Formula One News — December 2000

OUR spies in Faenza report that while negotiations continue for the sale of the team, the engineers in Italy are buy working on the design of the 2000 chassis which will feature Supertec V10 engines and, rumor has it, elements of the rear end of the current Benetton.

THE legendary, frenetic tones of Murray Walker, competing in the decibel race with his beloved formula one cars in the manner once described of one with his trousers on fire, will be lost to the world of grand prix racing at the end of the 2001 world championship season.

THE voice of Grand Prix racing Murray Walker announced on Monday that he will hang up his microphone at the end of the 2001 Formula One season.

JENSON BUTTON insisted on Monday that Formula One's latest rookie Kimi Raikkonen will struggle to find his feet in Grand Prix racing next season.

PROST GRAND PRIX have announced the signing of a three-year agreement with French tire manufacturers Michelin.

THE plans for a Grand Prix in India have now been completed and were submitted to the West Bengal state government a couple of weeks ago.

BRITON Jenson Button will become a world champion when he returns to Williams, according to BMW Motorsport director Gerhard Berger.

FIFTEEN year old British driver Lewis Hamilton walked away with victory last weekend in the Young Hopefuls section of the Elf Master Karting competition at Paris Bercy Exhibition Centre.

THE Formula 1 Commission has rejected plans for the return of electronic driver aids in Formula 1 because of opposition to the idea from Ferrari and teams associated with the Italian organization.

THE United States Grand Prix landed the prestigious Promoters Trophy at the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) end-of-season prizegiving awards on Friday.

THERE was some embarrassment this week for Flavio Briatore's girlfriend Naomi Campbell when it emerged that the man who ran the Fashion Cafe, using her name and the names of other famous models to promote the business, has been arrested and is allegedly facing a string of charges including Money laundering, conspiracy and the transportation of stolen property.

BRITON Jenson Button on Saturday expressed fears over the introduction of traction control but admitted it will help teams end the dominance of Ferrari and McLaren in Formula One.

THOMAS HAFFA, the boss of EM.TV has told a German newspaper that he will resign as chief executive if he cannot regain the trust of investors and market analysts.

THERE have been mutterings in recent days that one or two teams are planning to make a fuss about Alain Prost's plans to use not only Ferrari engines in 2001 but also elements of the rear end of the current Ferrari package, including the gearbox and possibly the rear suspension as well.

The British Racing Drivers' Club, which owns Silverstone, is trying to improve its image and to attract government money for the rebuilding of the circuit and has launched plans for a Racing Academy to help promote young British racing talent.

PROST GRAND PRIX is going to be busy this week in Barcelona, running a number of young drivers to see who would be the best recruit to partner veteran Jean Alesi.

RUBENS BARRICHELLO has dismissed the title chances of Briton David Coulthard and said he will be the man to challenge Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen for the championship.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER was presented with his prize for lifting the Formula One World Championship at the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile's annual end-of-season ceremony in Monaco on Friday.

DOUBLE world champions Ferrari sparked a new Formula One civil war on Friday after blocking the immediate return of electronic driver aids, it was claimed.

FORMULA ONE drivers were divided on Friday when the sport's governing body the Federation International de l'Automobile gave the green light for the return of traction control.

THE Federation de L'Automobile (FIA) announced today (Friday) that electronic driver aids could be re-admitted into Formula One as early as the Spanish Grand Prix in April.

A number of shareholders in EM.TV have filed law suits against the company in Germany, claiming that the management concealed the real state of the firm's financial situation in an effort to keep the share price from falling.

RICARDO ZONTA's was hampered during his first testing session for Jordan in Jerez -- by his seat rather than any mechanical problems.

ITALIAN Luca Badoer completed Ferrari's four-day testing program at Fiorano on Thursday as he continued work on new components for the 2001 season.

FRIDAY's FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Monaco provided a dramatic illustration of just what a complex technopolitical ecosystem controls the Formula 1 business.