JULY 20, 1998

Zanardi confirms thoughts of Europe

CART's ace racer Alessandro Zanardi has confirmed that he wants to return to Europe next year although he admits that the wisest decision should be to stay in America and capitalize on his success in CART. Zanardi and his wife Daniella are expecting their first child shortly and Zanardi says that he would like the child to grow up surrounded by family. "There are some things that mean more than money or recognition," admitted Zanardi during questioning about his future.

Zanardi - who is well on his way to a second consecutive CART title with Target Chip Ganassi Racing - is rumored to have signed a two-year deal with Williams, worth around $15m. Although he has yet to name the team Zanardi has admitted that he does have a F1 deal for next year.

Zanardi is expected to announce his plans within the next month and while Williams remains the most likely destination for the Italian, a move to the rumored new Honda F1 team should not be overlooked. Although Honda has yet to make any announcement about its F1 plans our sources insist that the team is going ahead in 1999 with Tora Takagi driving one car and some backing from Mild Seven.