Formula One News — July 2004

Italy's rising star Vitantonio Liuzzi took pole position for the Silverstone Formula 3000 race on Friday, taking his fifth pole position in six events. Liuzzi has won four of the five races to date but is still under threat in the championship because of the consistent performance of his chief rival Enrico Toccacelo.

The Minardi garage remained closed on Saturday morning at Silverstone as a mark of respect for the team's sporting director John Walton, who died in St Thomas's Hospital in London on Friday night, following a heart attack on Tuesday morning. "John Boy" was only 47.

British GP - Practice Session 3 Results

The Formula 1 engineers have managed to come up with a package of rule changes which they say will cut lap times by three seconds per lap, the target which FIA boss Max Mosley wanted them to achieve this year.

The Renault F1 team is to run an R24 car through the streets of Lyon, France's second biggest city, on September 5. The car will be driven by Fernando Alonso and the team's test driver Franck Montagny.

The BMW WilliamsF1 team has confirmed that its principal sponsor, HP, has extended its commercial partnership for a multi-year period.

There is speculation in the Formula 1 paddock at Silverstone that Britain's Anthony Davidson could move into a racing role in 2005 with the Sauber team. Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa both have two year contracts with the Swiss team

Our spies at the Williams headquarters in Grove report that there has been a fair amount of activity in recent days which seems to be related to the search for a second driver for 2005.

Just before the start of the British Grand Prix weekend, the Minardi team suffered a very serious setback when the team's Sporting Director John Walton was the victim of a heart attack.

British GP - Practice Session 2 Report

Biritish GP - Friday Photos

British GP - Friday Press Conference

British GP - Practice Session 2 Results

British GP - Practice Session 1 Results

The only real talking point at Silverstone has been the negotiations going on over the future of Mark Webber. The talks with Williams are well-advanced but it seems at the last moment some of those involved have been introducing new offers, presumably in an effort to push up the price.

The management of the Ford Motor Company is constantly moving structure with the latest development being the departure of the team's chief strategist Bruce Blythe, after less than a year in the job.

There is to be a major shake up at Cosworth Racing with Technical Director Nick Hayes handing over to a new generation of engineers. Hayes has been with Cosworth for 20 years, having joined the firm as a designer in the F1 division in 1984.

At this time of year in England one expects to see lush green hedgerows, long sunny afternoons and threats against the British Grand Prix. It is as predictable as the massive hype that precedes the departure each year from Wimbledon of local hero Tim Henman.

British GP - Preview

Westminster City Counsellor Ian Wilder makes no bones about it: London wants to host a Grand Prix. It is four years since Wilder found himself sitting next to Bernie Ecclestone at a charity dinner and in conversation asked him if he would like to bring F1 to the streets of London.

Panasonic Toyota Racing has finally got round to confirming that it has signed a three-year contract with Ralf Schumacher.

The Formula 1 comes to Regent Street event in London was a huge success with newspapers and TV stations estimating the crowd to have been in the region of 500,000 people, standing many deep on the pavements or watching from windows and rooftops.

The Formula One Management legal department has challenged the assertion made by Alexander Hooton of the British Racing Drivers Club suggesting that we the British Grand Prix "is secure for 2005 and 2006".

The World Health Organization has announced that its anti-tobacco treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control should become international law by the end of this year.

The British Racing Drivers' Club is to get $50m from the Interpublic Group to terminate the lease agreement that existed between the two parties. This means that the BRDC will take control of the circuit in December 2004.