Formula One News — November 1997

THE Formula 1 team owners met last Thursday in London for the latest round of talks about a Concorde Agreement for 1998-2008.

THE powerful anti-tobacco lobby launched an attack on FIA President Max Mosley last week, claiming that his comments suggesting that tobacco bans increase smoking were distorted.

THE feasibility study for holding a Grand Prix in the Moroccan town of Marrakesh, the major city in the south of the country, is believe to have concluded that a Formula 1 race is exactly what the city needs to help it increase the city's tourist industry and enhance the worldwide image of Morocco.

THE Super Nova Formula 3000 team is in the middle of an in-depth feasibility study to establish how it can put together the necessary financial and technical resources to enter Grand Prix racing at some point in the future.

RALF SCHUMACHER will not be seeing much of Grand Prix racing for the next two months. The 22-year-old Jordan driver finished his Formula 1 season in Spain and promptly went into uniform to do his compulsory national service.

THE Yamaha Motor Company is expected to announce within days that it is continuing its relationship with Tom Walkinshaw's Arrows team in Formula 1 and that there will be a completely new V10 engine for the 1998 season.

THE Ford Motor Company has axed Bruce Cambern, its director of Special Vehicle Operations, after less than a year in the job.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER has not enjoyed the last week - and it is likely to take some years for the German to rebuild his shattered reputation following his cynical attempt to take Jacques Villeneuve out of the Grand Prix of Europe and by doing so secure a third World Championship title for himself.

DAMON HILL was among Michael Schumacher's critics in the wake of the German's attempt to take Jacques Villeneuve out of the race at Jerez. The 1996 World Champion remembered Adelaide 1994 when a collision with Schumacher destroyed Hill's hopes of the World title.

VICKERS, the company which owns Cosworth, has announced that it is selling off the luxury Rolls-Royce automotive company, which it has owned since 1979.

IN what is likely to be an exercise in damage-limitation the FIA announced on Monday after Jerez that it has called Michael Schumacher to appear before an extraordinary session of the World Council on November 11, in response to comments made in the report of the Race Director Charlie Whiting.

THERE was a rush of activity in the Ayrton Senna trial at Imola last week with David Coulthard, Patrick Head, Adrian Newey and Frank Williams all appearing in quick succession.