed drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella, Jenson Button and Mark Webber.

Conspiracy theorists in F1 think that Giancarlo Fisichella's knee problems could be used to get the Roman driver out of the way. Team boss Flavio Briatore seems to have had a worrying number of drivers with health problems during his time in F1: he dropped Johnny Herbert for that reason in 1989; two years later Roberto Moreno's fitness was called into question when Briatore wanted to snap up the young Michael Schumacher while in the course of 1994 both JJ Lehto and Jos Verstappen were shown the door for similar reasons: Lehto making way for Verstappen and the Dutchman being ditched when the team wanted to re-sign Johnny Herbert. More recently both Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger were out of action with real health problems, Berger's sinus problems giving Alexander Wurz the chance to show his abilities.