Formula One News — October 1995

THE Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile, the governing body of French motorsport, has announced that it is to delay a decision on the future home of the French Grand Prix until its next committee meeting on December 11.

DUTCH racer Jos Verstappen - released from his long-term Benetton contract recently - looks likely to have no trouble finding a job in 1996.

HAVING closely followed - but not, according to the FIA copied, the Benetton B195 with its JS41 design - Ligier now seems to be planning to do its own thing in 1996.

THE biggest problem with the Tanaka International racing circuit at Aida is that it isn't near anywhere.

FOR a couple of years Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has been quietly saying that there is going to be a revolution in the television coverage of Grand Prix racing.

THE promoters of a Formula 1 standard racing circuit at Brandy Station, Virginia, appear to have run into serious difficulty in recent weeks with the land on which the track is supposed to be built going up for auction next week - unless the developers can raise $1.6 million.

JOS VERSTAPPEN did not test a Ligier last week as had been planned because of a lack of Mugen Honda V10 engines.

THE new Ferrari V10 engine ran for the first time at the team's Fiorano test track last Wednesday in the back of a specially-modified Ferrari 412 T2, driven by Ferrari's outgoing test driver Nicola Larini.

NIGEL MANSELL retired dramatically from Formula 1 in 1990 and again in 1992, but he says he has no plans to give up on F1 racing in the immediate future.

GERHARD BERGER and Jean Alesi are to have equal number one status with Mild Seven Benetton Renault next season - despite the fact that Alesi signed to be clear number one for 1996 and 1997 just a couple of months ago.

THE recent rumors in Italy suggesting that Fiat is planning to take a much more prominent role in the running of Ferrari may not be far from the truth.

THE Nokia Tyrrell Yamaha F1 team is hard at work trying to raise more money for the 1996 season and we hear that the team is close to landing a very big new deal with a Middle Eastern oil company.

WHILE Ferrari's Nicola Larini was busy testing the new V10 engine at Fiorano, down the road at the Autodromo Ferrari at Imola, Benetton and Williams were both in action for three days with Damon Hill emerging comfortably fastest in his Williams-Renault FW17B.

WITH Martin Brundle having been lured away from Ligier, Tom Walkinshaw suddenly finds himself without an established driver.

FERRARI took the F1 world by complete surprise last week when it signed Eddie Irvine to be its second driver for 1996.

TOTAL JORDAN PEUGEOT announced at the Nurburgring that Martin Brundle is to join Rubens Barrichello in the team in 1996.

WE hear that BMW Motorsport in Munich, Germany, is quietly gearing up to be ready to enter Grand Prix racing in 1997.

MCLAREN finally confirmed Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard as its drivers for next year, adding that Alain Prost and Jan Magnussen would continue testing for the team.

THE Formula 1 team bosses met on Saturday at the Nurburgring to once again try to hammer ideas of how F1 will be in 1996 and beyond.

GUIDO FORTI'S Grand Prix team is planning to use the all-new Ford Cosworth "JS" V8 engine in 1996.

UKYO KATAYAMA missed the European Grand Prix last weekend, his doctors suggesting it would be best for him to rest after his Portuguese crash rather than rush back before he is better.

THE link between the Tyrrell F1 team and Fondmetal Technologies appears to be over, with Fondmetal in discussion with other teams, including McLaren.

BENETTON FORMULA will soon announce a major new sponsorship arrangement with Indian businessman Veejay Malik, owner of the Kingfisher beer brand, a huge seller on the Indian sub-continent.

THE FIA conducts random drug tests in F1 and last Friday, Rubens Barrichello and Max Papis are believed to have tested positive to substances which appear on the International Olympic Committee's list of banned drugs.