Formula One News — October 2003

There has been talk in recent days that the Formula 1 team bosses might agree to having 18 Grands Prix next year to allow Canada back on to the World Championship calendar.

The Austrian drinks company Red Bull is bidding to become a major sponsor of the Jaguar Racing Formula 1 team.

It seems that suggestions that Craig Pollock may be involved with the investment company which has bought into Jordan Grand Prix are wide of the mark and that the Merrion Capital Group is actually representing a consortium of some of Ireland's richest men.

Jordan's head of engineering Gary Anderson says that he is planning to step back from the day-to-day business of the Jordan team and says it is not really retirement.

Jacques Villeneuve decided on Thursday morning that he did not really want to go on with BAR-Honda and Craig Pollock rang team boss David Richards.

The announcement that a Dublin-based consortium has bought a 49.9% stake in Jordan Grand Prix from private equity firm Warburg Pincus is interesting in a number of different ways, not least because of recent rumors that Craig Pollock might be involved in running the F1 team in the future.

For many years Formula 1 observers have been looking for possible sites for Grand Prix races in California with all kinds of different projects, ranging from revamped army bases to urban parks. In the meantime the local circuits have been quietly upgrading with most of the focus going on Laguna Seca.

As we predicted would happen some weeks ago, Martin Brundle is standing down as chairman of the British Racing Drivers' Club and will be replaced on January 1, 2004 by Ray Bellm.

A consotrium of Irish Investors led by Stockbrokerage Merrion have purchased 49.9% of the shareholding in Jordan Grand Prix for an undisclosed amount.

The FIA Formula 1 World Championship will be decided this weekend at Suzuka in Japan, and it will take something quite extraordinary to stop Michael Schumacher winning a record sixth World Championship.

Jacques Villeneuve is out of Formula 1 and he is not going to get back in unless his manager and chief defender Craig Pollock becomes a team owner again.

British American Tobacco, which has supported Jacques Villeneuve for the last five years at BAR, has paid tribute to the Canadian.

Lucky Strike BAR Honda has, as expected, confirmed that Takuma Sato will complete the 2004 driver line-up, alongside Jenson Button. BAR have taken up its option on the 26-year-old Japanese, which will see him moving up from his current role as the team's third driver.

Japan's Satoshi Motoyama will get his first run in a Formula 1 car on Friday in the two-hour test session which kicks off the Japanese GP weekend. Motoyama will drive for Jordan.

The New York Stock Exchange has officially warned CART about its poor share price because the company has fallen below the NYSE's listing requirements.

The Formula 1 team principals met last week and it is said that Bernie Ecclestone informed them that his chosen successor as head of SLEC is Marco Piccinini. This is not a surprise, indeed Piccinini was named as Ecclestone likely successor back in 1998.

Antonio Pizzonia staked his claim not to be overlooked by Formula 1 teams with an impressive test last week with the Williams team at Jerez de la Frontera.

British American racing is expected to announce the signing of Takuma Sato for 2004 in Tokyo on Tuesday. The young Japanese driver will be returning to racing after a year spent testing for BAR.

Eight months ago Formula 1 photographer Russell Batchelor's son Ethan was diagnosed as having a very rare life threatening disorder called CDG (Congenital Disorder of the Glycosylation).

Australia's Ryan Briscoe has been crowned the inaugural Euroseries Formula 3 Champion at the penultimate round of the series at Hockenheim.

We hear that there will be a Jaguar Racing board meeting later today and it is thought likely that this will be followed by an announcement that John Hogan will be leaving the team after just a year as Sporting Director.

New Zealander Scott Dixon hopes to win the IRL title this year in order to set himself up as a possible Formula 1 driver in the future. The 23-year-old Auckland driver hopes to get a Formula 1 test this winter.

Craig Pollock has confirmed that he received a telephone call from David Richards of BAR saying that Villeneuve will not be with the team next year.

There are stories that Jacques Villeneuve has been informed that his services will not be required next year by British American Racing.

Travelex has pulled out of its deal with Toyota two-years into a $11m five-year deal.