Formula One News — September 2001

AMID rumors that he may be called on by the Ferrari-powered Prost team to sub for Luciano Burti at Monza next weekend, Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer continued to fettle the championship-winning F2001's electronics software at Fiorano yesterday.

FORMER Benetton test driver Oliver Gavin rejoined the Renault-owned team at the Danielson facility as the team tries out further aerodynamic enhancements on its B201 chassis.

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.

RUBENS BARRICHELLO opened the latest Mugello test by topping the timesheets for Ferrari, but an altogether bigger impact was made by young Briton Anthony Davidson in the BAR.

THE Motor Sports Association, Britain's national sanctioning authority, is to initiate its own investigation into the traffic flow problems experienced at the British Grand Prix in a bid to head off excessive criticism of the race which many expect to flow from next month's FIA World Council meeting.

THE first CART Champ Car oval race at the new Rockingham Speedway has netted the all-important terrestrial TV coverage it needs if it is to have any impact at all - but it won't be screened until the following day.

NEWLY crowned FIA Formula 3000 champion Justin Wilson and his Coca-Cola backed team mate Tomas Enge are to test for Jordan and Prost respectively this week.

THE plans to revive the European Touring Car Championship from its current low-key status have taken a knock with the news that BMW is to abandon the series.

WITH Giancarlo Fisichella's allegedly underpowered, ill-handling Benetton holding off David Coulthard's McLaren for much of a Grand Prix, you might expect the Benetton to have been lapping Monaco or the Hungaroring but certainly not Spa, Formula 1's ultimate driver's circuit.

TAKUMA SATO wrapped up the British Formula 3 title last weekend at Thruxton and is this week testing for three days with BAR at Mugello.

WILLIAMS's title sponsor Compaq is being taken over by rival Hewlett-Packard in a $25bn deal which will see the creation of a new company the size of IBM.

MARCEL FASSLER, the DTM Mercedes driver, has been prevented from testing an F1 Sauber C20 because he is also getting the chance of driving a McLaren MP4/16. And Ferrari, who supplies Sauber's Petronas-badged V10 engines, is worried that McLaren and Mercedes would thereby gain an insight into the comparative performance of the two power units.

THE McLaren-Mercedes team has made a bid to hire 21-year old formula one prodigy Kimi Raikkonen as a long-term successor to fellow Finn Mika Hakkinen who is expected to retire at the end of next season.

LUCIANO BURTI's terrifying high speed accident in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix served as a heartening reminder of the progress which continues to be made behind the scenes on motor racing safety.

WITH Luciano Burti still in the hospital in Liege on Monday night, there is a distinct possibility that he will not be fit to race at the Italian Grand Prix in 10 days from now.

LUCIANO BURTI survived an horrific looking accident on the fifth lap of the Belgian Grand Prix after the Prost driver tangled with Eddie Irvine's Jaguar at the flat out Blanchimont corner at historic Spa-Francorchamps.

SIX hours after the end of qualifying, nobody knew exactly what the grid positions were for tomorrow's Belgian Grand Prix. The reason? Ron Dennis.

THE Asiatech organization has confirmed that it will be supplying Minardi with engines next year.

THE McLaren team lodged a protest against 17 of the competing cars after qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix on the basis that they had ignored the rule which requires one to slow down for a waved yellow warning flag.