Formula One News — February 2005

Renault F1 boss Patrick Faure says that it is by no means certain that it will stop using Mild Seven after the end of July 2005 when new British and European legislation comes into force to stop tobacco advertising.

Renault went to Monte Carlo to launch its R25 car, to avoid France's restrictive tobacco advertising laws. The team remains sponsored by Mild Seven but it remains to be seen what will happen when the new European anti-tobacco legislation comes into force at the end of July.

FIA President Max Mosley and Deputy President Marco Piccinini were guests of the Renault F1 team at the launch of the new RS25 in Monte Carlo and both Patrick Faure and Flavio Briatore were very careful to say nice things about the new Formula 1 regulations.

We hear that celebrated Formula 1 engineer Gordon Murray is to leave the employ of McLaren after 18 years with the team. The 60-year-old South African engineer was a major player in F1 in the 1970s with the Brabham team, winning two World Championships with Nelson Piquet.

The deal between Nick Heidfeld and Williams was obviously influenced quite heavily by the team's engine supplier BMW although the Williams team prides itself on never being influenced by its sponsors and partners.

Narain Karthikeyan is expected to be announced as the first of the Jordan Midland drivers within the next day of so. The appointment will give Midland a massive amount of publicity in India where, no doubt, the company will want to make some investments and find new customers.