Formula One News — July 1996

FERRARI president Luca di Montezemolo told Italian pressmen at Silverstone that Ferrari intends to gradually phase out its Ferrari Design and Development facility at Shalford in England and move everything to the team's headquarters at Maranello in Italy.

THE Benetton team protested Jacques Villeneuve's Williams-Renault after the French-Canadian's dominant victory at the British GP, claiming that a front wing endplate was illegal.

THE new Stewart Grand Prix team has yet to conclude an agreement with a Formula 1 tire manufacturer and the word on the street at Silverstone was that Jackie Stewart's new operation has not been able to conclude a deal with Goodyear.

THE Ford Motor Company has yet to decide whether it is willing to supply its V10 engines to the Sauber team in 1997.

STEWART GRAND PRIX said it would start looking for drivers for 1997 in the midsummer, and the recent weeks have seen a lot of rumors about who might be seen in the Stewart-Ford cars next year.

THE Italian press gave Ferrari a rough ride in the newspapers in the days after the disastrous Magny-Cours weekend, and when Michael Schumacher suffered another engine blow-up in testing last week at Monza, there were renewed calls for change at Maranello.

LATE last Thursday evening Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and his wife Slavica were attacked by two muggers outside their house in London's exclusive Chelsea Square.

THE Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is quietly in the process of cornering the market among the top Formula 1 teams, leaving F1 newcomer Bridgestone with smaller - and less competitive outfits.

THE European press has been full of rumors in recent weeks that Alain Prost is on the verge of taking control of the Ligier team - with backing from major French companies.

PEUGEOT SPORT and Jordan Grand Prix have agreed to extend the exclusivity of their current engine deal until the end of 1997 - but there is no word on whether the pair will be working together in 1998.

THERE have been rumors in recent days that the Italian Forti team may not be seen at the British GP this weekend because of a lack of money.

THE Dome Formula 1 team, which was launched in Tokyo in March, did not appear at the Silverstone testing as had been planned and rumors in Japan suggest that the Japanese operation is struggling to find the money for its planned 1997 F1 assault.

LOLA CARS is to decide within the next few days whether it has the financial package it needs to push ahead with its Formula 1 plans in 1997.

THE history of the Silverstone racing circuit dates back only 50 years, but today it is far and away the most important racing circuit in Britain - and a major cog in Britain's motor racing industry.

RALF SCHUMACHER, brother of double World Champion Michael, is tipped to become McLaren's new test driver when the current incumbent Jan Magnussen leaves the team to become one of the drivers of the new Stewart Grand Prix operation.

AS Tom Walkinshaw gets control of Arrows and sets about convincing an engine manufacturer to back him in the season ahead, Brian Hart's future as an engine supplier in Formula 1 hangs in the balance.

TOM WALKINSHAW RACING has completed its takeover of the Arrows F1 team begun at the Brazilian GP in March.

THE hot rumor in the paddock at Magny-Cours is that Frank Williams is on the verge of taking up a year-old option on Heinz-Harald Frentzen to join the Williams team in 1997.

WHILE Frank Williams is well-placed in the engine market, he is still facing legal problems in Italy, relating to the death in Imola in 1994 of Ayrton Senna.

THERE were renewed rumors last weekend at Magny-Cours suggesting that Alain Prost has bought the Ligier team from Flavio Briatore and intends to turn it into the much-vaunted French national racing team.

DESPITE the sudden withdrawals of Renault and Elf from Formula 1, the Williams team has suddenly found itself in a very strong position in Grand Prix racing with all the major manufacturers scrabbling to get a deal with Frank Williams and his 30% partner Patrick Head.

DAMON HILL says he will not be racing Formula 1 in the next century. In a recent interview with Paris-Match Damon revealed that he has promised his wife Georgie that he will retire in the year 2000.

FRENCH oil company Elf stunned the Formula 1 world last week when it announced that it was pulling out of Grand Prix racing at the end of the season.