Formula One News — December 2001

Jim Wright, the marketing director of Williams F1 says that F1 teams need be more "creative and sensitive" as Formula 1 heads towards a future without tobacco sponsorship.

There are suggestions in France that Prost test driver Jonathan Cochet might be signed up by Arrows. This would only come about if France Telecom, the owner of title sponsor Orange wanted Cochet in one of the cars.

Niki Lauda's revamping of the Jaguar Racing Formula 1 team continues with two new key appointments.

Formula 1 will be given massive radio coverage in the United States next year with plans for a syndicated live two-hour broadcast from every Grand Prix starting in Melbourne in March.

The British Grand Prix received the go ahead for 2002 from the FIA World MotorSport Council in Monaco today.

The World Motor Sport Council meets in Monaco today and all the issues of the moment will be sorted out - probably without much drama.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council meets in Monaco later today with the big issue being whether or not the British GP will get a place on the 2002 calendar.

Motor Sport needs to rethink its marketing messages if it wants to stay in pole position as a sponsorship vehicle according to a panel of leading marketers from both sides of the Atlantic.

Although the deal has yet to be announced we understand that BP will be backing Jaguar Racing in 2002 but it will be doing it with the Castrol brand rather than the main BP company.

F1 commercial rights holder and media group Kirch sustained another body blow to its credibility today (13 December) when Rupert Murdoch's BskyB organization admitted it is poised to write off its $2 billion stake in the ailing German company which is battling against huge debts.

It may be ancient history in the fast-moving world of Formula 1 but it is worth mentioning that Morgan Grenfell Private Equity investors are suing EM.TV in an effort to recover some of the money which was lost after EM.TV's shares tumbled last year.

Renault has announced plans to help the careers of various young drivers in the years ahead and has selected Eric Salignon (France), Robert Kubica (Poland), Fabio Carbone (Brazil) and Carlo Van Dam (Holland) as its chosen drivers. The four drivers are at different stages of their F1 careers.

ACEA, the European association of automobile manufacturers, is the organization behind plans to launch a Grand Prix World Championship in 2008.

The State of Bahrain Ministry of Works has revealed details of the racing circuit it is building on a 400 acres site. The track, which has been designed by the German engineering company Tilke, will have a variety of different configurations including a dragstrip and two short circuits which can operate independently of one another.

F1 frontman Bernie Ecclestone has threatened that the Belgian Grand Prix could be cut from the 2003 F1 calendar if the government imposes a national ban on tobacco advertising.

Jordan Grand Prix announced Thursday that Brother International has extended its sponsorship deal with the team through the 2003 season.

CART, America's "most advanced form of auto racing" could be given a name change as part of a marketing review by the open-wheel series brand.

The future of Jaguar Racing is in safe hands the UK-based F1 team's director of marketing told delegates at the Motor SportBusiness Conference in Monte Carlo.

France Telecom is trying to take over the German mobile telephone company Mobilcom AG, in which it holds a 28.5% shareholding.

The European car companies may be talking big about starting their own Grand Prix championship but the industry is worried about what cuts will be needed as a result of the current recession.

Bernie Ecclestone recently flew a number of the Formula 1 team principals down to the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France to try to convince them to send their test teams to the circuit in the months ahead.

"The Forge GP", a charity Karting race held through the streets of South Beach on December 5th may have been more meaningful than might first appear.

It is being reported that the Formula 1 teams discussed limiting the cars to two engines per Grand Prix event at last month's Technical Working Group meeting.

The flurry of activity in recent days about the future of the British Grand Prix may be over.

Avon Rubber, once a Formula 1 tire manufacturer and today the tire supplier for Formula 3000, has announced that it made a loss in 2001 and has decided to close its factory in Trowbridge, England with the loss of 285 jobs.