Formula One News — December 2006

David Richards was much in evidence at the Motorsport Forum in Monte Carlo and is very confident that he is now well on his way to having his F1 team up and running next year.

The Formula 1 team principals will meet later this week in Monaco to discuss a number of issues but the big question is going to be one of chassis design as there are very serious questions being asked about who is designing the Scuderia Toro Rosso chassis for 2007 and the Super Aguri F1 car.

The Motorsport Business Forum in Monte Carlo is a time for the sport to examine itself and it is not surprising that there is a level of criticism about things that the sport is not doing or what it is doing wrong. However, Mick da Haas, the man who brought ING to Renault had a very positive message for the sport.

Yasuhiro Wada, the head of Honda's F1 activities, has been promoted to head all of Honda's worldwide racing, including motorcycle racing, and overseeing the circuits at Suzuka and Motegi.

The departure of Michelin from F1 means that Bridgestone is facing a great deal less publicity from the sport than was previously the case. It is inevitable that if everyone uses the same tyres, the only mention of the company involved will be when there is a problem.

The word is that Jenson Button will not only miss this week's testing in Jerez but that the Honda driver will now not be seen again in action this year - and that means that he probably won't be racing at the Race of Champions in Paris as it makes little sense to take any further risks if he is not ready to test F1 cars.

The word in America is that Juan Pablo Montoya will exploit his new-found liberty to race with a run in the Daytona 24 Hours at the wheel of one of Chip Ganassi's Riley-Lexus GrandAm sportscars.

Gary Paffett is rumoured to be returning to the DTM in 2007 after his attempt to sign for Honda failed to materialise. The story of what happened with negotiations depends on who one talks to with Paffett's people saying that he had a better offer and whispers from Honda that he was asking too much.

New York is the mecca for all racing series but getting a venue within easy reach of the Big Apple is not an easy thing to achieve - something which Formula 1 found out in the 1990s when it tried to organise a street race in Manhattan.

There is an interesting report today in Holland that Michiel Mol of Spyker tried to sign Lewis Hamilton on a long-term deal, offering him $10m for the drive.

It was a very quiet weekend for motorsport action but Marcus Gronholm was in the spotlight as he gave Ford its first British WRC win for 27 years. The result was made somewhat less impressive by the fact that Sebastien Loeb was not present - as he is still recovering from his shoulder injuries.

Lola Cars International has hired Dr John Davis as the new manager of its technology centre in Huntingdon, a facility which includes a state-of-the-art half-scale, rolling road windtunnel.

The annual Autosport Awards in London resulted in further recognition for Fernando Alonso, who took the award for International Racing Driver of the Year although the Spaniard was not there to be pick up his latest trophy.

It is a dangerous time of year to be a turkey - and the FIA World Council will be discussing this matter when it meets this week to discuss what to do about the outstanding fine of $2.5m that the Turkish Automobile and Motorsports Federation (TOMSFED) needs to pay.

The case between the Formula One group and Kamos-Finanz over the question of repayment of a loan made to the group to help buy the commercial rights to Formula 1 is still going through the courts - and it is a complicated business.

At the end of the Barcelona test only Toyota remained at the track but the team took the opportunity of setting times which were well clear of the best set by Ferrari the previous day. Jarno Trulli set a best of 1m15.936s and Ralf Schumacher lapped in 1m15.976s.

The FIA has issued the official numbers of the 2007 season with no big surprises on the list, which is led by World Champion Fernando Alonso, who takes his number one to McLaren.

The Royal Bank of Scotland has presented Roger Penske with an RBS Outstanding Achievement Award for his contribution to the motorsport industry in the course of the last 40 years.

Toyota Motorsport GmbH has announced that Tadashi Yamashina, who oversees motorsport-related activities, has been appointed the new vice chairman of the Cologne-based operation.

Renault F1 celebrates 30 years at Viry-Chatillon this week although the factory actually dates back to 1969 when Amedee Gordini moved his engine operation into the facility after it was taken over by Renault in 1968.

Kirk Kerkorian is now punishing General Motors for refusing to listen to him and to merge with Renault and it is reported in the Wall Street Journal that he has sold all 28m of his remaining shares in a deal worth around $800m.

Cristiano da Matta is now back in Brazil and has been continuing his recovery following his crash in August at Road America when he suffered serious head injuries after colliding with a deer.

According to reports in Canada, former Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has reached an agreement with Roush Racing to help him set up an operation in NASCAR next spring.

Global expansion is all the rage at the moment and following the news that NASCAR is looking at Europe and China, comes news that Champ Car has sent a new Panoz DP01 to Zhuhai for tests in front of local dignitaries, guests and the Chinese media.

The British Racing Drivers' Club has announced the appointment of a new club secretary, Stuart Pringle.