Formula One News — October 2001

Sauber has confirmed that after a seven-year partnership culminating in its most successful season to date in 2001 its relationship with Austrian soft drink giant Red Bull is at an end.

Michelin boss Pierre Dupasquier accused Ferrari of using chemically treated tires during the final two rounds of the world championship.

The political snakepit that is the Ford Motor Company has been swirling with rumors in recent days that the current chief executive Jacques Nasser may be eased out of the company before the end of the year.

The Russian government has confirmed that it is bidding for a Grand Prix in 2003 although work has yet to begin on the construction of the racing circuit.

Ryan Briscoe, the 20-year-old racer from Sydney is due to have his first test of an F1 car shortly. The announcement was made by Toyota's F1 boss Ove Andersson at the Toyota Motor Show.

Michael Schumacher is supposed to have become the highest scoring driver in the history of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship this year but it seems that everyone has forgotten that the German driver was officially excluded from the 1997 World Championship.

Voluntarily heading off FIA criticism by opting to admit a reduced crowd for next year's British Grand Prix is being seen this week as an audacious bid by race promoters Octagon as a means of investing in future credibility for Britain's round of the F1 world championship.

The Sauber Petronas team has announced officially that its seven year partnership with Red Bull will end as of 31 December 2001.

On Sunday the NASCAR Winston Cup race from Talladega, Alabama, recorded its highest TV ratings ever for a day on which the National Football League was playing games with a 4.4 and a 10 share.

The number 1 player in women's tennis, Jennifer Capriati, joined the list of VIP visitors to the Ferrari factory at Maranello this week as she celebrated the latest high on her comeback trail at the top of the world tennis rankings.

Ralf Schumacher and Cora, his wife of a few weeks, became parents on Tuesday afternoon when Cora gave birth to a son in Salzburg, Austria. The baby boy has yet to be named.

Michael Schumacher has reacted to the growing feeling that he has singled out Juan Pablo Montoya as a challenger to his current pre-eminence in Formula 1.

Mika Salo and Allan McNish finished off their testing this year with a three-day test at Suzuka. The team was developing launch control and engine mapping and learning some of the vagaries of Suzuka.

On top of the dramatic price rise for the 2002 British Grand Prix announced this week, it seems that race goers wishing to attend in their own cars will have to pay another $65.

The European Commission is expected to announce tomorrow that its investigation into Formula 1 is finally over and that the sport is now cleared of any competition problems which have dogged the business for the last five years.

Octagon Motorsports Limited, the promoters of the British Grand Prix, have announced a plan to help the traffic problem that has plagued the event in recent history.

All those adults thinking of attending the British Grand Prix next year had better be quick - and better be wealthy.

Jaguar boss Niki Lauda told Autocar magazine that his Milton Keynes based team plans to provide its own budget in the near future, rather than rely on its parent company, Ford.

Veteran Formula 1 designer Frank Dernie has been out of Grand Prix racing for a few years now, working mainly on CART designs but the former Williams, Lotus and Ligier designer has recently unveiled the Lola B2-50 which is the car which will be used for the next few years in Formula 3000.

The Ferrari squad was at Monza on Sunday celebrating its twin World Championship success with its fans.

The Formula Ford Festival ended early for Patrick Long after a thrilling victory in the Semi Final of the most prestigious weekend in junior motor sport.

Britain's representation in the 2002 formula one drivers' world championship was boosted to four yesterday with the news that Allan McNish will join fellow Scot David Coulthard, Eddie Irvine and Jenson Button on the grands prix grids as a member of the all-new Toyota team.

With Alain Prost's efforts to find finance for his team yet to be successful - and with time running out - the future of Heinz-Harald Frentzen is keeping several team bosses interested at the moment.

When he left Formula 1 at the end of 1997, Ukyo Katayama said that his ambition was to climb Mount Everest without oxygen.

The 30th annual Formula Ford Festival takes place at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, England this weekend (October 20-21), the former home of the British Grand Prix playing host to a multitude of young Formula 1 hopefuls.