Formula One News — March 2004

Australian GP - Qualifying Report

Australian GP - Saturday Photos

Australian GP - Saturday Press Conference

Australian GP - Qualifying Results

Australian GP - Practice Session 4 Report

Australian GP - Practice Session 4 Results

Australian GP - Practice Session 3 Results

The Formula 1 bosses have been trying for some time to agree to reduce engine capacity in an effort to cut speeds without creating too much extra cost.

A crossed wire meant that we made a mistake about the race at which Jeff Gordon will be appearing as a guest of BMW Williams. It seems that the American will be appearing in Spain a little later in the year, rather than in Malaysia.

Australian GP - Practice Session 2 Report

Australian GP - Friday Photos

Australian GP - Friday Press Conference

Bernie Ecclestone says that the Australian Grand Prix may drop off the Formula 1 calendar in 2006 because of the clash with the Commonwealth Games.

The Formula 1 teams have long been keen to tap into potential sponsors from the People's Republic of China but to date have found it very difficult to land any big fish.

Bas Leinders was unable to test drive for Minardi in Australia because the Belgian driver was unable to get a superlicence in time for the test sessions on Friday in Melbourne.

Australian GP - Practice Session 2 Results

Australian GP - Practice Session 1 Results

Bernie Ecclestone turned up in Melbourne on Thursday, his first visit to the Australian race since 1997 and, inevitably, this led to speculation that the Formula One boss needed to talk to some of the big players about the future of the race.

Lawyers representing the tobacco companies involved in Formula 1 met in London recently to discuss the problems which will be created by the new British law which bans British-based F1 teams from running with tobacco branding at any race anywhere in the world.

After days and days of talk, claims and counter-claims and media speculation Formula 1 is finally getting down to business today.

Australian GP - Preview

Any hopes there might once have been of a government-funded Formula 1 race in South Africa have gone out of the window with the news that the legislature of the Free State has instructed its Public Accounts Committee to invesigate into the loss of public money at the Phakisa Freeway racing circuit.

The Australian Grand Prix will introduce a new marketing concept to Formula 1 this year with all the team's having finally agreed to sell their merchandise in the same store at the race track.

Minardi chief aerodynamicist Loic Bigois was not able to do much last year because of the team's financial situation and it seems that in the end he decided to take up an offer to go to work at Williams, where he is assisting Dr John Davies in the development of the Grove team's aerodynamic facilities.

Paul Stoddart has been very busy in recent weeks selling sponsorship on his cars and the latest deal was announced in Australia when the Minardi boss revealed that Dutch bathroom fitting company Wilux is to be the team's title sponsor in 2004.