Formula One News — July 1998

AS expected Jacques Villeneuve has signed to drive for British American Racing - a remarkable decision for the 27-year-old Canadian, who is taking a huge risk that the new team will quickly be able to provide him with a competitive car.

EDDIE IRVINE is to stay on at Ferrari to continue his partnership with Michael Schumacher.

OLIVIER PANIS has re-signed to stay with Prost Grand Prix.

THERE was much talk in the Formula 1 paddock in Austria about the identity of BAR's second driver with much speculation but very little substance.

RUBENS BARRICHELLO is tipped as a possible team mate to Alex Zanardi at Williams next season.

TOM WALKINSHAW is negotiating for a supply of Supertec engines for 1999 and 2000.

TOM WALKINSHAW and John Barnard are rumored to have fallen out in dramatic fashion over the details of the contract between them.

PETER SAUBER has signed a new deal with Ferrari for a supply of engines for the 1999 season.

HONDA is shortly expected to announce that it is entering Formula 1 next season with a factory team.

THERE are plans to stage a race on the streets of Berlin between World Championship challengers Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen.

THE three FIA Stewards of the British Grand Prix - Nazir Hoosein, Roger Peart and Howard Lapsley - have been "invited" to appear before an Extraordinary World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on July 29.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER is to stay at Ferrari until the end of the 2002 season in a three-year deal which is rumored to be worth in the region of $125m to the 29-year-old German.

McLAREN dominated last week's four days of testing at the Autodromo Nazionale at Monza with Mika Hakkinen setting a best lap of 1m23.714s on Friday morning.

CART's ace racer Alessandro Zanardi has confirmed that he wants to return to Europe next year although he admits that the wisest decision should be to stay in America and capitalize on his success in CART.

FRENCHMAN Jean Christophe Boullion has signed to be the test driver for British American Racing - as we predicted would happen in September of last year.

THE signing of Jean-Christophe Boullion by British American Racing adds weight to the argument that the team is aiming to use Renault engines in the year 2001.

THE FIA International Court of Appeal will not meet until the day after the Austrian Grand Prix to decide on what can be done about the mess at the British Grand Prix.

THE politics of Formula 1 engines was bubbling away at Silverstone last weekend with some mystery as to exactly what is the difference between a Mecachrome V10 and a Supertec V10.

THE FIA Stewards ran into trouble at Silverstone on Sunday over the handling of a time penalty for Michael Schumacher.

THE Ford Motor Company announced on Monday morning that it has bought the racing division of Cosworth.

WE believe that Ford's purchase of Cosworth is just the first step towards a much more serious involvement in Formula 1 racing - as we predicted in May - and we believe that the company will forge a partnership with Benetton in the year 2000 which will see the Italian team running cars in Ford factory colors.

THERE were stories at Silverstone suggesting that British American Racing is in the process of trying to sign up World Champions Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill to be its drivers for next season.

THERE was much speculation at Silverstone that Alex Zanardi had signed a two-year deal with Williams, following a visit by Frank Williams to the United States in the week between the French and British GPs. Williams denies that he was in America and refuses to comment on which drivers are on the Williams list although his partner Patrick Head admitted at Silverstone that Zanardi was one of the drivers under consideration.

OLIVIER PANIS is expected to leave Prost Grand Prix at the end of the year and German Ralf Schumacher is tipped to be his replacement.

THE promoters of the planned Indian Grand Prix have confirmed that they are planning to build a track in Calcutta in the east of the country.