Formula One News — September 2004

The future of the British Grand Prix is once again in the spotlight and it now appears to be just a question of who is going to get the blame for the event disappearing from the F1 calendar in 2005.

The new A1 Grand Prix series, based in Dubai, has announced that it has deals with six franchise-holders for the winter series which will kick off in the autumn of next year. The franchises sold are for United Kingdom, South Africa, China, Portugal, Pakistan and the Lebanon.

Former F1 driver Tomas Enge is to finish the season racing for Patrick Racing in the Indy Racing League. He will replace Jacques Lazier.

Max Mosley is to deliver the keynote address at the Society of Automotive Engineers's Motor Sports Engineering Conference in Dearborn, Michigan, at the end of November.

David Coulthard and former World Rally Champion Colin McRae are to join the stars taking on Michael Schumacher, Sebastien Loeb and Jeff Gordon in the Race of Champions in December in Paris's Stade de France.

There is talk at the moment of Eddie Jordan doing a deal with Renault over engines for 2005.

The BMW Williams team has decided to give Ralf Schumacher another chance in Japan, apparently because the team partly to blame for delaying the decision whether Ralf should complete the Chinese Grand Prix.

Sebastien Bourdais wants to win the Champ Car series this year and used that as a springboard to move to Formula 1 next year.

Even before the Ford Motor Company announced that it was stopping its Formula 1 activities, Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo launched a scathing attack on Bernie Ecclestone, complaining that Formula One Management and its related companies take too much money out of the sport.

Chinese GP - Race Report

Chinese GP - Race Notes

Ralf Schumacher did a good job in Shanghai, up until lap 37 when he collided with David Coulthard at the hairpin.

Chinese GP - Sunday Photos

Chinese GP - Sunday Press Conference

Chinese GP - Race incidents

Chinese GP - Race Results

The lower house of the Swiss parliament has voted in favour of changing the law to allow F1 in Switzerland. The aim, if the money can be found, is to use the sport to boost Swiss tourism. The plan was proposed by politician Ulrich Giezendanner, a member of the People's Party.

The Williams marketing department had a lucky escape on Sunday morning when the van in which they were travelling was hit at high speed by another car on the way to the circuit.

Giorgio Pantano's split with Jordan Grand Prix has stirred up some trouble with Pantano's management which is claiming that Jordan has broken the contract. Things are complicated by the fact that there is a separate dispute over who controls Pantano's career.

Chinese GP - Qualifying Report

Morale at Jaguar Racing is holding up well in Shanghai with a certain amount of black humour about the impending sale or closure of the team. Some wag has now put an advertisement up on e-bay.co.uk which offers the team for £10m.

Chinese GP - Saturday Photos

Chinese GP - Saturday Press Conference

Chinese GP - Qualifying Results

According to FIA President Max Mosley there will be only 17 Grands Prix next year. This is no surprise as the F1 teams have made it very clear that they are not going to do more races unless they get paid considerably more money