Formula One News — December 2001

The Hockenheim circuit could start rebuilding work in January and the organizers of the German GP say that the new track layout could be ready to be used in time for the 2002 event in July.

The Kirch Group, which controls the Formula 1 group of companies, is trying to find a way of restructuring its debts because the Dresdner Bank is demanding that one of the firm's outstanding debts be paid by the end of this month.

China formally joined the World Trade Organization on Tuesday and that will have major implications for global trade in the years ahead as the country opens up for business with the West.

Claudio Berro, who has been head of Ferrari's press office since 1997, is the new head of the competition department of Maserati and the word on the street in Italy is that the company (which is a Ferrari subsidiary) is planning a sports car program to support its sales drive.

Our spies within the upper echelons of Formula 1 have finally managed to uncover what happened in last week's shenanigans over the numbering system for 2002.

BAR is believed to be interested in replacing 2001 test driver Takuma Sato with another Japanese driver, possibly Toshihiro Kaneshi, after Sato was signed by Jordan to drive alongside Giancarlo Fisichella in 2002.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation does not usually make comments on media reports about its activities but has decided that it would be better to deny that it has any plans to mount a hostile takeover bid for the Kirch Group.

Imperial Tobacco is reported to be getting ready for a $5bn bid for the Reemtsma tobacco company, the primary sponsor of the McLaren F1 team through its West cigarette brand.

A safety engineer has told the Melbourne Coroner's Court that he believes the safety barriers in Albert Park were not high enough to cope with Formula 1 accidents.

The Austrian Grand Prix is to continue until 2006.

Ralf Schumacher says he will be racing with spectacles next season.

The promoters of the British grand prix yesterday played what they hope will be their trump card in a bid to head off a possible downgrading of next year's race to non world championship status.

As regulators around the world struggle to find ways to stop cigarette advertising evidence is emerging in the United States that forcing tobacco companies away from traditional forms of advertising and sponsorship is only pushing them to explore new areas, specifically the Internet.

The Melbourne coroner Graeme Johnstone said in court on Friday that he may end up having to be "critical of the FIA's management of safety issues" at the end of the inquest into the accident in Albert Park in March next year.

Peter Sauber's team has been named "Team of the Year" in Switzerland's annual sporting awards.

Scuderia Ferrari put on a show for the fans at the Bologna Motor Show with test driver Luca Badoer again demonstrating the F2001 in front of an estimated 40,000 fans.

Alain Prost has indicated that the new AP05 design may not be ready for the first race of the new season.

Paul Stoddart has spent the last couple of days in Malaysia and had a brief but successful meeting with the Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

The British Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Bill has run into trouble in the House of Lords over whether airlines should be allowed to advertise cigarettes or not.

Williams's title sponsor Compaq is in the process of being swallowed up by rival Hewlett-Packard but the deal has been hit a major snag as HP's chief shareholder The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, has announced that it is opposed to the deal.

Alex Zanardi has been in a wheelchair since he left hospital in Berlin but the Italian former F1 driver is now looking forward to being fitted with artificial legs so that he begin the process of learning how to walk again.

Someone somewhere decided that the numbering system in Formula 1 should be changed from the system which has existed since 1995.

Rupert Murdoch, the boss of News Corporation, is considering a bid to buy the entire Kirch Group. If that were to happen Murdoch would become the owner of the Formula One group of companies.

Roger Penske has abandoned CART and will run two cars in next year's Indy Racing League.

The FIA has received requests from a number of F1 teams that the race numbers for the 2002 FIA Formula 1 World Championship should follow the order of the previous year.