Formula One News — March 2001

EDDIE IRVINE and his Jaguar team-mate Luciano Burti have not got the best records at the Brazilian track, Interlagos - but they will both be looking to put their records behind them as they head for the Brazilian Grand Prix this week.

MIKA SALO had a high-speed accident during his first tests with the new Toyota F1b prototype chassis when the car suffered a rear end failure, when part of the composite gearbox casing broke.

ARROWS test-driver Johnny Herbert has supported the team's stuttering driver Enrique Bernoldi and has rejected claims that he could replace the young Brazilian driver.

SAUBER, one of only two teams not to test at Barcelona this week, have been working hard to avoid the technical problems that thwarted their performance at the Brazilian Grand Prix last year.

TOYOTA unveiled their new Formula One test car at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on Friday and kept their feet firmly on the ground for their prospects when they enter the sport for real in 2002.

TOYOTA MOTORSPORT president Ove Andersson wants this year's test-drivers Allan McNish and Mika Salo to spearhead the team's challenge when they enter Formula One in 2002.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER completed his testing schedule at the Circuit de Catalunya on Friday as he now turns his attention to a seventh consecutive win at the Brazilian Grand Prix next Sunday.

BERNIE ECCLESTONE has this week moved closer to relinquishing overall control of formula one racing as the German media group Kirch formalized its 600 million pound bid for another 25 per cent of his business empire.

OFFICIALS at the Sepang circuit - the host of the Malaysian Grand Prix - have said they want to keep the race in its March date on the calendar despite poor attendances last weekend.

JAGUAR have said that ChampCar driver Dario Franchitti is unlikely to test for the team again this season.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER decided on Thursday that he will appear in a charity football match four days before the Brazilian Grand Prix.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER joined Ferrari at the Barcelona testing session on Thursday and topped the times by more than 0.7 seconds as Formula One's big guns came out to play.

JAGUAR have indicated that they fully intend to retain Eddie Irvine for the 2002 Grand Prix season.

FERRARI's Rubens Barrichello has already flown to Brazil to begin preparations for the coming Grand Prix at Interlagos by relaxing at home.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER is considering cancelling plans to play in a soccer match on the Wednesday before the coming Brazilian Grand Prix.

MERCEDES-BENZ is having a bruising time at the moment. Not as far as its car sales are concerned, for they are thriving.

FORMER CART star Juan Pablo Montoya believes the most important factor in Grand Prix racing is the car, and the driver can only drive it to its own limit.

THIS week could finally see the commercial future of the F1 business finally nailed down at a crucial meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council which was due to take place in Paris on Wednesday (21 March).

LUCA BADOER topped the times for the second day in a row as testing continued at the Barcelona circuit on Wednesday.

THE Brazilian Grand Prix is not under threat following a legal dispute that stopped development work at the Interlagos - because the delay was due to the lack of circuit furniture.

MCLAREN once again lost out to Ferrari on Tuesday, this time on the test-track as Ferrari test-driver Luca Badoer beat his McLaren counterpart Alexander Wurz to top the times at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona.

STEVE NICHOLS, the Jaguar Racing technical director, has supported the team's controversial driver Eddie Irvine and labelled the British driver as one of the best on the grid this season.

PIERRE DUPASQUIER, the motorsport director of Michelin, has said he was pleased, but confused, by the performance of his company's tires as BMW-Williams driver Ralf Schumacher secured their first world championship points.

WILLIAMS technical director Patrick Head has said he is against the long-term introduction of traction control in Formula One and sees it only as a short-term solution to making the sport fair.

THE organizers of the Malaysian Grand Prix have agreed a new deal to continue staging the event until 2010.