Formula One News — January 2000

THE Minardi team has finally given some details about its plan for the 2000 season with the announcement that the team has been renamed Telefonica Minardi Fondmetal.

THE Autodromo Nazionale at Monza is going to make big changes to the layout of the circuit in an effort to keep up with the constant need for more safety in Formula 1.

PLANS for a consortium of European technology and media companies - fronted by former Tyrrell marketing director Rupert Manwaring - to buy the Arrows team may require more money than the group currently has available.

SIR FRANK WILLIAMS is talking to investment banking company Warburg Dillon Read about the financial future of his Formula 1 team.

SAUBER and Jaguar Racing have both run their new cars in recent days and the next two weeks will see the unveiling of most of the other 2000 Formula 1 cars.

REPORTS that British Formula 3 star Jenson Button is to sign a long-term deal to test for Prost Grand Prix should be treated with caution.

FURTHER details are beginning to emerge about a second mysterious bidder for the Minardi team in early December.

THERE will be no Japanese drivers in Formula 1 in 2000 following the decision by Tora Takagi to race in the Formula Nippon championship this year.

FORMER Jordan and Arrows team manager John Walton is to work for Prost Grand Prix this year.

THE recent re-election victory of San Francisco's Mayor Willie Brown - with a landslide majority - gives the Californian politician a mandate until the end of 2003 and, with the city booming, the controversial Brown is aiming to build on his success while things are going well.

THERE is to be a switch around of Ferrari's race engineering team this year with Michael Schumacher's engineer Ignazio Lunetta being promoted to become chief engineer after four years working with the German.

SAUBER PETRONAS driver Mika Salo will do development work for Ferrari this year, in addition to his work with the Swiss team.

TOYOTA has confirmed that it has an agreement with the FIA to become the twelfth Formula 1 team.

THE BMW Williams team is due to unveil its new car and driver line-up on January 10 in Munich and although there is speculation that the team may decide to keep Alex Zanardi for another season, our sources suggest that this is not very likely and that the team is still looking at signing up a young driver as partner to Ralf Schumacher.

HAVING been told that Williams F1 would not be needing him in 2000, Darren Manning signed for British American Racing Honda shortly before Christmas.

THE long-expected resignation of Benetton Formula's Operations Director Joan Villadelprat has been confirmed by the team.

FORMER Tyrrell and Honda team director Rupert Manwaring is fronting a bid to buy the Arrows team.

STIRLING MOSS, the most successful Grand Prix driver never to win the Formula 1 World Championship, has been knighted for his services to the motor racing industry.

INSIDE F1 has named rising American racer Josh Rehm as the inaugural winner of a new scheme designed to help American drivers on their way to Grand Prix racing.