Formula One News — September 2001

Sauber sponsor Credit Suisse yesterday listed itself on the New York Stock Exchange, the first major company to do so since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center two weeks ago.

Toyota Motorsport is testing in Malaysia and Japan in the course of the next month, which contravenes the ban agreed by the Formula 1 teams and at the same time also flying in the face of the agreement that exists between the teams not to go testing outside Europe (except for an annual test in South Africa).

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has named actor Antonio Sabato Jr. as "celebrity spokesperson" for the United States GP.

The Schumacher brothers' manager Willi Weber has explained the apparent reticence of his drivers to race either in Italy two weeks ago or in the forthcoming US Grand Prix.

The United States GP at Indianapolis is probably not going to be a huge success this year - at least not in terms of numbers in the grandstands - and that is probably the criterion on which it will be judged.

Inside F1 Young Driver of the Year Patrick Long pulled off the most impressive driving feat of his career winning the Formula Ford race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium - from 11th on the grid.

Michelin must overcome the biggest hurdle of its season at Indianapolis when, for the first time since its Formula 1 comeback.

The Arrows team has signed up former Sauber designer Sergio Rinland as its new chief designer. Rinland has been out of work since being fired by Sauber at the start of the year but in recent weeks has been talking to both Arrows and Reynard, which wanted him to design an IRL car for 2003.

Hard on the heels of his first Grand Prix victory, Juan Pablo Montoya is preparing to launch his own clothing range.

Renault Sport has turned to Holland for some of its latest high-technology software. The French company is to use database technology supplied by the X-Hive Corporation of Rotterdam for the storage of technical information from the cars.

CSS Stellar, the sports and entertainment management group, which is heavily involved in Grand Prix racing has just reported a first half profit of over $1m on a turnover of $10m.

Japan Tobacco has launched a new legal attack on the European Union law banning the use of terms such as "mild" on cigarette packets.

The highest profile events to be run in the wake of the terrorist attacks on America and subsequent movements towards a militarily-enforced justice have been in Formula 1 and CART racing.

The Formula 1 teams have now begun gathering in the United States with the first flying out on Sunday, in some cases sharing planes with the CART teams heading home after the Rockingham 500. The racing cars and equipment should be starting to arrive at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today.

Rubens Barrichello became a father on Sunday when his wife Silvana gave birth to a son on Sunday in Sao Paulo.

WITH globalization being the key word at the moment in FIA circles there are an increasing number of questions about why Germany and Italy have two Grands Prix each year while many other countries have no chance of a race.

Jordan Grand Prix says that it will fight a writ served by Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the High Court in London. The writ is claiming damages from the team resulting from the German's firing by the team after the British GP.

The Mercedes-Benz V10 next year is expected to be an all-new engine with the rumors in England suggesting that this will be a 90-degree unit rather than the current 75-degrees.

The Formula 1 teams equipment is on the way to Indianapolis, finally squashing any lingering rumors that the US Grand Prix will be cancelled.

Jean Alesi will drive in his 200th Grand Prix at Indianapolis next weekend, thereby gaining access to an exclusive club populated by only three other drivers. Ahead of him in the stakes remain Riccardo Patrese on 256 races, Gerhard Berger on 210 and Nelson Piquet with 204.

Less than a week after the first ever CART oval race on European soil at the Lausitzring near Berlin, CART prepares for its next race at the new Rockingham oval in Northamptonshire, England.

IT was not rain falling from the sky, rather water bubbling up through the track surface which caused the world's fastest racing cars to stand silent in the pit lane yesterday.

The long-discussed movie about the life and times of Ayrton Senna appears to have been given the go-ahead by Hollywood's moguls.

Michael Schumacher's plans to take a few days out after the US Grand Prix and enjoy the countryside appear to have been cancelled.

Lola and Reynard, the British chassis constructors who currently rule the roost in US-based CART racing are aiming to be a feature of the rival Indy Racing League in 2003.