Formula One News — March 2003

Nick Heidfeld was signed up on a longterm McLaren-Mercedes option back in 1999 but he was passed over when Kimi Raikkonen moved in to take the available McLaren drive.

Minardi driver Justin Wilson is back to full fitness after his problems with HANS in Malaysia.

The all-new McLaren-Mercedes MP4/18 is due to begin testing after the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Takuma Sato has signed a personal sponsorship deal with Castrol for the 2003 season. The deal is with Castrol Japan and Sato will appear in advertising and promotional campaigns in Japan endorsing Castrol products.

Franck Montagny, the Renault F1 test driver, finished second in the Nissan World Series last year and has given notice that this year he intends to win the title. The Frenchman won both races at the opening round of the championship at Jarama on Sunday in his Gabord Competition entry.

Part of Ferrari folklore is that the lap record at Fiorano is broken every time the team produces a new Formula 1 car.

The good performance of the Renault team in Malaysia had a lot to do with the fact that the team had an extra two hours of testing at the circuit on Friday morning - at least that is what Renault team boss Flavio Briatore is claiming.

Turkey is believed to be close to announcing a deal to host a Grand Prix at a completely new circuit near Istanbul. The new facility will be close to the new Pendik-Kurtkoy Airport, on the eastern side of Istanbul.

The British Racing Drivers' Club is worried that the future of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone is in doubt.

Some of the Formula 3000 teams were in action during the week at Jerez de la Frontera and the results of the test suggest that American drivers Townsend Bell and Derek Hill are going to be in a position to make waves in the series this year.

The FIA has informed the Formula 1 teams that launch control, traction control and fully-automatic gearboxes are not going to be properly policed until the start of the 2004 season.

Bernie Ecclestone said he did not like the new qualifying arrangements in Formula 1 as soon as the Australian Grand Prix was over, and he is continuing his campaign to get them changed.

A legal action aiming to force Formula 1 to race at Spa this year has been dismissed by a court in Verviers, Belgium.

Former F1 driver Eddie Cheever is expanding his racing empire.

The news that Bernie Ecclestone is considering buying control of the CART series sends a strong message to the Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC) that Ecclestone is not going to give up his hold on F1 without a fight.

Indy Racing League star Gil de Ferran will be out of action for at least a month following a big crash in the Phoenix 200 on Sunday.

Last winter Jos Verstappen fans decided to come up with the idea of taking a huge banner to every Grand Prix, proclaiming "Overtaking is an art" and featuring a picture of Jos Verstappen's eyes.

Rubens Barrichello does not like the HANS device although he accepts that it is a step forward in safety. The problem he has had is that he has yet to find a set-up which he finds comfortable. However he is going to need to do that quickly...

Egham is not famously glamorous, but the town in Surrey, which is in effect a suburb of London, is leafy and filled with well-heeled people and this is probably the explanation of why it has become the home of the world's largest Ferrari and Maserati showroom.

Oliver Behring, the man who wanted to rescue Arrows at the end of last year, says that he has not given up the idea of entering a team in Formula 1.

The FIA has confirmed that it will stick with its desire for all Formula 1 drivers to use the HANS device.

The performance of the Renault Formula 1 team in Malaysia was impressive although it was clear that the team was running less fuel in qualifying than its major contenders.

Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad used the Malaysian Grand Prix to illustrate that his country is safe for foreign tourists, despite the fact that there are strong anti-American and anti-British feelings in Malaysia.

Jaguar Racing has just concluded a multi-year technical partnership with Pioneer Automotive Electronics Sales Inc.

The Volkswagen Group has just announced its second best results in the history of the company.