Formula One News — January 2003

Christjian Albers is admitting that there is now little chance that he will drive in F1 this year.

The battle between Jos Verstappen and Christjian Albers to be the only Dutchman in Formula 1 has led to a less than civilised campaign - apparently from the fans of one driver or the other.

The financing of the Kirch Group has always been less than clear but the bankrupt business - which used to own 75% of the Formula One group - is back in the news this week following revelations that $122m were transferred by Credit Suisse to a Kirch subsidary looking after the F1 stake months after the group went bankrupt.

The cost of Formula 1 sponsorship has tumbled in recent years, according to an article in The Times newspaper in London. The story cites an anonymous former F1 sponsor which has revealed that the value of space on a mid-grid car has almost halved in the last three years.

Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo, in Detroit for the North American International Automobile Show, has revealed that Ferrari will list its shares on the stock exchange later this year.

Interpublic, the company which controls Silverstone, Brands Hatch and several other British racing circuits, has sold its market research subsidiary NFO WorldGroup, which it purchased three years ago for $580m.

Lola Cars International Ltd has appointed Julian Cooper to be its new chief engineer. Cooper has been involved in the sport for the last 16 years beginning his career at Cosworth.

In recent days there have been a number of announcements detailing sponsorship deals for 2003 but neither Puma's deal with Jordan nor Toyota's deal with software company Ebbon-Dacs are huge deals worth a large amount of money to the teams.

The Mail on Sunday is ruled to have breached the Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice last summer when it published an article about Bernie Ecclestone, which portrayed the F1 boss as a battered husband. The article was based on information supplied to the paper by a former boyfriend of Ecclestone's daughter.

Former Formula 1 driver Roberto Moreno is back in action again in America, having signed to drive for Herdez Competition in CART this year. The Brazilian will partner Mexico's Mario Dominguez. The team is run by another former F1 hand Keith Wiggins, the former owner of the Pacific Grand Prix team.

Williams-BMW was the first team back testing after the Winter break Monday at the Jerez Circuit in Spain. The Grove-based team fielded Ralf Schumacher and Marc Gene, the two completing a total of 124 laps.

Volkswagen used the North American International Motor Show in Detroit to announce its plans to push into the US markets, aiming to more than double its sales in the next five years.

Gerhard Berger told Austrian television yesterday that BMW will make a decision about the future in the next six weeks. The company is trying to decide whether or not to build its own cars when its current deal with Williams expires at the end of 2004.

There is much speculation at the moment in F1 circles over what the FIA might be planning at the meeting on January 15. The federation clearly has a plan but there have been no hints as yet as to what it is that Max Mosley is going to try to force the teams to accept.

The decision over who will drive the second Minardi in 2003 is now imminent and our sources indicate that it is a straight fight between Jos Verstappen and Christjian Albers although we have heard whispers from the United States that there is a possibility that Bryan Herta might still surprise.

Former Formula 1 driver Ukyo Katayama is not a man who trumpets his triumphs but as he set off on this year's Paris-Dakar Rally, across the Sahara Desert, he mentioned in passing that in October he climbed Mount Everest - and he reckons that the Paris-Dakar Rally is harder!

Sunday marks the opening of the annual North American Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, and the industry's biggest annual gathering - at which a total of 45 automobile manufacturers will be represented - is likely to see some important gatherings of the major executives in the business.

The news that leveraged buyout expert Roberto Colaninno is lining up to take a run at the Fiat empire has boosted the value of the company but at the same time it has also raised questions about the future of some of the Fiat assets which would have to be sold off to pay for the rescue. One of these assets is Ferrari.

There has been considerable speculation in recent weeks over the future of the Williams-BMW relationship. In part this is because there are some in Munich who believe that BMW should start its own Formula 1 team but at the same time it has also been a useful tool for BMW to use as it renegotiates its deal with Williams

Giorgio Pantano's chances of becoming a Williams test driver have taken a plunge with the news that the Italian is going to join the new BC Motorsports CART team, which will run an ex-Rahal Lola-Ford.

As we reported last year Jos Verstappen is in the running for a drive at Jordan. The Dutchman has been talking to Jordan for several months but it was only in the run-up to Christmas that the talks became more serious with our sources saying that the team made Jos an offer.

It has been confirmed that Arrows is now in administrative receivership with the accounting firm PKF looking at whether the company can be saved. They are doing this on behalf of HSBC, the bank to which Arrows promised most of its assets in exchange for a loan last Spring.

Williams has reported that their new FW25 chassis will be unveiled in a launch at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, provisionally set for January 31.

It has been rumoured for several weeks that Renault will be the third team in Friday morning testing at each Grand Prix.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation has finally confirmed that it has a new chief executive, to replace John Harnden, who has been appointed head of the organisation running the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.