Formula One News — October 2002

Vitantonio Liuzzi is to test for the BMW Williams team at the start of December. The Italian youngster, who has been racing in the German Formula 3 Championship this year, finished second in the highly-competitive German Formula Renault title at his first attempt in single-seaters last year.

Paul Stoddart has told Melbourne's 3AW radio station that he is selling European Aviation - but this has got nothing to do with Formula 1.

Nico Rosberg will test a Williams-BMW FW24 On December 3 in Barcelona. The 17-year-old son of former World Champion Keke Rosberg will get the chance thanks to his victory in the Formula BMW ADAC Championship this year, having scored nine victories in 20 races.

The outcry - largely from Belgium - about the demise of the Belgian Grand Prix has brought a few other people who have messages that they wish to deliver.

Toyota has announced a restructuring of Toyota Motorsport GmbH organization based on the lessons that it learned in 2002. The company has appointed Briton John Howett as its new president starting in January in order to give Ove Andersson the chance to concentrate completely on Formula 1.

One of the things which was discussed at the F1 Commission on Monday was the need to create more overtaking in Formula 1 - although many believe that overtaking is not as important issue as some would make out. The decision was that the FIA needs to look at how best to improve the situation.

The dwindling F1 television audiences have already impacted advertising revenues drastically, as it has been difficult to draw new advertisers as well as justify the rates to current advertisers as F1 viewing figures slumped this year.

The Nissan Motor Company has announced that it expects to report an 84% increase in operating profits for the first half of the year to $2.8bn. The turnaround is being attributed to a combination of higher sales of new products, more efficient operations and lower costs.

At the post-F1 Commission press conference Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone both spoke disparagingly of the planned GPWC, the alternative World Championship which the car manufacturers say they will establish in 2008.

The FIA has issued a statement in response to comments made by the European Health Commissioner David Byrne criticising the omission of the Belgian Grand Prix from the 2003 World Championship.

Takuma Sato has long been a driver with Honda links and so it is no surprise that he should take part in Honda's two-day 'Enjoy Honda 2002' festival at the Motegi circuit. Sato however did not show up in a Jordan but rather at the wheel of a 1989 McLaren-Honda MP4/5, which is owned by Honda.

Bernie Ecclestone says that things are going to change in the televising of Formula 1 races. In recent years F1 coverage has been divided into two sectors: free-to-air and pay-per-view.

Tom Walkinshaw was present at the F1 Commission and was allowed to cast his vote but the future of the Arrows team remains in considerable doubt despite constant rumors that a new owner has been found.

European politicians have a habit of sticking their noses into places where the intervention is not welcome and comments made by the European Union Health Commissioner David Byrne from Ireland about the cancellation of the Belgian Grand Prix have not gone down well in motor racing circles.

The new Formula 1 points system for 2003 will see points going to the top eight finishers on a scale of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 as opposed to the old top six system of 10-6-4-3-2-1. We have worked out what would have happened with a similar system this year.

The two Belgian senators who tried to save the Belgian Grand Prix earlier this year by introducing an amendment to the country's new anti-tobacco law say that they are now going to introduce an emergency bill to Belgium's parliament so that the law can be postponed.

Grant Maiman, one of the four drivers chosen for the inaugural Red Bull F1 Driver Search, started testing with the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup team Jenzer Motorsport GmbH in preparation of a full season of racing in 2003.

Formula One Management has announced that it has acquired Formula 1 Magazine. The magazine was previously owned by a Bernie Ecclestone-controlled publishing company, which launched the title early in 2001.

The good news from the FIA Formula 1 Commission is that the traditions and the spirit of the sport has not been compromised with weight penalties or driver switches. These have rather predictably been rejected as gimicky or unworkable and the changes which have been agreed are entirely sensible.

The FIA Formula 1 Commission met in London on Monday and voted through a series of changes which it hopes will reinvigorate Formula 1 racing. The big changes come in qualifying with the vote for qualifying to return to Friday and Saturday.

Monday's F1 Commission meeting yielded some minor changes to the Formula One rules, including changes to the qualifying procedures, an expanded points system, changes to the tire regulations, and a ban on team orders.

The F1 team bosses met Monday at the scheduled F1 Commission meeting and, as expected, could not agree to run the Belgium GP without Tobacco sponsorship, so the race will not take place in 2003.

The meeting of the Formula 1 Commission in London today is being billed as one of the most important in the history of the sport - but it seems unlikely that much will really come of it unless the Formula 1 teams can work together to agree to change the structure of the sport.

According to new market research from Sport+Markt, tennis has now overtaken Formula 1 as the second most popular TV sport in Europe. The Germany company has just published its European Sport Sponsoring 2002 study, which was produced after polls in Germany, England, France, Italy and Spain.

Last weekend at Misano Ferrari held a big celebration to show the Italian fans the cars which have been so dominant in this year's Formula 1 World Championship.