Formula One News — March 2004

For the British Chessington is famous for its World of Adventures, a former zoo that became an theme park. But for racing fans Chessington is a name synonymous with the Brabham Formula 1 team.

The British Minister of Sport and Tourism Richard Caborn was present for the race in Malaysia at the weekend and it is fairly clear that one of the matters that will have been discussed is the British government's new law about tobacco sponsorship.

Mike Gascoyne said before the start of the season that he was planning to create two overlapping design teams at Toyota Motorsport in order to speed up development and thus improve performance in 2005 and 2006.

The Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn says that he wants more clarity over the engine change regulations that exist because the team believes that they need to be tightened up to stop teams qualifying with one engine and then switching to a more powerful one for the race.

These days Formula 1 is a bit like doing jigsaw puzzles. You do not get the full picture easily. It takes time to understand what is going on. The first hint that Ferrari was not as strong as things might suggest came when Michael headed for the pit lane after just nine laps...

Allan McNish might not have a Formula 1 drive this year but he has kept his name in the spotlight with victory at the weekend in the Twelve Hours of Sebring in Florida. The Scotsman shared an Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx Audi to victory with Frank Biela and Pierre Kaffer.

Malaysian GP - Race Notes

Malaysian GP - Sunday Photos

Malaysian GP - Sunday Press Conference

Malaysian GP - Race Results

The Reuters newsagency is reporting that the Bayerische Landesbank, the state bank of the southern German state of Bavaria, JP Morgan Chase Bank and Lehmann Brothers, which together hold 75% of SLEC, have filed a law suit against Bernie Ecclestone, who holds the remaining 25% of the shares.

Malaysian GP - Qualifying Report

One name that one does not hear much of in Formula 1 circles is that of 25-year-old Englishman Dan Wheldon, who moved to America in 1999 after a very successful career in karts and British Formula Ford, in which he fought and often beat the likes of Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson.

The Renault team will be fitting a new engine in Fernando Alonso's car the Malaysian GP.

While the Formula 1 authorities continue to talk up Bahrain's forthcoming event there continue to be quiet worries that the arrival of the sport will cause some reaction from some of the more extreme locals.

The proposed Mercedes-Benz Heritage and Technology Centre at Brooklands has been granted planning permission by Elmbridge Borough Council.

Malaysian GP - Saturday Photos

Malaysian GP - Saturday Press Conference

Malaysian GP - Qualifying Results

Malaysian GP - Practice Session 4 Results

Malaysian GP - Practice Session 3 Results

Malaysian GP - Practice Session 2 Report

The Toyota Motorsport team has signed a deal to use high-performance machine tools manufactured by Toyoda Mitsui Europe. There is a certain irony in the deal because Toyota grew out of the Toyoda company,

Ford's motorsport boss Richard Parry-Jones suggested in Australia that one way to cut costs in Formula 1 would be to introduce a system of budget-capping.

The top Formula 1 team bosses are split on whether they would like to reduce testing away from the Grands Prix if there was more mileage allowed at a Grand Prix event.