Formula One News — April 2000

SHELL has outbid all its rivals to remain Ferrari's oil and lubricants partner until the end of the 2005 season.

ALTHOUGH the discussions remain low-key there is a good deal of activity in Formula 1 circles at the moment as the teams try to sort out their engine supplies in the long term.

THE British Racing Drivers' Club, the organizing body of the British Grand Prix, had a disastrous weekend with poor weather causing severe problems.

THE recent return of Flavio Briatore has led to suggestions that there will be changes to the Benetton team in the next few weeks.

OUR spies in Munich report that despite losing the chief designer for the 2001 V10 engine, BMW Motorsport in Munich will have an all-new engine ready in time to begin testing in November.

NEGOTIATIONS for the sale of Minardi to a European consortium are, we believe, in the final stages with the little Italian team likely to be sold within a matter of weeks.

WE hear from the United States that Jaguar Racing will shortly announce the appointment of Neil Ressler as its new chief executive.

SCOTTISH CART driver Dario Franchitti was one of several American visitors to the British Grand Prix paddock at Silverstone.

WE hear that the Honda Motor Company has embarked on negotiations to buy British American Racing from British American Tobacco.

SUGGESTIONS that Formula 1 racing may be interested in a race at Detroit seem to be a little wide of the mark but new rumors have emerged suggesting that there are troubles between CART and Dover Downs Entertainment, which organizes a variety of CART events, notably the Grand Prix of Long Beach and the race at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis.

BRITISH AMERICAN RACING driver Ricardo Zonta was fortunate to escape unhurt from a huge testing accident at Silverstone last weekend when his BAR-Honda lost a wheel at high-speed just before Stowe Corner (where Michael Schumacher crashed last year).

FORMULA 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and Formula 1 Race Director Charlie Whiting were both in the United States of America last week and as they were not spotted in any of the usual destinations there was speculation that the pair may have gone off to look at possible sites for a second Grand Prix in the United States.

THE battle over the 2002 British Grand Prix remains a lively one with Donington Park now saying that it would step in if Brands Hatch cannot complete it upgrading work in time and Silverstone is unable to agree terms with the Formula 1 authorities.

PAUL STEWART, the chief operating officer of Jaguar Racing, has stood down from the role with the team in order to be treated for cancer of the colon.

DAVID RICHARDS has acquired the commercial rights to the FIA World Rally Championship.

ALTHOUGH things have gone quiet about a Grand Prix in India in recent months, we understand that the project has been pushing ahead with the government of West Bengal firmly behind the idea - and willing to invest.

OUR spies within the Ford Motor Company suggest that the company is on the verge of buying the Rover Group's testing ground at Gaydon in Warwickshire.

TOYOTA MOTORSPORT has announced that Scottish driver Allan McNish will be its Formula 1 test and development driver in 2001, when the company intends to have a prototype F1 chassis up and running.

THERE is much talk in the Formula 1 paddock at the moment over the future engine supply for Sauber with all the indications being that the Swiss team will be continuing with Sauber Petronas-badged Ferrari V10 engines again in 2001.

THERE were a lot of rumors in the paddock at Imola that there will soon be management changes at Jaguar Racing with the suggestion being that many of the old Stewart Grand Prix faces will disappear and be replaced by Ford appointees.

THE word from Maranello is that the team's coordinator Nigel Stepney has decided that he is leaving Maranello to return to Britain after eight years in Italy.

IT is becoming increasingly clear that Alain Prost's relationship with Peugeot - and probably the French car company's involvement in Formula 1 - are coming to an end.

THE FIA International Court of Appeal rejected McLaren's appeal against the disqualification of David Coulthard from the Brazilian Grand Prix.

FIA President Max Mosley has launched another attack on the European Commission Competition Department, in an effort to end the deadlock that exists in the current dispute over whether or not the FIA is abusing a monopoly position in Formula 1.

AS we revealed exclusively two weeks ago, at least one team (we believe it was three) were using illegal traction-control systems in Grands Prix last year.