NEWS ARCHIVE
BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Bahrain GP - Preview
WIRDHEIM SIGNS FOR HVM
Bjorn Wirdheim has signed to drive for the Hola Viva Mexico team in Champ Cars this year.
THE MAN BEHIND THE NEW ZEALAND A1 FRANCHISE
Colin Giltrap is one of New Zealand's richest men and has been an active supporter of motor racing for the last 30 years. He is the country's biggest car dealer ship links to many of the big car companies, including Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Hyundai.
BAHRAIN INVESTS MORE IN TOURISM
The government of Bahrain is investing around $750m in a new resort facility which is to be built near the country's Formula 1 circuit. The foundation stone of the Al Areen Desert Spa and Resort was laid on Wednesday.
PRIAULX TO GET ANOTHER WILLIAMS TEST
BMW driver and reigning FIA European Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx will be back at the wheel of a Formula 1 Williams-BMW in May.
HAMILTON LEADS THE WAY IN SPA FORMULA 3 TEST
British rising star Lewis Hamilton led the way in the two-day Formula 3 Euroseries test at Spa-Francorchamps with his ASM Dallara-Mercedes F305, a tenth faster than former Formula 3000 driver Esteban Guerrieri, driving a Midland Junior Team Dallara-Toyota.
DOMINGUEZ MOVES TO FORSYTHE
In a surprise last-minute move in Champ Cars, Forsythe Championship Racing has announced the signing of Mario Dominguez, who had been expected to stay with the Hola Viva Mexico team.
FIZZY'S ROMAN HOLIDAY
Giancarlo Fisichella will drive a Renault F1 car on the streets of his home city of Rome on April 10.
MATESCHITZ STIRS IT UP A LITTLE
Red Bull Racing owner Dietrich Mateschitz has too many drivers for his Formula 1 team this year and rather than sending them to play tennis with Juan Pablo Montoya, the Austrian magnate is saying that he would happily lend either Christian Klien or Vitantonio Liuzzi to another team.
JONES TO RUN JONES
The A1 Grand Prix series has laucnhed another franchise holder with the announcement that A1 Team Australia will be fronted by Alan Jones, the former Formula 1 World Champion, and will run Christian Jones.
FIA BANS JEWELLERY
The FIA World Council has announced an immediate ban on the wearing of jewellery by race and rally competitors.
IS COMPROMISE IN THE WIND?
The FIA World Motor Sport Council met in Paris on Wednesday and, surprisingly, said nothing about Paul Stoddart's activities in Melbourne. The council issued a press statement that says that the technical regulations will remain unchanged in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
WATCH OUT FOR THE "NEW" WILLIAMS
The Williams FW27 is getting better and better as new parts arrive to fix the problems that slowed the car at the start of the season. We hear on the grapevine that the team will have a new aerodynamic package at the rear which will be worth as much as two or three-tenths of a second per lap.
AUTOCOURSE IS SOLD
Autocourse, the venerable motorsports annual, has been acquired from the Profile Media Group plc by Crash dot Net Ltd, the online publishing house which is led by Formula 1 photographer Bryn Williams.
IS TENNIS REALLY THAT DANGEROUS?
Juan Pablo Montoya is out of the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend and may be out for a few more races this year, at least according to our sources. Montoya is reported to have been playing tennis on Saturday last week when he slipped and fell, sustaining a fracture to his left shoulderblade.
AUSTRALIA GETS A CHAMP CAR TEAM
Australian expansion in world motor racing continues with the news that Australian businessmen John Fish and Craig Gore have bought "a controlling interest" in Derrick Walker's Champ Car team. The team will henceforth be called "Team Australia" rather than Walker Racing.
JACQUES SEEKS VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
Jacques Villeneuve may be an experienced Formula 1 driver but he goes to Bahrain this week at a disadvantage because he has never driven at the track. Jacques's solution is to have ago on a Formula 1 video game so that he knows all the corners of the circuit.
JENSEN MOVES UP
Eric Jensen is to run his own Champ car team this year. The 35-year-old Toronto driver has been a regular competitor in Toyota Atlantics in recent years, running his own team in the series.
THE DANGEROUS SPORT OF TENNIS
Juan Pablo Montoya is one of the more spectacular Formula 1 drivers but it seems that he has done himself more damage playing tennis than he has in an F1 car. The Colombian has hurt his shoulder playing tennis and may not be able to race in Bahrain.
WEBBER INJURED SINCE BEFORE MELBOURNE!
Mark Webber has confirmed that he raced in both Melbourne and Malaysia nursing a fractured rib. The injury originally occured during testing in Barcelona prior to the season opener and, while there was initially some possibility of not racing in Melbourne.
JAGUAR LOOKS FOR A NEW IMAGE
After flopping badly in the marketplace and in Formula 1, Jaguar Cars is looking for a completely new image and has just named Euro RSCG Worldwide division of the French Havas group, as its global creative agency.
WHERE THERE IS CASH, THERE ARE RACING DRIVERS
Former F1 World Champions Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter, Nigel Mansell, Keke Rosberg and Alan Jones were among the stars present at the official launch of the Grand Prix Masters Series at the Durban Motor Show in South Africa.
FORMULA 1 MEN MAKE BIG IMPACT IN SEBRING TEST
Some of the Champ Car teams were in action this week at Sebring in Florida and although series regular Paul Tracy (Forsythe) emerged fastest on the first day of the two-day test.
LOOK OUT CANADA!
Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, used to be the home of the Canadian Grand Prix. Now renamed as Mosport International Raceway the circuit is aiming to leap-frog Montreal to become the leading candidate to land a NASCAR race in 2006.
THE FUTURE OF MELBOURNE - AND ADELAIDE
Australasian Motorsport News is reporting that Formula 1 could be on its way back to Adelaide if the current battle between Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management and the manufacturers results in a new series.
WHO RUNS FORMULA ONE?
Reports are beginning to emerge in Germany which indicate that the deal between Bernie Ecclestone and the Formula 1 banks is a deal that is heavily in favour of the banks. SLEC's chairman Gerhard Gribkowsky is widely quoted as saying that the banks now have influence relative to their shareholding.
FERRARI TO RACE F2005S IN BAHRAIN
Ferrari will take its new F2005 to Bahrain next week in an effort to get some more points on the board in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The decision was taken after the two race drivers had tried the car at Mugello.
MOSLEY TALKS ABOUT LAP TIMES AND COST SAVING
FIA President Max Mosley has issued a statement illustrating how the changes in Formula 1 regulations that he demanded last year have produced the desired effect in the first two Grands Prix of the year.
RENAULTS AT SILVERSTONE
While Franck Montagny and Heikki Kovalainen were busy testing for Renault F1 at Paul Ricard, some observers were rather surprised to see Jose-Maria Lopez running up and down Hangar Straight at Silverstone in another Renault.
THE ECONOMICS AND VALUE OF F1
It is clear, and has been for some time, that the world has too many automobile companies. The result of this is that competition is fierce. This drives the car firms to try to win market share by looking for ways to brush up their images. Formula 1 serves that purpose well but not everyone can be a winner.
SCHUMACHER TRIES F2005
Michael Schumacher tested the new Ferrari F2005 for the first time on Wednesday at Mugello.
CHAMP CARS TO FOLLOW F1 TO CHINA?
The Champ Car World Series says it will expand to include a race next year in Beijing, China. Champ Car has announced that it has signed an agreement with the Beijing Auto and Motor Sports Association, the government regulatory agency that approves all auto racing for Beijing.
JOS RACES FOR CHAMP CAR SEAT
Jos Verstappen is in a race to win the last major drive in Champ Cars and is up against Denmark's Ronnie Bremer and Roberto Gonzalez of Mexico for the seat alongside Mario Dominguez. Verstappen completed 97 laps at Sebring with a best of 51.82s compared to Bremer's best of 52.62s.
MARK WEBBER IS BEAUTIFUL
Mark Webber has made it on to the grid for the first time in Australian Who magazine's annual "Most Beautiful People" list. Mark qualified 13th out of 25 for the list which this year includes such names as Cate Blanchett, Jude Law and Kate Winslett.
SONS OF FAMOUS FATHERS
There are lots of famous names in racing, carried from one generation to the next. We have seen Brabhams, Hills, Andrettis, Unsers, Villeneuves and soon no doubt will be dealing with new Rosbergs and Piquets.
NOW WHAT?
The news that Bernie Ecclestone and the banks have done some sort of deal moves the political situation in Formula 1 on a little - but not much. The case had been under close scrutiny from the automobile manufacturers who are threatening to launch a rival series from 2008.
THE DEAL BEHIND A SMOKESCREEN
The case in the High Court case between Bayerische Landesbank, JP Morgan and Lehman Brothers and Bernie Ecclestone has been settled - but no-one is talking about the deal.
WHAT ARE THE NINE TEAMS UP TO NOW?
While everyone watches the High Court in London to see what will emerge in the supposed "settlement" between Bernie Ecclestone and the Formula 1 banks, the Formula 1 teams continue their discussions about the future.
THE F2005 AND BAHRAIN
Ferrari will decide within the next couple of days whether or not to take the F2005 to Bahrain. The decision will make a big difference as the logistics or changing cars is a massive job and it may be better to run all new cars rather than try to do two different models at the same time.
VASSELON MOVES TO TOYOTA
The word on the strasse in Cologne is that Pascal Vasselon, formerly head of Michelin's F1 programme, has decided to leave the Clermont-Ferrand company and will take up a new role as a research and development engineer at Panasonic Toyota Racing.
THE SAD TALE OF JOHN DELOREAN
John DeLorean has died at the age of 80. He was not involved in Formula 1 but played an important role in destroying the Lotus brand, taking the gloss off what had been a stellar name in the 1960s and 1970s.
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT TURKEY
The Turkish Grand Prix is fast approaching but the Fomrula 1 circus knows little about the place we were are going to race in the middle of August. The Istanbul Otodrom, as it is is known, is located in the Tepeoren-Tuzla area, to the south-east of Istanbul near the new Sabiha Gokcen International Airport.
FORMULA 1 AT SEA
The America's Cup and Formula 1 have a great deal in common and it is not surprising that over the years there has been a considerable amount of crossover between the two sports.
MAKING MINARDI GO QUICKER
It is fair to say that this year the Minardi team's primary aim has not been on the race track, as the team has battled with the FIA over the rules. This is not about Minardi alone but with an old car the team's hopes in the early races were not high.
TAKING OUT THE BANKS
The Formula 1 banks have been lurking around the edge of the sport for the last couple of years. They are not interested in the business beyond getting out money which they "invested" in the sport when they acquired the shares of the Formula One group from the assets of the crumbled Kirch media empire.
FIRMAN GOES BACK TO JAPAN
Former Jordan F1 driver Ralph Firman Jr is going back to Japan where he made his name and earned himself the chance in F1 in 2003. Firmin will join Team Honda Racing in the Super GT Championship and will be seen at the wheel of an Autobacs Honda NSX.
RENAULT AND THE INDIAN MARKET
Formula 1's love affair with India is currently in its passionate phase, with the paddock awash with Indian reporters, stacking up to interview Narain Karthikeyan and to encourage Bernie Ecclestone to find somewhere to have an F1 race in India.
SAUBER CONSIDERS THIRD CAR OPTION
Peter Sauber says that the team is considering running a third car but needs a driver with money in order to make that happen.
BRDC TROUBLE COMING?
We understand that there are developments going on in the long-running fight within the British Racing Drivers' Club and that a denouement could occur within the next few days.
OFF TO COURT AGAIN
This morning in London the ongoing court case between Formula One Holdings and Formula One Administration took another step forward with a hearing before Mr Justice Peter Smith.
THE POINT IS MADE
Suggestions which were being bandied around in Malaysia that the teams opposed to Ferrari were not united in their condemnation of Ferrari's testing philosophy at the moment were shown to be nothing but propaganda on Sunday afternoon in Sepang when eight teams distributed their post-race press releases
A PARALLEL HISTORY
It is interesting to reflect on the current F1 situation with regard to Ferrari and the problems that arose in America at the weekend over Maserati's involvement in the Sebring 12 Hours. Maserati was until recently Ferrari's sister company and its sporting programmes were run by Ferrari people.
CROWDS, TV AND VIPS
The organizers of the Malaysian Grand Prix announced that the race attracted a crowd of 100,000 people. This seemed to be a rather larger number than appeared to be present although the track can hide spectators because of its unique back-to-back grandstands.
DOORS CLOSING IN CHAMP CAR
The Formula 1 refugees in America are running out of time as the final Champ Car drivers are handed out (or perhaps one should say, sold to the highest bidder).
THE FIA AND AUSTRALIA
The FIA may not have to worry about sanctioning one of the World Championship events in Australia. The State Government of Western Australia) is seeking to end its contract in 2006 because they are concerned that Rally Australia is not economically viable.
RACE REPORT - FERNANDO EL CONQUISTADOR
Renault's Fernando Alonso was beaten by his team mate Giancarlo Fisichella in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. It was obvious then that the Renault F1 team had a huge advantage over the other teams. As a result F1 arrived in Malaysia convinced that the team would win again and win they did.
LONG SHOWS HIS CLASS
Grandprix.com Young Driver award winner Patrick Long has added class victory at the Sebring 12 hour race to his 2004 Le Mans 24 Hour class success.
SUNDAY PHOTOS
Malaysian GP - Sunday Photos
SUNDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
Malaysian GP - Sunday Press Conference
RACE INCIDENTS FROM SEPANG
Malaysian GP - Race incidents
SUNDAY TEAM QUOTES
Malaysian GP - Sunday Team Quotes
RACE RESULTS
Malaysian GP - Race Results
QUALIFYING 2 REPORT - ALONSO CONFIRMS POLE
Fernando Alonso confirmed his pole position in final qualifying on Sunday morning in Sepang, setting the best lap of the morning session, two-tenths faster than Jarno Trulli's Toyota.
TEAMS TO PUBLISH NEW LETTER TO FERRARI
The Formula 1 team principals got together twice on Sunday morning in Sepang and at the end drafted and agreed a letter which is to be sent to Fiat chairman Luca di Montezemolo, indicating their discontent with the way in which Ferrari is making decisions about its involvement in Formula 1 at the moment.
STARTING GRID
Malaysian GP - Starting Grid
QUALIFYING 2 RESULTS
Malaysian GP - Qualifying Session 2 Results
A TEAM MEETING THIS MORNING
The Formula 1 team bosses gather in Kuala Lumpur this morning for a meeting called by Sir Frank Williams. It is not clear why the meeting has been called
SCHUMACHER AND HIS PEERS
Michael Schumacher and the other drivers in F1 met on Friday afternoon in Kuala Lumpur to discuss Grand Prix Drivers Association matters.
VERSTAPPEN TO TEST CHAMP CAR
Jos Verstappen is to test for Keith Wiggins's HVM Champ Car team in Sebring next week.
QUALIFYING 1 REPORT - VIVA ESPANA!
Fernando Alonso set the fastest time of the first qualifying session in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday with a lap of 1m32.582s, half a second a lap faster than last year's pole position at the Sepang circuit.
SAUBER CLARIFIES
Team Sauber Petronas put out a short statement on Saturday afternoon in which it distanced itself from the press release of the F1 teams with regard to Ferrari's testing. Coincidentally, Sauber's cars will not run without engines, which are supplied to the Swiss team by Ferrari.
SATURDAY PHOTOS
Malaysian GP - Saturday Photos
SATURDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
Malaysian GP - Saturday Press Conference
RED BULL CHANGES TACK
Red Bull Racing has decided to run Scott Speed and Neel Jani in the test next week in Barcelona, leaving its second American driver Scott Fleming to wait for his first of F1 power. Speed and Jani are both going to be racing in GP2 this year in Red Bull colours.
SATURDAY TEAM QUOTES
Malaysian GP - Saturday Team Quotes
QUALIFYING 1 RESULTS
Malaysian GP - Qualifying Session 1 Results
PRACTICE 4 RESULTS
Malaysian GP - Practice Session 4 Results
CHINESE TO RESCUE FIAT AUTO?
There is speculation in the German media that Fiat Auto may have found a saviour in the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, the Chinese car company which is in the process of completing a joint venture agreement with the ailing British car firm MG Rover.
PRACTICE 3 RESULTS
Malaysian GP - Practice Session 3 Results
MEANWHILE IN GOSSIPVILLE F1
The latest whisper in the Formula 1 paddock on Saturday morning is that Sauber will do a deal with McLaren to get Alexander Wurz into the second car to replace Jacques Villeneuve.
EXCLUSIVE: TAKUMA SATO OUT OF SEPANG
Takuma Sato is out of the Malaysian Grand Prix. He will be replaced by Anthony Davidson. The Japanese driver is suffering from a fever and was judged not to be fit enough to continue.
PRACTICE 2 REPORT - FELIP-ING HECK!
Felipe Massa set the fastest time of the second testing session in Malaysia and while the locals were able to enjoy the success of the Sauber Petronas team, there were few who considered that the result would be the same by the end of qualifying on Sunday morning.
FERRARI RESPONDS
Ferrari has responded to the statement of the other nine Formula 1 teams about testing by saying that the team is the only one developing Bridgestone tyres and that this is not fair.
AMERICANS TO TEST FOR RED BULL RACING
Red Bull Racing is to test Americans Scott Speed and Colin Fleming next week in Barcelona. The two youngsters will drive 2004 Jaguar-Cosworths in Red Bull colours.
NINE TEAMS ATTACK FERRARI (AGAIN)
The nine teams who have not signed up to the new Concorde Agreement have issued a press release attacking Ferrari's decision to increase its testing programme.
FRIDAY PHOTOS
Malaysian GP - Friday Photos
FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
Malaysian GP - Friday Press Conference
FRIDAY TEAM QUOTES
Malaysian GP - Friday Team Quotes
PRACTICE 2 RESULTS
Malaysian GP - Practice Session 2 Results
PRACTICE 1 REPORT - ZONTA SETS THE PACE
Toyota's Ricardo Zonta set a best time in testing on Friday morning at Sepang with a lap of 1m34.092s well clear of the rest of the field, an indication that his rivals were probably not pushing too hard.
PRACTICE 1 RESULTS
Malaysian GP - Practice Session 1 Results
BAR AND HONDA
The announcement back in January that British American Tobacco and the Honda Motor Co had completed the establishment of their 55-45 joint venture called BARH Limited, the parent company of the BAR team, was a very short statement with no real details of the new company.
ALL TALK BUT LITTLE SUBSTANCE IN KL
The Formula 1 circus gathered again in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday and the press conferences gave the assembled the chance to chew over the fall-out from the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
MONTEIRO'S DRIVE NOT IN DANGER
Tiago Monteiro will be staying at Jordan for the time being, following the arrival of a payment from his backers. The Portuguese driver had been facing rumours that he would be replaced by Dutchman Robert Doornbos if the money did not arrive before the Malaysian GP.
MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Malaysian GP - Preview
A SHAKE-UP AT RENAULT F1
Bernard Dudot, Deputy Managing Director of Renault F1 Team, has decided to retire at the end of this month. The team has announced that Rob White and Andre Laine will become joint Deputy Managing Directors of Renault F1 Team France in Viry-Châtillon.
RE-INTERPRETING THE RULES
The rules concerning two-race engines have been re-interpreted by the FIA.
BERNIE TO OFFER TEAMS NEW DEAL IN SEPANG
Bernie Ecclestone will be in Malaysia this weekend and we hear that he intends to offer the Formula 1 teams another deal to join his Concorde Agreement from 2008 onwards.
THE MEXICAN A1 GRAND PRIX ANNOUNCEMENT
Mexico is to have a team in the A1 Grand Prix series, the franchise having been acquired by businessmen Juan Cortina and Julio Jauregui. Among those at the launch was Champ Car driver Mario Dominguez, although the plan at the moment appears to be to have five Mexican drivers as part of the team.
RONALDO TO GET BRAZILIAN A1 GRAND PRIX FRANCHISE
Real Madrid soccer star and Brazilian World Cup hero Ronaldo is a big fan of motor racing and it seems that he is going to front up with cash to run his own team in the new A1 Grand Prix series, which will kick off in September.
A CLARIFICATION FOR THE F1 TEAMS
The disappearance into the pits in Melbourne of the two BAR-Hondas at the end of the race was something which was not unexpected. The rules allowed for cars to head to the pits in order to get new engines for the second race under the new two-race engine regulations.
WILLIAMS'S ENGINES
There is a lot of talk at the moment about the future engine supply of the Williams team. Most of this appears to be entirely speculation as BMW Motorsport would be stark raving mad to believe that switching from Williams to Sauber would produce better results.
RED BULL KID ON THE RIGHT ROAD
The 2005 Red Bull Driver Search winner John Edwards scored his first podium in European karting competition at the weekend when he finished third in the Pomposa International Cup at the Circuito di Pomposa, near Venice.
TAKING RACING TO THE PEOPLE
In recent years the need to attract more people to race tracks has led to the inception of more promotional events. Formula 1 has been slow to adopt the idea but last year held a big street promotion in London and recently ran a second such event on the streets of Melbourne.
MEXICO TO ANNOUNCE A1 TEAM
Later today the Mexicans will announce details of A1 Team Mexico at an event in Mexico City. The country's involvement in international racing is currently booming.
A SIMILAR (BUT DIFFERENT) STORY IN GREECE
The news that Greece wants to host a Grand Prix is not really a surprise given that the country wants to build on the benefits which were created by the 2004 Olympic Games.
WHAT IS THE CANCUN RACE ALL ABOUT
Mention Cancun in the United States of America and the response will be that it is the place where college kids go to get laid during the annual Spring Break. The tradition of the Spring Break began in the late 1950s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
MALAYSIA TO RATIFY THE UN ANTI-TOBACCO TREATY
The Malaysian government will ratify the UN's anti-smoking programme by the end of the year. The Malaysian health minister Datuk Chua Soi Lek announced that there will be a new Tobacco Act tabled in parliament which will meet the terms of the UN's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
MEXICANS ASKING FOR MORE TIME
The organizers of the proposed Mexican Grand Prix say that they can complete construction of the planned Mantarraya racing circuit, near Cancun, on schedule for a race in November 2006 despite the fact that the work is already two months behind schedule and yet to start.
RED BULL LOOKING FOR F1 JOURNALISTS
Red Bull is expanding its youth mentoring activities in motor racing with the creation of the Chris Economaki Junior Journalism Award. The award is a tribute to distinguished motorsports broadcaster Chris Economaki, who has worked in the business for more than 50 years.
THE ROLE OF THE TRACKS IN THE F1 FIGHT
There are some in the current disputes in Formula 1 who say that Bernie Ecclestone will ultimately win because he has control of the race tracks, some of which boast long-term contracts into the future. This is an interesting argument.
THE MYSTERY OF JACQUES VILLENEUVE
Jacques Villeneuve has always been lucky in his career and his performance in Australia was hidden by all the hullaballoo and few paid much attention to the fact that Villeneuve's performance was rather less than startling.
A CHANGE OF REGIME AT FORD
The retirement of William Clay Ford Sr marks an end to an involvement in the family firm which dates back to 1948. Ford, one of Henry Ford's grandsons, has been wielded considerable power over the years.
BIG GUNS LINE UP FOR JAPANESE SUPER GT SERIES
Although Toyota and Honda are big players in Formula 1 but companies have a considerable interest in the Japanese Super GT Championships, where they find themselves head-to-head with each other and with Nissan. The series is growing in popularity all the time and is going international this year.
BALLOONS IN BAHRAIN
The Bahrain International Circuit wants to get more spectators in this year and so is planning a number of different promotional ideas in the hope of attracting more people to the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix on April 3 at the Sakhir track.
WHERE THERE IS A TURK, THERE IS A GREEK
The Greeks and the Turks have long been highly competitive races, a rivalry which has resulted in several wars along the way. Thus it is not a big surprise that the Greeks are now talking about holding a Grand Prix.
RED BULL AND HONDA
The big rumour in Formula 1 circles this week is that Red Bull Racing is in discussion with Honda. This is not a surprise as the Austrian-owned team wants to get a closer relationship with a manufacturer and has the money to spend to pay for engines.
HOW GOOD IS F1 CIRCA 2005?
The criticism around the world of the latest F1 regulations has been growing quietly in recent days. Several of the Formula 1 drivers expressed their opinions in Australia with David Coulthard being particularly dismissive. He is not alone in his opinion.
RACING IN ROTTERDAM
There are reports in Holland of plans for a Formula 1 race on the streets of Rotterdam. It seems that Rotterdam city councillors have given their approval to a project to investigate the possibility of getting an F1 race in the city centre.
THE RANTINGS OF RON WALKER
Ron Walker has come out attacking Paul Stoddart for his recent stand in Melbourne. This is ungrateful at best given that Stoddart had the good grace to withdraw his legal action and allow the event to go ahead.
MELBOURNE AIMS FOR APRIL 30
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker says that his preferred date for next year's event would be April 30, several weeks later than usual.
ECCLESTONE CLAIMS RED BULL AND JORDAN
Bernie Ecclestone says that he has three teams "signed up" to the new Concorde Agreement. The remarks, made in the German newspaper "Welt Am Sonntag", are aimed at underlining the fact that there is a split in the sport and can only be Red Bull Racing and Jordan,
HUNTER-REAY SIGNS FOR ROCKETSPORTS
Formula 1 aspirant Ryan Hunter-Reay has signed to drive for Paul Gentilozzi's Rocketsports in Champ Cars this year, closing down one of the few remaining opportunities on offer for exiled European drivers.
MARCHY LEE TO JOIN MINARDI?
Formula BMW Asia Champion Marchy Lee Yin-Kin is rumoured to be on the verge of a deal to become the third driver of the Minardi team. If confirmed the deal would be a massive boost for F1 in China.
WHY FORMULA 1 IS IMPORTANT IN GERMANY
Formula 1 has a very high profile in Germany thanks to the exploits of Michael Schumacher but it is also vital in the marketing battle that goes on between BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
LET'S TALK REALITIES
The Melbourne Grand Prix weekend is over and Formula 1 got off to a half-decent start to the new season, despite some obvious shortcomings in the new regulations and a political battle which was so complicated that very few people understood what was going on.
RACE REPORT - FIZZY AND THE RAINDROPS
They say that Formula 1 teams will invest in anything that will give them an advantage in a race. In 2005 the unfair advantage will come from the weather. Thus the best possible weapon in the F1 battle at the moment is a rain-making device employed on a Saturday just after a team's car has run in qualifying.
SUNDAY PHOTOS
Australian GP - Sunday Photos
RACE INCIDENTS FROM MELBOURNE
Australian GP - Race Incidents
RACE RESULTS
Australian GP - Race Results
QUALIFYING 2 REPORT - FISICHELLA ON POLE IN WORTHLESS SESSION
Australian GP - Qualifying Session 2 Report
STARTING GRID
Australian GP - Starting Grid
QUALIFYING 2 RESULTS
Australian GP - Qualifying Session 2 Results
QUALIFYING 1 REPORT - HOW NOT TO GO QUALIFYING
Formula 1's idea to have aggregated qualifying proved to be a complete mess in Melbourne on Saturday as a rain storm in the middle of the session screwed the hopes of some of the big stars.
AUSTRALIA REACTS TO MOSLEY STATEMENT
The FIA's press release about motor racing in Australia went down like a lead balloon in Melbourne on Saturday.
SATURDAY PHOTOS
Australian GP - Saturday Photos
THE FIA, MINARDI, CONTRACTS AND THE CONCORDE AGREEMENT
The FIA spent most of Saturday coming up with a four paragraph statement about the decision of the Victorian Supreme Court which granted Paul Stoddart of Minardi an injunction to race 2004 cars in the Australian Grand Prix.
SATURDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
Australian GP - Saturday Press Conference
SATURDAY TEAM QUOTES
Australian GP - Saturday Team Quotes
QUALIFYING 1 RESULTS
Australian GP - Qualifying Session 1 Results
A HINT OF THINGS TO COME
The third practice session for the Australian Grand Prix gave us a good indication of the speed of the current F1 cars in relation to one another with Kimi Raikkonen emerging fastest in his McLaren with a lap of 1m27.297s.
PRACTICE 4 RESULTS
Australian GP - Practice Session 4 Results
PRACTICE 3 RESULTS
Australian GP - Practice Session 3 Results
PRACTICE 2 REPORT - MCLAREN ON TOP
A sudden flurry of activity in the final moments of the second practice session gave us a hint of what to expect in qualifying on Saturday and Sunday. The fastest time of the session went to McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa, three-tenths of a second ahead of his team mate Kimi Raikkonen.
THE KNOCKOUT PUNCH
Paul Stoddart gained an injunction in court in Melbourne to allow the two Minardis to take part in the event. And then suddenly for no obvious reason backed down and had his team convert the cars to 2005 specification.
NOW HERE IS A GOOD SOLUTION FOR F1
Formula 1 rarely learns anything from other sports but it might be worth looking at the US ice hockey scene to see how to sort out the problems of the sport.
CUT THE CRAP GENTLEMEN
The tiresome wrangling between Minardi and the FIA grinds on. The team went to court on Friday evening to get an injunction which would allow him to race. The Supreme Court of the state of Victoria has granted the team an interim injunction to allow it to participate.
FRIDAY PHOTOS
Australian GP - Friday Photos
FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
Australian GP - Friday Press Conference
STODDART GETS SIGNATURES BUT BLOCKED BY FIA STEWARDS
Paul Stoddart has been told that his cars cannot race in Melbourne, despite the fact that he finally managed to convince all the other teams to agree to let him use 2004 cars. Stoddart got the signatures and then went to the stewards to be allowed to race but was told that he could not.
FRIDAY TEAM QUOTES
Australian GP - Friday Team Quotes
PRACTICE 2 RESULTS
Australian GP - Practice Session 2 Results
DEAR JEAN
Team boss Jean Todt may be willing to be uncompromising in his views on rule changing in F1 but the attitude is not helping the team's cause.
KARTHIKEYAN IS OVER THE LIMIT
Narain Karthikeyan began his Formula 1 career with a hefty fine for speeding in the pitlane as he went out to begin the second session of practice on Friday. The Indian was clocked at 86.2kmh when the limit was 80 and so took a hefty hit from the FIA Stewards of the meeting.
MORE EXCITEMENTS FOR THE F1 PIT STOP
The Formula 1 pit stops this year will not feature tyre changes but we understand that things will be a little bit more exciting than expected because the teams will be using hand-held tyre pressure adjustors.
PRACTICE 1 REPORT - LIUZZI TOPS THE BILL IN MELBOURNE
Australian GP - Practice Session 1 Report
PRACTICE 1 RESULTS
Australian GP - Practice Session 1 Results
MINARDI WILL NOT RUN THIS MORNING
Minardi is not running the first practice session for the Australian Grand Prix because Ferrari continues to refuse to sign to let the team run.
SO?
Max Mosley's lengthy discourse with himself is unlikely to make any impression on the Formula 1 teams and their views about the FIA President - but that is not what it was designed to do.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MAX
Max Mosley has taken the opportunity of the first race of the new Formula 1 season to give his position on the current state of Formula 1 politics. The questions and answers have been supplied by the FIA.
AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Australian GP - Preview
LAUDA SIGNS FOR COLONI
Mathias Lauda, the son of triple World Champion Niki Lauda, has signed to be the second driver for the Coloni GP2 team, alongside Gianmaria Bruni. Lauda drove for Coloni's second team CMS last year but without any notable results. Lauda hopes to be a frontrunner in GP2 this year.
SARRAZIN JOINS ASTON MARTIN
Former F1 driver-turned World Rally Championship star Stephane Sarrazin is to race for the Aston Martin team in the Sebring 12 Hours in Florida on March 19. He replaces Tomas Enge who has had to drop out because of his recently-signed Indy Racing League deal with Panther Racing.
MELBOURNE WOWED BY F1 SPEED AND NOISE
Melbourne traffic clogged up completely on Wednesday when F1 cars went for a spin in Melbourne's central business district.
SMALL MINDS
Refusing to sign to allow Minardi to race in Melbourne would be an act of monumental stupidity for Ferrari boss Jean Todt.
BMW AND SAUBER
There are reports in Germany - not the first - suggesting that Sauber may be sold to BMW. The idea has been plugged for some years by BMW Motorsport boss Dr Mario Theissen but to date the board of directors has refused to accept the idea. We believe that if BMW does ever decide to do its own team, it would do it in Munich.
CHAMPION SCHUMACHER WINS AGAIN
That may be the headline again this weekend in Melbourne but it has already happened in the United States where defending NHRA champion Tony Schumacher kick off his new season with victory at Firebird International Raceway.
PAKISTAN LAUNCHES A1 GRAND PRIX BID
President Pervez Musharraf was present on Monday for the launch of Team Pakistan in the new A1 Grand Prix series. The launch took place at Lahore Fort with the announcement that Nur B Ali, a graduate of the Skip Barber Racing School who has raced in Formula Mazda in the United States will drive for the team.
TOYOTA OPENS NEW MT FUJI CIRCUIT
The Toyota Motor Corporation has inaugurated its new Fuji Speedway and says that it hopes to get a Grand Prix at the facility in the near future. The Japanese GP was held at Fuji in the 1970s but since 1987 has been held at Suzuka, a circuit which is owned by Honda.