Formula One News — January 2005

For many years the NASCAR Winston Cup was integrally linked to tobacco. After TV advertising of tobacco was banned in the United States in the late 1960s RJ Reynolds was looking for a way to get more exposure and decided to use its Winston brand as the title sponsor of the series.

We hear from Germany that the Toyota Formula 1 team is planning to announce some new young drivers for its Toyota Drivers Academy now that Ryan Briscoe has gone off to the United States to race with Target Chip Ganassi Racing in the Indy Racing League.

The news that the Midland F1 operation is to take over Jordan Grand Prix has changed the possibilities for the team's drivers in 2005.

NASCAR's Evernham Group is to establish an Evernham Advanced Engine Technology company in Northampton. It will be headed by American Mark McArdle, a man with considerable experience in open-wheeler racing before he became involved with Evernham in 2003.

The Midland Group has strong links with the Moscow City Government through a number of commercial arrangements and that will mean that the new F1 team is planning to launch itself into F1 with an event in Red Square.

The Formula 1 manufacturers (with the exception of Ferrari) has announced that they are unanimous on agreeing to a set of governing principles which they believe represent an appropriate framework for the future of Grand Prix racing. The companies involved are BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Toyota.

The meeting planned by FIA President Max Mosley has no official status in F1 decision-making. It was designed as a chance to discuss the future and the team's response to Mosley's proposals, asking for the meeting to be delayed several months, is entirely logical.

Ferrari boss Jean Todt has told Autocar magazine in England that the team is working to build a three-seater F1 car which will allow the team to give its VIP guests a bit of a thrill.

The manufacturers involved in Formula 1 will meet today to discuss their reaction to the recent announcement that the FIA, Ferrari and Formula One Management have agreed terms for a new "Concorde Agreement" that will run from 2008 to 2012. Ferrari will not attend the meeting.

The FIA proposals which were due to be discussed on Friday seek to address the issue of cost-cutting in Formula 1. The problem is that the teams and apparently Bernie Ecclestone as well think that they risk altering the essence of what they believe to be Formula 1.

Gianmaria Bruni failed to make much of an impression in F1 last year, being overshadowed somewhat in the course of the year by Zsolt Baumgartner at Minardi.

The fact that Bernie Ecclestone signed a letter to the FIA saying that there is no rush to introduce radical new technical regulations in Formula 1 is rather odd.

The Formula 1 teams have decided that they do not care what Ferrari does and have agreed that they will have their own limitation on testing of 30 days. This is not unexpected. The restriction will be for two cars a day at only one circuit rather than multiple tracks.

The A1 Grand Prix series has decided to shift its starting date from September 18 to September 25. This appears to be have been caused by the fact that the original date clashed with a round of the British Touring Car Championship and its associated races at Silverstone.

McLaren has confirmed that it will take advantage of the rules and run a third car this year. The team gains this bonus because it underperformed badly in 2004 and finished outside the top four in the Constructors' World Championship.

The Formula 1 team bosses meet today in London to discuss the matters of the moment and while some are expecting Bernie Ecclestone to make them offers they cannot refuse to sign up for the FIA Formula 1 World Championship from 2008 to 2012.

We do not generally report on the private lives of the Formula 1 team drivers (nor for that matter the team principal) however the recent adventures of Kimi Raikkonen took over the launch of the McLaren-Mercedes yesterday and thus one has to ask whether or not this is going to have any effect on the driver.

The battle for the Formula One group has been delayed until May 10 to allow the legal teams to prepare their cases.

Following the recent announcement about the renewal of the Concorde Agreement between Ferrari, FOM and FIA, Ferrari has draw a certain amount of criticism. This has caused the company to respond with a comment.

The Midland Group, the new owner of Jordan Grand Prix, seems to be rolling in cash, at least that is how it looks when one examines the impressive list of acquisitions it has made in the last three years.

Keith Wiggins, who used to run the Pacific Grand Prix F1 team in the early 1990s, will be back in action in the Champ Car series in 2005 with a revamped Herdez Competition operation.

The McLaren MP4-20 is up and running and the Woking team will be hoping that the new machine will end the run of poor performances that have plagued the operation in recent years, culminating in the 2004 season when McLaren had its worst finishing position in the Constructors' Championship since 1983.

This morning at Court 61 in the Palace of Justice in London Mr Justice Peter Smith will listen to the next round of the ongoing battle between Formula One Holdings Ltd and Formula One Administration.

Jordan Grand Prix will compete in the 2005 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with cars to be known as the Jordan-Toyota EJ15s. Eddie Jordan will stay involved with the team and will be spending his time working on commercial and sponsorship matters but the team will be owned by the Midland group.

There are stories circulating that the deal between Jordan Grand Prix and Midland F1 has been signed but for the moment at least there is no official confirmation.