Formula One News — January 2002

Gerhard Schroeder has been Chancellor of Germany since the elections in September 1998 but this year the Social Democrat leader is to be challenged for power by Dr. Edmund Stoiber, the Christian Socialist who is the Minister-President of Bavaria.

Conditions improved for the first time Thursday for teams testing in Barcelona.

Minardi announced Thursday that Dutchman Christijan Albers will test for the team when they begin their on track preparation for the 2002 season on January 15th.

The European Commission is planning to announce later this month big changes to the way in which cars are sold in Europe.

The world economy is a complicated concept but analysts around the world are predicting that Argentina's decision to devalue the peso by 30% is going to have an effect on the value of the Brazilian real.

The announcement that 54-year-old Jean-Jacques His is to become managing-director of Renault Sport in Paris marks an important shift in Renault policy.

Eighteen drivers took to the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona for testing on Wednesday in rainy conditions. The weather cooperated briefly.

The Autodromo Nazionale at Monza has proved itself to be adept at dodging change in recent years but the pressures on the 80-year-old circuit have gradually increased to such an extent that finally a major revamp is happening to bring the facilities up to a more modern standard.

The Malaysian government has decided that a company called Minister of Finance (MOF) Inc. will buy the Sepang racing circuit from Malaysia Airport Holdings.

David Coulthard set the fastest time for the McLaren-Mercedes squad on the second day of the Barcelona F1 test which was spoiled by heavy rain during the morning.

Jean-Jacques His will take over as Managing Director of Renault F1 France on March 1 this year, the day of first practice for the opening Grand Prix of the season in Melbourne.

Hungary voted a ban on tobacco advertising a year ago and that has now come into force.

The Gulf state of Bahrain is in the process of building a Formula 1 racing circuit in order to promote its new liberal image around the world.

Just days before a deadline which would have closed down Prost Grand Prix, it seems that a group of French businessmen are going to come to the rescue of the team.

It is possible that Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz will use the money he has raised by selling his Sauber shares to buy into Arrows.

Possibly a little miffed by his boss Niki Lauda's suggestion that the current generation of Formula 1 cars could be driven by monkeys or grandmothers, the Catalan driver is looking forward to the triple champion's return to the cockpit with some relish.

More information is now emerging about the sale of Dietrich Mateschitz's shares in Sauber.

Testing got underway for the first time since the end of the 2001 season Monday in Barcelona with Williams' young test driver Antonio Pizzonia setting the early pace.

The familiar ritual of pre-season F1 testing kicked off at Barcelona yesterday with nine of the current 12 F1 teams turning up to start what amounts to the long slog towards the first race of the season in Melbourne on March 3.

The newly-renamed KL Minardi Asiatech team won't be traveling to Barcelona with the rest of the F1 circus this week, but will instead begin its pre-season program at Valencia on January 15.

The sound of V10 engines is at last ringing out after the three-month enforced drought since the end of last season's Japanese Grand Prix, and the current hot spot is the Circuit de Catalunya.

Former Reynard director Rick Gorne is to join Lola Cars International Ltd. with immediate effect, as a Consultant and adviser in Business Development.

Although everyone in Formula 1 likes to say that the recession will not have an effect on the sport, there is no doubt that the value of the teams has been dropping in recent months.

The BMW Williams team does not have much space available on its cars at the moment but the end of the 2001 season marked the finish of the team's three-year relationship with Canada's Nortel Networks.

The winter testing ban is over and on Monday the leading teams will be in action again with Williams starting off the testing at Barcelona on Monday with three interim cars.