Formula One News — January 2003

McLaren has been supporting the efforts of British youngster Lewis Hamilton since he was in karting and the 18-year-old has just re-signed for a second season with Manor Motorsports in the British Formula Renault series.

Bridgestone has confirmed that it has received a request from Minardi to supply the team with tyres in 2003 but says that "discussions are still ongoing and the negotiations are not yet completed".

Italy's Minister of Industry Antonio Marzano told Italian pressmen yesterday that Fiat's losses for 2002 are likely to be "not much beyond two billion euros". Of this 1.4bn is expected to come from the troubled car division Fiat Auto.

Times are hard in the automobile world at the moment and it has just been announced that Jaguar is to suspend production of its X-type model for up to three weeks.

Paul Stoddart has explained why his Minardi F1 cars are out running on Avon Formula 3000 tyres in Valencia.

The Minardi cars have gone out to test in Valencia using Avon Formula 3000 tyres because there are no other tyres available for the team.

Today is the first anniversary of the demise of Prost Grand Prix with debts of $30m.

The Minardi team turned up at Valencia yesterday amid continuing speculation about which tyres the team will run.

Another testing session started Tuesday at Valencia, where Rubens Barrichello led the nine other drivers in action. The Brazilian worked behind the wheel of a F2002, as did Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer. Michael Schumacher is expected to join Barrichello Wednesday.

The decision by the Italian Supreme Court to reject the 1999 appeal into the Ayrton Senna trial is based on nothing more than legal procedures.

Although it is yet to be officially confirmed it is now agreed that qualifying on Friday and Saturday at each Grand Prix this year will take place at 14.00.

Although it has yet to be confirmed Sebasten Bourdais is to race this year alongside Bruno Junqueira in the Newman Haas Racing team in the CART Champ Car series.

Niki Lauda's son Mathias is continuing his racing career this year in the Telefonica World Series Light championship.

Formula 1 engineer Vincent Gaillardot has joined the Toyota Motorsport team in Cologne. The Frenchman previously worked for Jaguar Racing but was one of the victims of the job cuts last autumn.

For the last 25 years Philip Morris has been supporting the Ferrari team with its Marlboro cigarette brand. But as of yesterday morning Philip Morris ceased to exist, transforming itself into a new organization called the Altria Group Inc.

The Italian Supreme Court has ruled that the appeal process of the Senna Trial must be done again because of legal errors in the original appeal. This will drag the trial up to close to the 10th anniversary of the death of Ayrton Senna at Imola in 1994.

Modern contracts between Formula One Management and the individual race organizers include a clause which states that if the law in that country relating to tobacco sponsorship is changed the contract can be declared null and void.

This year Formula 1 drivers will be wearing the HANS (Head And Neck Support system) in all races. The system is being opposed by Jacques Villeneuve who claims that it might be more dangerous to wear it.

The Shanghai authorities have agreed a five-year deal to host a round of the Australian V8 Supercar series, starting in 2004.

The beginning of the Formula 1 season in Melbourne is keenly awaited by Formula 1 fans around the world but it is still unclear how the race is going to be televised.

The Austrian GP contract will not be renewed in 2004, according to reports in the Austrian press.

Former Formula 1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen finished 30th in the Arctic Lapland Rally at the weekend and is now saying that he will have another try at rallying.

Luca di Montezemolo, the chairman of Ferrari, has said that the death of Gianni Agnelli leaves "an unfillable void" in his life.

The latest speculation is that with the withdrawal of Eddie Irvine from the scene, the second Jordan drive is likely to go to Brazil's Felipe Massa but the team says that other drivers are under discussion, including Ralph Firman.

Gianni Agnelli has died at the age of 81. Agnelli was the grandson of the founder of Fiat and became its managing director in 1963 and its chairman from 1966 after spending the 1950s enjoying a playboy lifestyle.