Formula One News — August 2005

The Formula 1 drivers have asked the FIA to consider a new system of qualifying next year.

Can Artam is making noises about being a Grand Prix driver next year.

The Minardi team will be running a pair of cars this weekend at Zandvoort supporting the DTM series.

We believe that Williams and Michelin are in the final stages of negotiating a new deal for 2006.

There may be some kind of an option for BAR to use Nick Heifeld next year but the German is under a Williams option for some time yet.

Enrico Toccacelo is to become the Minardi test and reserve driver from the Turkish Grand Prix.

Formula One Promotions and Administration has applied for the pan-European trademark rights to the name GP1 covering 16 categories including organising and staging sports events, broadcasting, sportswear and timing equipment.

Red Bull Racing has asked the Bedford Borough Council for permission to run its new windtunnel around the clock.

Luis Diaz has been confirmed as the lead driver of A1 Grand Prix Team Mexico. The 27-year-old is current racing for Chip Ganassi in GrandAm, although he raced in Toyota Atlantic before moving to GrandAm.

Reports from the Associated Press suggest that it is not a foregone conclusion that there will be a United States Grand Prix in 2006. The speedway made a huge investment to get an F1 race and has to decide whether it is going to write this off and give up on F1.

Jordan will run a demonstration for Formula Renault driver Jason Tahincioglu at the forthcoming Turkish Grand Prix. Tahincioglu will become the first Turkish driver to drive an F1 car.

The magazine Business F1 has run into legal difficulties having published allegations in January about Alan Donnelly, Max Mosley's official representative at Formula 1 Grands Prix.

Bernie Ecclestone, the man who has run F1 with an iron fist in recent years, seems to have converted to democracy in recent days, saying that "I want the teams to own the sport".

Claim forms are now available for those seeking refunds from Michelin for the boycott of the US Grand Prix in June.

Ferrari last month tested a prototype V8 engine, which had major vibration problems, but this week the team ran its first real V8 engine, which was given its debut in the hands of Marc Gene, who completed 38 laps around Fiorano in the first shakedown test.

In a recent press conference the organisers of the planned South African Grand Prix made one very interesting remark, noting that if a race is to go ahead it will have to convince the government to "allow them to advertise" tobacco.

The recent decision by Jurgen Schrempp is to stand down as DaimlerChrysler chairman, three years ahead of schedule, have had some destabilising influences on the Stuttgart company, not least because the chief executive of Mercedes-Benz Eckhard Cordes appears to have decided to follow Schrempp out of the door.

Minardi has announced that it will be holding it's second annual auction of Minardi Formula One memorabilia

For most of this year there have been stories coming out of Romania about plans to create a racing circuit in the downtown area of Bucharest, around the famous Parliament Palace, built by the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu before he overthrown in 1989.

The International Rugby Board has just announced that it is to invest $53m in the sport to improve the competitiveness of rugby worldwide. The investment is part of the IRB's Strategic Plan to develop the game.

The word in Formula 1 circles for some time has been that chip-maker Intel is keen to come into Formula 1 and is talking to a variety of teams about deals for the future.

The new Grand Prix Masters World Series aims to kick off in November at Kyalami.

Williams is to join Minardi in the "Monaco on the Maas" event on the streets of Rotterdam this weekend.

Toyota may be withdrawing from the Indy Racing League and cutting its longtime support for the Formula Atlantic Championship but it will be continuing to support the Long Beach Grand Prix, which it has sponsored since 1980.

Stephen Beattie, formerly financial controller of the British Racing Drivers Club, has appeared at Towcester Magistrates Court on embezzlement charges.