Formula One News — November 2003

As we reported in May Mexico is taking steps to be considered as a potential venue for Formula 1 for 2005 and beyond. The first contacts between Mexico and Formula 1 were made at the Spanish GP when a small delegation discussed the possibilities with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.

Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello says he is going to help Alex Zanardi to get a test drive with the Ferrari F1 team at Fiorano. Zanardi was a Formula 1 driver with various teams in the early 1990s before going to America and becoming a big star in CART.

France's Nicolas Lapierre has won the Macau Grand Prix, winning the second heat of the event and taking the overall victory on aggregate. James Courtney, who won the first heat, failed to finish in the second.

James Courtney has won the first heat of the Macau Grand Prix after the traditional first lap accident took care of many of his challengers. These included Pierre Kaffer, Nico Rosberg, Alvaro Parente and Paolo Montin.

With 77 nations having signed their commitment to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the focus is now shifting towards countries ratifying the treaty. As soon as 40 countries ratify the agreement it will become international law for those who have agreed to abide by it.

The news that Townsend Bell is to test for Jaguar Racing is great news for Formula 1. The 28-year-old from San Luis Obispo in central California has all the right credential for Formula 1 although it would perhaps be better for him to have one more season in Formula 3000 in order to post a good result in that series.

European Minardi has announced a long-term arrangement with Algerian Nassim Sidi Said to help to bring on young Arab drivers with a long-term plan to have one in Formula 1.

The judge at the centre of the controversy over the Brazilian Grand Prix has rejected an attempt to review his decision into the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The BMW Williams team will test Nico Rosberg and Nelson Piquet Jr at Jerez de Frontera in the first week of December.

Jaguar Racing is to test two drivers who will go down very well with Red Bull, at Valencia at the end of the month. Red Bull is ready to put $15m of sponsorship into Jaguar if it will run Klien but the team is baulking at the idea as the Austrian driver is short on experience.

Fabio Carbone took pole position for the Macau Grand Prix but the two favourites for the event Ryan Briscoe and James Courtney were second and third, both just two-tenths behind the Renault-supported Brazilian.

Jordan Formula 1 driver Ralph Firman will make history this weekend by being the first driver to take a modern Formula 1 car out on the Macau Grand Prix circuit.

Japanese Formula 3 Champion James Courtney snatched pole in the final seconds of the first qualifying session for the Macau Grand Prix, bouncing Brazil's Fabio Carbone back to second.

The 50th running of the Macau Grand Prix this weekend will be a fiercely contested race with all the young guns from Formula 3 wanting to make an impression in the most important Formula 3 event of the year.

German racer Pierre Kaffer is expected to sign up to be one of Bobby Rahal's drivers in CART next year.

The city of Sao Paulo and the race promoter have gone into action to overturn a court ruling that the race contract should be cancelled because the event loses money for the city.

Octagon Motorsport, now called Brand Hatch Circuits Ltd, has made another big dent in the financial results of the Interpublic Group, the world's second biggest advertising agency.

The City of New York refuses to confirm or deny whether or not it is talking to Bernie Ecclestone about hosting a Formula 1 race in the area.

Seventy-seven countries have now signed the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, including the world's two most populous countries: China and India. The 77 countries represent 3.8bn people around the world, which is more than 60% of the world's estimated population of 6.3bn people.

The Chinese government has signed the World Health Organization's Framework Agreement on Tobacco Control, committing itself to the eradication of tobacco advertising in the long term.

SuperNova Racing, one of the leading Formula 3000 teams, has signed up France's Olivier Pla as one of its drivers for next year. Pla has been racing in the Formula 3 Euroseries this year and finished third in the series behind Ryan Briscoe and Christian Klien.

Toyota has sold more vehicles in the last six months than Ford, according to The Detroit News. Toyota is challenging Ford to be the world's second biggest car manufacturer.

Former Formula 1 driver Aguri Suzuki has been building up a scheme for several years to help young Japanese racing drivers become successful around the world.

The British Embassy in Bahrain has warned of a high threat of terrorist attacks against Western targets in the country and British nationals in Bahrain have been told to "remain vigilant, particularly in public places".

Christian Fittipaldi, Mario Haberfeld and Costa Rican kart racer Charlie Fonseca won the 500 Miles of Granja Viana in Brazil at the weekend, completing the 500 mile kart race in 10 hours and 43 minutes. It was Fittipaldi's third victory in the event, having won in 1998 and 2000.