Formula One News — June 2005

Toyota is expected to conform shortlly that it is leaving the Indy Racing League at the end of 2006. Chevrolet departs at the end of the current season and Honda has said that it is not interested in staying on by itself so it too is expected to depart from the championship.

It was a busy weekend for non-F1 racing series with rounds of the Champ Car, IRL, Formula 3 Euroseries, DTM and British F3 series all taking place, in addition to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

As Formula 1 looks disaster in the face once again, at the meeting of the FIA World Council in Paris on Wednesday, the signs are not looking good that peace is about to break out and team principals, in addition to the voluble Paul Stoddart, are whispering that if the FIA imposes harsh penalties on the teams there will be war.

The final selection of letters we have received.

Yet more response from F1 fans around the world.

We do not agree with all the opinions being expressed but in the circumstances it does the sport good to air the views of the people.

The organisers of the French and British Grands Prix have both issued statements in recent days saying that fans should not be worried about their races on July 3 and July 10 respectively.

Many thanks for the thousands of messages we have received about the United States Grand Prix.

Formula 1 fans voice their opinions about what happened at Indianapolis.

Grand Prix Tours Inc., which organises trips for fans to Grands Prix around the world, has announced that it will be crediting the cost of grandstand tickets for its customers who attended the 2005 USGP in Indianapolis.

Your opinions about the state of F1.

The Champ Car World Series has announced that it will honour all tickets for the United States Grand Prix for the forthcoming Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland on June 26.

More of the same. Real opinions from real people.

We asked F1 fans for their opinions about what happened at Indianapolis. Here is what they think.

Here is further comment from F1 fans about what happened at Indianapolis:

Our spies in the Middle East tell us that Eddie Jordan is the latest person to sign up to own a franchise in the A1 Grand Prix series. The news is yet to be confirmed but we believe that Jordan will run a team representing Ireland.

The FIA has issued a press release which aims to justify the actions of its officials at Indianapolis last weekend.

Gunther Schmid, the owner of two different Formula 1 teams in the 1970s and 1980s, has died from a brain tumour.

The FIA has "categorically denied" the suggestion made by Paul Stoddart that Max Mosley told the FIA's most senior representative in the United States, Burdette Martin, that if any kind of non-championship race was run, or any alteration made to the circuit.

The words complete transparency are often used in F1 these days and Paul Stoddart has just issued an account of what happened to him at Indianapolis. It makes interesting reading as the colourful Minardi boss has (as usual) not held back.

Credit Suisse is selling its shareholding in the Sauber team over a three-year period to BMW. In the same period, Credit Suisse will remain an official partner of the team.

BMW will announce this afternoon that it has decided to buy Sauber.

We have received hundreds of responses to our request for your opinions about what happened at Indianapolis last weekend.

The FIA has ordered seven teams to appear before the World Council next week on various charges relating to what happened at Indianapolis on Sunday. There are, it seems, dangers in this course of action which could trigger law suits in the United States.

The last few days have seen considerable argument being thrown around about what was right and what was wrong in Indianapolis. It is worth considering a couple of precedents which will no doubt feature in the discussions in the next week.