Formula One News — May 2002

MAY 28, 2002

Kirch "paralyzed by diverging interests"

There are to be meetings this week to try to reorganize unravel the complicated situation surrounding the Kirch group of companies.

Controversy across the water

Formula 1 is not the only racing series in the world to get itself in a tangle over its rules and regulations.

Renault off the hook

The FIA has announced that Renault Sport and Jarno Trulli will keep the points they scored for fourth place in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix after its software was found to be legal.

Rain hampers day one of Silverstone test

With the Canadian GP coming up in two weeks, many of the teams were back testing Tuesday at Silverstone.

MAY 27, 2002

TAG Heuer and McLaren

McLaren International and TAG Heuer have announced an extension to their sponsorship deal which has already been going on for 15 years.

Renault clarifies Monaco problems

Renault Sport has issued a clarification about the problems with the electronic box on Jarno Trulli's car at Monaco.

How will Lamborghini sell the Murcielago?

The Lamborghini company is currently embarking on a major sales drive to sell its new 580 horsepower V12 Murcielago supercar.

Genichi Kawakami

Genichi Kawakami, the man who turned Yamaha from being a musical instrument maker into one of the world's leading motorcycle firms and an important automotive businesses, has died at the age of 90.

Jacques the ambassador

Jacques Villeneuve has never been one to get too excited about diplomacy, the Canadian having a tendency to say what he thinks rather than being told what to say.

Alonso in a Jaguar

The announcement on Monday that Spain's Fernando Alonso is to test a Jaguar-Cosworth R3 this week has a number of interesting ramifications.

MAY 26, 2002

Bourdais wins Monaco Formula 3000 race

Sebastien Bourdais won the Monaco Formula 3000 Grand Prix on Saturday with a clean race from lights-out to checkered flag.

A software problem?

The Monaco Grand Prix was a great event for Formula 1 but there was a slight cloud over the event in the evening when it was found that there was a problem with "a programmable device" on Jarno Trulli's Renault.

Ecclestone looking to sort out Kirch problems

Bernie Ecclestone says that his main priority is to extricate Formula 1 from the problems associated with the collapse of the Kirch empire.

Money in Monaco

It may just be because people like to come to the Monaco Grand Prix but the boats on the harbor in Monaco this year featured a large number of big players from huge global companies.

Recognition for Jacky Ickx

Jacky Ickx was recently recognized for this work by the Monaco Government which made him an Officer in the Order of Saint Charles.

MAY 25, 2002

What? Again...

It seems that rarely a day goes by at the moment when Arrows or an associated company is not in the High Court in London over one issue or another.

Mosley apologizes to Austrian Chancellor

The international automobile federation president Max Mosley had written to Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel to apologize for any embarrassment caused to Schussel by the thousands of fans in the grandstands at the A1 Ring boo-ing Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello at the end of the recent Austrian GP.

Curtains for pitlane screens

The FIA has issued a statement which suggests that screens, covers and other obstructions which in any way obscure any part of the car in the pitlane or the garages must be removed unless express permission is given by the FIA Safety Delegate.

An old face in the crowd

The Monaco Grand Prix has thousands of visitors each year and amongst them are always a few faces from the past in Formula 1.

Team orders - a health warning

Achille Varzi won the 1936 Grand Prix of Tripoli after Auto Union's team manager Karl Feuereissen ordered Hans Stuck to slow down and ordered Varzi to drive flat out.

Coughlan and McLaren

On Thursday morning Arrows technical director Mike Coughlan was seen poking around outside the McLaren motorhome, clearly looking to see if there was someone inside to chat to.

Bourdais takes pole for Monaco F3000

Sebastien Bourdais took pole position for the Formula 3000 race at Monaco.

MAY 24, 2002

Welcome to Monaco

On January 8, 1297 Francois Grimaldi, an Italian pirate disguised himself as a monk and wangled his way through the gates of the fortress of Monaco. As a result the castle was overrun by pirates.

Ford to sponsor the Dallas Cowboys

The Ford Motor Company is in negotiation with the Dallas Cowboys NFL team over a giant sponsorship deal.