Formula One News — July 1997

THERE are rumors in F1 business circles that BMW may be bidding to buy Cosworth Engineering from its current parent company Vickers PLC.

THERE is increasing speculation that the Yamaha Motor Company may be about to decide to end its involvement in Formula 1 after seven difficult seasons.

A leading Japanese sports newspaper has reported that Honda is aiming to be back in F1 officially in the year 2000.

BENETTON has announced that it has taken up its option with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella for next season.

FORMULA 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone wants Mercedes-Benz to supply a second team with its V10 engines next year - but the German car-maker (which has an exclusive arrangement with McLaren) is refusing to give way.

BERNIE ECCLESTONE recently told journalists that he reckons there will be four tire companies involved in F1 by 1999 but some F1 insiders continue to believe that Europe's top tiremaker Michelin cannot afford to wait that long and must enter F1 next year - in order to go head to head with rivals Goodyear and Bridgestone.

STEWART GRAND PRIX is in final negotiation on the site of a new factory - and the Milton Keynes team may cut corners by moving to an existing building rather than following the original policy of funding a purpose-built facility.

ALAIN PROST has won his battle with the French authorities to move his F1 team from Magny-Cours to Paris.

AS the F1 world continues to ruminate over engine supplies the driver market remains rather quiet, despite the recent moves involving Giancarlo Fisichella and Gerhard Berger.

THE Portuguese Grand Prix - which had been tentatively scheduled for November 9 - is not going to take place and the F1 calendar will remain with only 17 races.

DAVID HUNT may not be the only man trying to get the name Lotus back into Formula 1 racing.

IT has been announced in Los Angeles that film star Sylvester Stallone has bought the rights to produce a film called "Formula One" from Bernie Ecclestone, the man who controls the commercial rights to the sport .

THE Benetton Family has a long history of curious outbursts and last week Luciano Benetton gave further evidence of his mercurial character when he told pressmen in Milan that they could expect big changes in the organization of the Benetton F1 team in 1998.

FORMULA 1's non-stop testing program continued last week at the Autodromo Nazionale at Monza in Italy with Jordan-Peugeot driver Ralf Schumacher setting the fastest time of the week, highlighting a leap forward in the competitiveness of the Jordan thanks to new rear bodywork which has helped the team improve its straight-line speed figures.

ALAIN PROST says that he will move his Grand Prix team to England if there is too much political interference in its activities from the French authorities.

BRITISH music and airline mogul Richard Branson said last week that his Virgin empire would be willing to fund a British Grand Prix free of tobacco sponsorship if F1 bosses decided not to visit Silverstone because of impending tobacco bans.

ONE rumor which has been doing the rounds in recent weeks is that 22-year-old Canadian CART racer Greg Moore is on the verge of signing up with the West McLaren Mercedes team for the 1998 season - as team mate to David Coulthard.

THE Portuguese Grand Prix could happen on November 9 if F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone can convince McLaren and Ferrari that they should take part in an 18th race.

GERHARD BERGER will be back with Benetton at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim next weekend.

THE announcement that Jordan has secured the Mugen Honda V10 engine supply should have come as a setback to Tom Walkinshaw - but the Scotsman did not seem to be too bothered at Silverstone.

TOM WALKINSHAW used the British media to deliver a message to Damon Hill at the British GP.

THE Sauber team ran Norberto Fontana again at the British Grand Prix after British racer Martin Brundle turned down a last-minute offer to be Johnny Herbert's partner.

OUR sources insist that there will be a Korean Grand Prix in 1998 - as announced a year ago at the British GP.

HAVING lost a lot of political clout in the recent French elections we hear that Alain Prost has decided not to rely on any government help for the time being and is now looking at building his own windtunnel at his new factory at Satory, near Versailles.

EDDIE JORDAN had a good week before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, tying up not only his engine supply for the next couple of years but also re-signing with Benson & Hedges until the end of 1999 and picking up some more money from credit card company Mastercard.