Formula One News — July 2002

The politicians of Belgium have a talent for trying to drive Grand Prix racing out of the country.

Bernie Ecclestone's outburst against Silverstone left most of the F1 circus perplexed as the work done in and around Silverstone was mightily impressive.

Mugen has been out of Formula 1 since Honda's official return to the World Championship but it is not impossible that the company could be back in the sport again next year, working in parallel with Honda.

The banks which now control SLEC, the Formula One group's holding company, have not even started talking with the automobile manufacturers about what should happen in Formula 1.

Renault, Williams and Arrows wrapped up their testing programs before the French GP and the summer testing ban on Friday at the Valencia circuit.

The news that Toyota has pulled its test driver Ryan Briscoe out of Formula 3000 is not really a surprise.

The recovering Korean economy has once again raised the possibility of an F1 involvement by Hyundai.

Carlos Reutemann surprised the Argentine people Wednesday by reporting that he would not seek the presidency of the financially troubled country.

The next generation BMW engine, scheduled to replace the currently successful P82, is ready ahead of schedule according to BMW Motorsport director Gerhard Berger.

Testing continued at the Valencia circuit in Spain Thursday, where Heinz-Harald Frentzen set the fastest time of the day.

Jaguar test driver James Courtney suffered a concussion Thursday morning during a spectacular crash while testing at Monza.

Nigel Mansell is the latest to escape a dangerous airplane emergency.

Life on the race tracks of the world may be troublesome for the Honda Motor Company but in the showrooms the company is doing remarkably well.

Australia is in a strong position to have a whole string of F1 drivers in the years ahead.

The recent investment made by Mediobanca in Ferrari could change the company in a fundamental way.

The need for cars in CART has led former World Champion Mario Andretti to consider starting his own team in the struggling American open-wheeler championship.

The paddock at the British Grand Prix is one of the busiest of the year with the Formula 1 circus meeting the British motor racing industry.

The head of Volkswagen Bernd Pischetsrieder has again denied any intention on the part of Audi to enter Formula 1 in the near future.

Testing in preparation for the French GP continued Wednesday, when the Jordan-Honda and Arrows-Cosworth teams joined Williams, Renault and Sauber in Valencia, Spain.

Niki Lauda has found a new personal sponsor in German heating company Viessmann.

Toyota has pulled protege Ryan Briscoe out of his role in the International F3000 series with team Nordic Racing.

Rob Bain, the man who was running the British GP operation for Octagon, quit his job on Monday but while the timing may seem to be related to the criticisms about the British Grand Prix the reality seems to be rather different.

The news from China that Shanghai has a deal to stage a Chinese Grand Prix should be treated with care because similar deals in the past have not resulted in races taking place.

The legal implications of the findings of the Melbourne coroner last year may be only the tip of the iceberg for the authorities organizing the Australian Grand Prix.

The FIA Foundation has contracted the Piper International Design Group to conduct tests into the aerodynamic stability of flat bottom sportscars.