Formula One News — May 2005

Bernie Ecclestone says that France needs a Grand Prix driver. Ecclestone was a surprise guest of the French Federation boss Jacques Regis at a media lunch yesterday in London, to promote ticket sales for the Magny-Cours event.

Australia's Mark Preston says that he has longterm plans to enter a team in Formula 1.

Bernie Ecclestone told journalists in London ion Wednesday that F1 should restrict its testing during the F1 season to just 10 days and increase activity on the Friday at each Grand Prix.

Spanish GP - Preview

Reports in Australia indicate that the Australian Grand Prix will be run on April 2 next year, clashing with the start of the Aussie Rules football season and will come just a few days after the end of the Commonwealth Games.

The FIA Court of Appeal met in Paris this morning to discuss the case of BAR Honda at the San Marino Grand Prix. The judges present for the case were Xavier Conesa (Spain), Vassilis Koussis (Greece), Erich Sedelmayer (Austria) and Pierre Tourigny (Canada).

The FIA technical delegate delegate Jo Bauer admitted at the FIA International Court of Appeal that he knew about the fuel collector inside the BAR fuel tank in Malaysia and was not a secret mechanism.

Chris Chapple has been appointed as the chief exceutive of the BMW Williams F1 team. The appointment is part of a reorganisation which includes a new Senior Management Group, which will be the key decision-making forum within the organisation.

The FIA has asked the FIA International Court of Appeal to exclude BAR-Honda from the 2005 Formula 1 World Championship and to fine the team at least $1.3m.

The British American Racing test last week at Mugello resulted in the BAR-Hondas going fastest and completing an impressive number of laps.

After being pounded by criticism at Imola, the GP2 series has decided to make changes to its rules. In the first race the drivers will now have to make only one compulsory pit stop rather than the two that occurred at Imola.

Mario Theissen, the head of BMW Motorsport is to propose to the BMW board of directors that the Munich company increase its investment in F1 and buy control of the Sauber team.

Sir Jackie Stewart held a lunch for some of the British media this week and the British Racing Drivers' Club president told the reporters that the battle for control of the club is about his honour.

The FIA International Court of Appeal meets today in Paris and its deliberations over British American Racing will be watched closely by the Formula 1 world.

The Minardi F1 Team has confirmed that it has signed an engine supply contract with Cosworth Racing for the 2006 season, with an option to continue in 2007. The arrangement will see the Faenza team's 2006 cars powered by a further development of the the current V10 engine.

Ferrari continues to test whenever it chooses to do so. The Italian team says that the testing is justified because it is the only major team using Bridgestone rubber and that the other teams rejected all of its proposals regarding testing.

There is no question that McLaren talked down the seriousness of Juan Pablo Montoya's shoulder injury in Bahrain, reporting only of a minor fracture of the left scapula.

The arrival of May 1 may signal a holiday for most of Europe but the date also marks the change of two important faces in key jobs in the automobile world. Carlos Ghosn, the boss of Nissan, moves to Paris to take over control of Renault, replacing veteran Louis Schweitzer.

Back in 2003 it was announced that there would be a Formula 1 race in Korea in 2009 at a new track which would be built near the city of Jinhae (Chinhae). This is to be part of a vast development which will include a new seaport with 30 berths which aims to become the maritime capital of Asia.

The Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway will this week host the second round of Japan's Super GT series, the first event at the track after 18 months of refurbishment which is aimed at bringing the Japanese Grand Prix back to the track for the first time since the 1970s.

Bernie Ecclestone rarely says something to the media without a reason behind it and so it is interesting to note that he has been telling the British press that he believes tennis needs to be reorganised and that he and Flavio Briatore considered a bid to buy Chelsea Football Club in London.

The new Renault World Series kicked off at Zolder on Sunday with wins going to Enrico Toccacelo (Victory Engineering) and Robert Kubica (Epsilon Euskadi). In the first race Toccacelo left from pole to finish and was chased home by Andreas Zuber (Carlin Motorsport) and Kubica.

Developers are planning to build an indoor racing circuit in Plainfield, Connecticut - and have just won zoning approval for the project from the town. The town has voted to change the 900-acre site to be part of a "resort/recreational development zone."

Bahrain's General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence is warning people who entered Bahrain on special F1 visas that it is now time to go home - or face legal action.