Formula One News — January 2002

The Jaguar team has high hopes for the revised and uprated Cosworth CR-3, 75-degree V10 engine which the team will continue to use this coming season.

More than 200 Prost employees will protest outside France's Economy, Finance and Industry Ministry tomorrow, in the hope that the politicians will step in to help the team survive.

According to a report on the Internet, Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz has sold his shares in Red Bull Sauber Holding AG, the parent company of the Swiss F1 team.

Jacques Villeneuve has made the unlikely statement that he would like to drive for Ferrari.

McLaren designer Adrian Newey has been nominated for the prestigious Prince Philip Designer Prize, which recognizes the career achievements of individuals involved in the world of design.

The new Jaguar R3 was unveiled this morning (4 January) at the British team's headquarters in Milton Keynes and will be rushed to Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya over the weekend for its first test in the hands of Eddie Irvine next Tuesday.

Being an Argentine politician at the moment is a dangerous business.

Four time World Champion Michael Schumacher praised the efforts of FIA President Max Mosley and the Grand Prix Drivers Association to continue to improve safety in Formula One, but said there are still "some old and grey men" working against those efforts.

The new Toyota V10 F1 engine is rumored to be producing prodigious horsepower figures and we have heard suggestions in recent days that if the current development continues the team could be in a position to qualify in the top 10 in the early races of the year.

Michael Schumacher is still enjoying his winter break and is not expected to be seen back at the wheel of an F1 car until January 19 when he is due to test at Valencia.

The announcement of Mark Webber as team mate to the well-funded Alex Yoong with the recently renamed KL Minardi team is becoming the subject of much speculation as the final places in the 2002 Formula 1 driver market shake down and the testing season begins.

The North American International Auto Show, which kicks off in Detroit on Sunday, is expected to see a fair amount of soul-searching amongst the car manufacturers as they face up to the first serious recession in a decade.

Jean-Louis Schlesser has retired his Renault Kangoo Schlesser Special from the Paris-Dakar after only six stages.

Sir Frank Williams has publicly backed Jenson Button's driving skills in the British paper the Sun.

The growing ranks of young talent emerging in Formula 1 such as Jenson Button, Nick Heidfeld, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa have been given notice that their rise to the top will be no easier after 2004 when Michael Schumacher's current Ferrari contract runs out.

Work began Wednesday at the Hockenheimring on the $50m renovations planned to reduce the length of the track and increase spectator capacity.

A world-wide poll of Associated Press subscribers has voted Michael Schumacher's fourth World Championship as the second most important sports story of 2001.

Rather than heading to Monte Carlo for the classic season opener of the World Rally Championship, the 200-plus members of the beleaguered Prost Grand Prix team will be rallying in Paris this New Year as they attempt to drum up the interest of European industrialists in backing the outfit's future.

While many of the Formula One teams begin testing for the 2002 season in Spain next week, Arrows will not be among them.