Formula One News — September 2001

ALL of us have dreams of course, but one suspects that Piero Lardi Ferrari's ambition to restore the ownership of the Fiat-owned brand and its all-important race team to the Ferrari family looks a touch optimistic.

SOON-TO-BE IRL racer Johnny Herbert chauffeured media and guests around Silverstone in the three-seater Arrows AX3 before Jos Verstappen spent the weekend with it in his native Holland giving rides around the famous Zandvoort circuit.

BERNIE ECCLESTONE has enjoyed a relaxing weekend away with his wife Slavica at the Portuguese Motorcycle Grand Prix, even taking a ride on the back of legendary former champion Randy Mamola's bike!

LUCIANO BURTI's recovery from the injuries sustained in his high-speed accident in the Belgian Grand Prix continues to please the medical team attending to him, but a return to racing at next weekend's Italian Grand Prix has been written off.

EUROPEAN MINARDI team principal Paul Stoddart is eager to further link his team to south east Asia following the signing of Malaysian driver Alex Yoong, who will join the race team at next weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

THE shake-up of British motor sport under Octagon Motorsport-led British Motorsport Promoters is set to continue in 2002 after the Office of Fair Trading cleared the US-based promoter in its investigation into the control of the domestic sport.

TOYOTA's F1 test car may have been six seconds off the pace during testing at the Hungaroring, but the prospect of too much in the way of overt criticism being aimed in the Japanese team's direction next season may have been subtly defused by a new deal to sponsor the British ITV network's coverage of the 2002 Championship.

THE influence of promoters Octagon Motorsport over all national and international motor racing in Britain has been given an all-clear to continue for at least five years by the British government's Department of Trade and Industry.

IT has been reported that Jean-Luc Gripond, financial director of the Prost Grand Prix team has parted from the outfit as Prost continues to seek new investment for the 2002 season.

THE provisional calendar released earlier this week detailing the order of next year's Formula 1 world championship has been declared a spoof by the FIA.

AS Formula 1 looks further afield for new venues to replace existing European events on its calendar, China has been ordered to be patient as it bids for Grand Prix status.

THE proposed Formula 1-style race series Premier 1 Grand Prix is understood to be chasing a supply of control tires from Avon.

THE nascent Toyota Formula 1 operation has spent most of the week in Budapest, trying out its test hack with a host of new systems and a much revised powerplant.

WILLIAMS-BMW drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Marc Gene were fastest Friday during the third and final day of testing at Nevers Magny-Cours. Montoya ran the fastest lap of the day at 1m13.896s, while Gene, the teams test driver, was half a second off the Colombian's time.

PADDY MCNALLY, commander in chief of Allsport the Formula 1 marketing and hospitality business, encountered a little misfortune this week when the 19th Century Chateau Fazy, under refurbishment for the rumored occupancy of Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, caught fire.

AFTER an ignominious Belgian Grand Prix that saw spirited debate over the tire choice in qualifying, Juan Pablo Montoya's pole sitting FW23 stall on the grid, Ralf Schumacher's car left up on blocks on the grid, rear wing problems, an engine failure and a delayed pit stop Sir Frank Williams has weighed in to defend his team manager, Dickie Stanford.

ALL the warning lights will have flashed on for Jenson Button and his management team this week after Benetton team principal Flavio Briatore warned that the young British driver needs "to pull himself together" in the wake of a disappointing Belgian GP outing where he crashed on the same afternoon as team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella finished a strong third.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA set the pace in Michelin's Magny-Cours testing on the opening day but on day two it was the Sauber of Nick Heidfeld that set the pace.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER took over the reins at Ferrari to continue the team's presence at the top of the timing screens during the Bridgestone testing at Mugello, some 1.4s ahead of Olivier Panis in the BAR.

WITH drivers lining up to step into his car, Luciano Burti is keen to be cleared fit in time for the Italian Grand Prix.

CZECH Formula 3000 front runner Tomas Enge has signed up to Prost as test driver for the remainder of the 2001 season, putting himself in pole position in 2002 and perhaps, should Luciano Burti not make it back to fitness, before the end of this season.

THE provisional calendar for the 2002 Formula One World Championship has been released and it is almost unchanged from this year's schedule.

THE governing body of British motor sport, the Motor Sport Association (MSA) has taken action to stymie the threat to the British Grand Prix's existence caused by complaints over the traffic system.

AFTER his Formula 3 team mate Anthony Davidson wrecked his BAR on the opening day of testing at Mugello, Japanese ace Takuma Sato, the newly crowned British Formula 3 champion, set the second fastest time of the day at Mugello, hard on the heels of Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello.

ALAIN PROST's place in the annals of Formula 1 has been surpassed by Michael Schumacher, who has not only equaled his tally of four world championships but beaten his outright record of 51 wins so it's understandable that 'le Professeur' is feeling a little reflective.