Formula One News — October 2003

The BMW WilliamsF1 team has confirmed that Marc Gene has re-signed as the team's official test and reserve driver for the 2004 season.

The European Commission has finally lumbered to a conclusion on its investigation of the relationship between the FIA and the Formula One group of companies and everyone has been given the all clear.

McLaren test driver Alexander Wurz has been in demand at Jaguar ever since last summer when the team was trying to get rid of Antonio Pizzonia. At the time Wurz could not get out of his McLaren contract, despite the fact that the team said that it would not stand in his way.

The final round of the CART series, scheduled for the California Speedway this weekend has been cancelled because of the fires raging in the hills around the track. CART and the race organizers looked at possible replacement dates but concluded that none were practical.

It was done without fanfare but on October 24 Germany, one of the major opponents to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control formally signed the agreement, committing itself to the eventual banning of all tobacco advertising and sponsorship.

McLaren has confirmed an approach from Jacques Villeneuve looking for work in 2004. Villeneuve is believed to be keen to take on a testing role but McLaren is unlikely to be very interested in the Canadian.

The CART finale at the California Speedway has been postponed because of the state of emergency that exists in San Bernardino County as a result of the wildfires burning in the nearby hills.

Mario Andretti says that the new Indy Racing League Champion Scott Dixon has got everything it takes to be successful in Formula 1.

The circuit that brought Gilles Villeneuve into the limelight looks like it has held its last race. The Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres in Canada has been a major event since the 1967 when it was the first major street race in North America.

Paul Tracy has taken a long time to win the CART title but says that he knows that he is too old to try to move into Formula 1 and so is going to settle for defending his title next season.

Felipe Massa has agreed a two-year deal with the Sauber team, but it is expected that he will have a get-out clause to move to Ferrari in 2005 if a drive is available.

R-Fast, the Russian Federation of Autosport and Tourism, the national sporting authority of Russia, has been giving details of its plans to increase motor racing activities in Russia. These date back to 1998 when R-FAST began working with the Moscow City Government on the idea of an international racing circuit in the city.

Australian Will Davison has staked his claim to a place in the Renault Driver Development Program after dominating a two-day test at Oulton Park and Snetterton at the wheel of a Hi-Tech Racing Formula 3 car.

Formula 3000 Champion Bjorn Wirdheim will get his first taste of Champ Car racing shortly as part of his prize for winning this year's FIA International Formula 3000 title.

Mercedes-Benz is not planning to supply Jordan Grand Prix with engines in 2004 - not least because Jordan has a two-year agreement signed and sealed with Cosworth Racing.

The Minardi team is coming to the assistance of Ferrari this week and will run three of its two-seater chassis at Mugello, painted up in the colors of the World Champions.

Formula BMW Asia Champion Ho Pin Tung was the dominant force in the new championship in Asia this year, winning 10 of the 14 races and that success has landed him with a test session in a Williams-BMW later this winter.

Former Ferrari and McLaren F1 driver Stefan Johansson has been running his own CART team this year with drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Jimmy Vasser in the American Spirit entries.

South African racer Wayne Taylor has been trying to put together the budgets to enter a team in the Champ Car series next year and the latest stories from Australia suggest that he is hopeful that this year a deal will come together.

Ricardo Zonta has been the Toyota test driver this year but has made no secret of his desire to get back to racing and has been talking to a variety of teams in CART about his future.

CART is giving up on Europe but Kevin Kalkhoven says that if the deal goes through CART will go to Korea in 2004.

Peter Sauber has said that Felipe Massa will be one of his drivers next year but there has still not been an official announcement about the future of Ferrari's second test driver.

FIA President Max Mosley has launched a scathing attack on the European Union's attitude towards road safety and is calling for a completely new approach.

John Connor, who for many years represented Marlboro at race tracks around the world, has died. Connor worked with many of the great drivers in the 1980s and 1990s, looking after their contracts and race weekend commitments and at the same time made sure that all ran smoothly with Marlboro's extensive trackside signage.

British American Racing has to spend something like $15m last year on Jacques Villeneuve's salary and that meant that the team did not have as big a technical budget as it would have liked. The signing of Takuma Sato on a much smaller salary means that the team will now be able to do more.