Formula One News — March 2007

Williams test driver Narain Karthikeyan will take part in the Speedcar Series, the competition that will pit 24 identical 600bhp cars against each other on tracks across Asia and the Middle East. Karthikeyan is the first Asian driver to be announced as a competitor in the championship.

The rules of Formula 1 are complicated and often, at the start of a new season, the teams have to have a look at the cars to see not only the new ideas, but also whether they think the rules are being bent - often quite literally.

As the folk in Melbourne quibble over what it will cost to light up the Formula 1 track in Albert Park - if indeed it is necessary given that the race could be held at night without the need for lights if the date was changed - there are other arguments which need to be taken into account.

The Spyker F1 team has now begun the process of arbitration against various other teams over the question of company cars. It is not currently clear which teams are involved ]but it could be that Super Aguri, Toro Rosso, Red Bull Racing and Honda F1 are all involved.

The Circuit de Catalunya is still expanding its facilities as it enjoys the Fernando Alonso boom that is currently driving interest in F1 in Spain. As part of this programme the circuit has just announced a new 2000 seat grandstand at the new chicane that has been created in recent months.

With new projects for Formula 1 races coming out of the woodwork all over Asia and the Middle East, the remaining European races are beginning to get edgy and in recent days there have been stories about plans to revive the French Grand Prix at Disneyland Paris and finally Britain has reacted.

The Malaysian Grand Prix may not have been a runaway success in recent years but the locals are not about to quite and walk away, despite the fact that Singapore is coming on strong with plans for a race in September 2008.

As interest in Formula 1 continues to grow in Asia and the Middle East, India is still trying to get its act together to hold a race. The Formula One group is always going to make exceptions for a country that has a population of one billion people.

This weekend the Indy Racing League goes back into action at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida. It is anticipated that once again the championship will be a fight between Team Penske, Andretti Green Racing and the Target Chip Ganassi team.

Disneyland Paris, once known as Eurodisney, is located at Marne-la-Vallee, near the town of Meaux, to the east of Paris. It attracts large numbers of tourists from all over Europe but needs to be constantly updated in order to encourage people to come back time and time again.

Bernie Ecclestone says that he would like to see the French Grand Prix moving to the region of Paris, rather than struggling on trying to survive at Magny-Cours. The timing of these relevations is no doubt significant as France heads towards a presidential election.

Jacques Regis, the president of the Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile (FFSA), has resigned from his position with immediate effect. Regis has been the man who has been fighting to save the French Grand Prix in recent years but before that was a leading critic of FIA President Max Mosley's policies in 2004.

Johnny Herbert, the former F1 driver and Le Mans 24 Hours winner, is returning to Le Mans this summer with the Prodrive-run factory Aston Martin team. Herbert will join other ex-F1 men Tomas Enge and David Brabham in the team alongside Peter Kox, Darren Turner and Rickard Rydell.

Although it is yet to be confirmed it seems that the Spanish Banco Santander will soon be named as the title sponsor of the British GP, responding no doubt to rival ING's huge investment in F1 this year.

Another storm is brewing about the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The Age newspaper is reporting today that the state's Auditor-General Des Pearson will soon deliver a report about the funding of the event which warns of rising public costs and questioning claimed economic benefits.

The Australian Grand Prix can be run at night - but without the need to have lights. Australia's Motorsport News has come up with a most interesting theory about the future of the event, suggesting that the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place in January 2009 and that Melbourne could happen in February.

It would have been hard to find anyone in the Formula 1 paddock on Sunday morning who truly believed anyone other than Kimi Raikkonen would win the Australian Grand Prix. There are always the odd contrary souls who prefer a little whimsy rather than the harsh reality of what is a very scientific business.

Despite much griping in the local media, which seems to have it in for the management of the Grand Prix Corporation, the Australian Grand Prix had another solid weekend in terms of crowd figures with a total of 301,000 spectators over the four days.

Anthony Davidson ended his race day in Australia in hospital with severe back pain resulting from his collision with Spyker's Adrian Sutil early in the race. In the course of the incident Anthony's Super Aguri was launched into the air and landed heavily, jarring Davidson.

Australian GP - Race Notes

There was a sizeable contingent of officials from the Singaporean government in the paddock in Melbourne although they received rather less coverage than the Minogue Sisters. Among the group was the government minister in charge of tourism and several heads of department.

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton finished third on his Formula 1 debut in Melbourne. The 22-year-old overtook his team mate, double World Champion Fernando Alonso, at the first corner and ran second to Kimi Raikkonen for much of the race, leading when Raikkonen pitted.

Australian GP - Sunday Photos

Australian GP - Sunday Press Conference

Australian GP - Sunday Team Quotes