Formula One News — August 2001

THE future of the Formula One group of companies has been thrown into confusion following the announcement by the Kirch Group that it is pulling out of its deal to buy 16.74% of EM.TV.

ABC SPORTS is on the verge of taking over the US television coverage of Formula One in the United States, starting with the US Grand Prix in September.

THE Sauber team has cancelled its planned test with Swiss driver Marcel Fassler because he will shortly be trying a McLaren-Mercedes and Sauber's engine supplier Ferrari does not want any information leaking between the two teams. Fassler had been expected to test for the team at Magny-Cours next week.

THE ousting of Bobby Rahal has already had some effects on Jaguar racing with a number of recruitment plans being axed.

THE news that Leo Kirch has decided not to go through with its deal to take over EM.TV throws the future of Formula 1 into a great deal of confusion.

FOLLOWING Malaysia's first Grand Prix driver to the European Minardi team is a new sponsor deeply tied in to the youngster's progress into Formula 1, Magnum Corporation Berhad.

AS we predicted a few days ago the European Minardi team will use Asiatech V10 engines next year.

NOT slow on the uptake when borrowing a little of the world championship-winning veneer of sister marque Ferrari, Fiat will launch its new and important Stilo model today (Wednesday), with Michael Schumacher at the wheel.

WHAT was once described by a Jaguar Racing insider as a 'formidable one-two leadership pairing' has descended into a transatlantic squall.

WITH Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard entering their seventh year together as team-mates in the McLaren-Mercedes squad, one could be forgiven for thinking that the team has a more pressing need than most to find new drivers for the future.

ALEX YOONG, the new Minardi Formula 1 driver who hasn't scored a point in his last two seasons of racing in Japan's Formula Nippon series, has responded to suggestions that he hasn't got the ideal track record to date when entering the sport's top flight.

LUCA BADOER has completed the shakedown program for the three Ferraris that Michael Schumacher and Co. will take to Spa-Francorchamps for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

KEN TYRRELL was honored by the man he made world champion, Jackie Stewart, when the BRDC president visited this weekend's Silverstone Historic Festival.

FERRARI is rumored to be developing a completely new transmission system in partnership with Sachs which could revolutionize the powertrains in F1 and make conventional clutches obsolete.

FRENCH tire giant Michelin endured one of the worst weekends in its return to Formula 1 when last the F1 teams gathered in Hungary, when it was completely outpaced on the tight and dusty Hungaroring by its rivals at Bridgestone.

THE world championship titles may be lost to the McLaren team, but its drivers are looking forward to the Belgian Grand Prix and a race on what is widely held to be the ultimate drivers circuit - Spa-Francorchamps.

THERE is much discussion at the moment about whether Toyota should be allowed to test during the forthcoming testing ban.

THE idea of 'one shot' qualifying is not a new one, but Tom Walkinshaw is pushing for this form of qualifying to replace the time-honored 60 minute strategy to be ousted in favor of the lottery-style qualifying session in a bid to enliven the all-important race day.

EUROPEAN MINARDI, while announcing the impending arrival of Alex Yoong in its race team, has also held faith with outgoing Brazilian Tarso Marques.

AFTER more intensive running for the European Minardi team in the recent Mugello test, the FIA has bestowed a Superlicence on Malaysian hopeful Alex Yoong - and the team will enter him for the final three races of the year in Italy, America and Japan.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER has revealed that it wasn't until he got off his bicycle during fitness training on Tuesday that he realized what he had done.

THE notoriously fickle weather in the Ardennes has prompted several teams to try out their cars in wet weather conditions before the Belgian Grand Prix - no mean feat as most of Europe enjoys a balmy late August.

AFTER battling against disappointment and dehydration in Hungary last weekend, David Coulthard has bounced back to declare himself the man most likely to turn the tide against Ferrari and Michael Schumacher in 2002.

VOLKSWAGEN is planning a major rebranding process to increase sales of Audi and Seat cars and, interestingly, the intention seems to be to make them both more exciting and this would seem to suggest that motorsport programs are the logical way forward.

THE Elf company has long been at the center of a strong of investigations into corruption in France and the French judicial authorities are not finished yet.