Formula One News — February 2004

Reports in the British media suggest that Tom Walkinshaw, the former boss of the Arrows Formula 1 team, could be back in court again.

Minardi has formed a racing team in Asia, in league with Eurasia Motorport. The team will enter cars in the Asian Formula 3 and Formula BMW Asia series. The team, headquartered in Hong Kong, will run as many as four cars in Minardi cars in Formula BMW and one car in F3.

Argentine driver Jose-Maria Lopez, one of the Renault Driver Development team, is to race for Coloni Motorsport in Formula 3000 this year. Lopez, the inaugural Renault V6 Champion last year will be one of four drivers running for the two Coloni teams in the FIA International Formula 3000 series.

Allan McNish and Johnny Herbert are to lead a British Audi team at Le Mans in June. The two former winners and ex-F1 men will be joined by last year's winner Guy Smith, Jamie Davies and McLaren test driver Darren Turner. Germany's three-times winner Frank Biela and sportscar newcomer Pierre Kaffer complete the line-up.

Turkish driver Can Artam has signed to drive for the Coloni Motorsport Formula 3000 team in 2004. The 22-year-old from Istanbul has been competing this winter in the US Formula Renault Winter Series but has raced in a variety of different formula in the course of the past three years.

It is rumoured that Giorgio Pantano's sponsorship will be coming from an Italian clothing company.

The new Minardi, dubbed the PS4B, was out running at Misano yesterday with Zsolt Baumgartner at the wheel. The Hungarian novice lapped the track in 1m11.080s which is 2.5 seconds faster than the best time recorded by the team at the track back in 2002. Gianmaria Bruni takes over the car today.

Giorgio Pantano was out testing for Jordan on Tuesday at Jerez, underlining the likelihood that he will be joining the the Silverstone as Nick Heidfeld's team mate this year.

The Hungarian Sports Ministry has cancelled a deal worth $4m, knocking a big hole in the Hungarian driver's budget for 2004. The government has tried to offset the problem a little with a promotional deal from the Hungaroring worth $290,000.

As we have been predicting for some time Antonio Pizzonia has been confirmed as Williams's second test driver in 2004. The Brazilian fulfilled a similar role for the team in 2002 before his unfortunate sojourn with Jaguar Racing.

The work to upgrade the racing circuit at Monaco has been continuing quietly in recent months with the esplanade overlooking on the Quai Albert 1 to the south of the Swimming Pool being doubled in size to make way for the eventual construction of the new Formula 1 pitlane.

The mayor of Imola Massimo Marchignoli says that it is not certain that the San Marino Grand Prix will be removed from the Formula 1 calendar in 2005 and says that he intends to negotiate to save the race with Formula One group boss Bernie Ecclestone.

It is really very simple and you do not need to raise the $5m in sponsorship necessary to become a Formula 1 pay-driver in 2004. You simply have to get a job at British American Racing.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has bought 16 acres of land at the south end of the circuit and is clearing it to create more parking for the fans on race day. The work going on includes the demolition of old factories and a motel and these will be replaced by parking lots.

DaimlerChrysler boss Jurgen Schrempp was back in court on Monday fighting the lawsuit from billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, who claims that Schrempp misled Chrysler investors when he portrayed the takeover of Chrysler as a merger or equals. Kerkorian wants the deal annulled and $1bn in damages.

Renault has announced better than expected earnings for 2003. Europe's fourth largest car company said that its profits had jumped 27% to $3.1bn. The results were in part due to the sales of the Megane range but also to the success of the cooperation with Nissan and cost-cutting.

Helmut Werner, the chairman of Mercedes-Benz AG between 1993 and 1997 and the man who has championed the company's involvement in top level motorsport - has died at the age of 67. Werner died in hospital in Berlin.

India has become the eighth country to ratify the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Giorgio Pantano will be the second Jordan driver in 2004 if money which has been promised is delivered to Jordan.

There have been reports on BBC Radio Five Live that Jordan is in the process of finalizing terms with Italian Giorgio Pantano to be its second driver in 2004.

There is not much news around at the moment in Formula 1 and so some of the news gatherers are clutching at straws and suggesting that Honda might not continue in F1 when it comes to negotiating a new contract with British American Racing later this year.

The soap opera of Jos Verstappen and Jordan appears finally to be over. Trust's marketing manager Muriel Wouda says that a deal was just not possible with Jordan because of contractual difficulties.

Ferrari has signed a three-year licensing agreement with Lego, the world famous Danish producer of toy building blocks.

Olivier Panis crashed heavily in testing at Barcelona on Thursday, crashing backwards into the barriers at the third turn of the Circuit de Catalunya.

The second Jordan seat remains open and it seems that Eddie Jordan is content to sit back and play the various rivals off against one another, in the knowledge that when all is said and done he will end up with more money.