Formula One News — September 1996

ITALIAN Giancarlo Fisichella was the star of the Estoril testing last week, setting competitive times in his first runs with the Benetton team.

MINARDI driver Pedro Lamy walked uninjured from a very large accident in testing last week at Estoril.

THE Hill-Arrows announcement is likely to precipitate a fair amount of movement on the F1 driver market in the next few days as everyone was waiting for Damon's decision.

THE signing of Damon Hill by Tom Walkinshaw leaves one question unanswered - who is paying the bills?

IN one of the most surprising Formula 1 moves in recent years, Damon Hill last Friday signed a deal to drive for Tom Walkinshaw's Arrows team in 1997.

THE International Touring Car Championship is to be canceled at the end of the season - and that could be important for Formula 1 engine supply in 1998 and beyond, as it could mean that General Motors will turn its attention to F1 instead.

STEWART GRAND PRIX last week announced a $38m sponsorship deal with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

THE Formula 1 team principals are planning a week-long testing session at the Phillip Island circuit next Spring.

MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was at Estoril over the weekend for negotiations with Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone about the possibility of Malaysia holding a Grand Prix in 1999.

THE fact that Johnny Herbert has signed for Sauber indicates that it is quite likely that the Swiss team will be using Ford V10 engines again next season.

EDDIE JORDAN announced in Portugal that he has signed a three-year deal with Michael Schumacher's younger brother Ralf.

IN a surprise move Johnny Herbert last weekend signed a new two-year contract with Sauber.

DAMON HILL last Wednesday secretly signed a 10-day option with the Jordan F1 team - which means that if Eddie Jordan can find the money Hill is demanding, Damon will join Ralf Schumacher in the team next season.

THE Estoril paddock was full of rumors that several top F1 designers are about to switch teams - in addition to the rumored move of Adrian Newey from Williams to McLaren.

THE FIA Formula 1 Commission met in Estoril on Thursday afternoon to discuss the matters of the moment in F1.

TRADITIONALLY this is the time of year when the F1 teams give young drivers the chance to test Grand Prix machinery.

WE hear that Ford and Cosworth may come to the rescue of Grand Prix racing once again by providing customer V8 engines next year.

JACQUES VILLENEUVE says that he has not given up hope of winning this year's Formula 1 World Championship - despite the fact that he is 13 points behind Hill with a maximum of 20 points available in the final two Grands Prix of the year.

MCLAREN's re-signing of Mika Hakkinen - while not unexpected - does mean that Damon Hill's options for 1997 and beyond have narrowed with the only top drive now available - and officially it isn't - being Jean Alesi's Benetton seat.

MIKA HAKKINEN has decided to stay with McLaren for a fourth season - but Mika is keeping his options open for the future, having signed only a one-year contract.

THE fact that Ralf Schumacher has blithely shrugged off the chance to become a McLaren driver can only indicate that the 21-year-old brother of World Champion Michael Schumacher has the solid offer of a drive elsewhere.

THE Ford Motor Company is expected to decide this week on which team it intends to supply with a customer version of its V10 engine next year.

THE Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is to visit the Portuguese Grand Prix this weekend at Estoril.

THERE are whispers in Formula 1 circles that Grand Prix boss Bernie Ecclestone is worried that there will not be enough engines for all the F1 teams in 1998.

THE last few days have seen an enormous amount of testing activity around Europe.