Formula One News — October 1996

GOODYEAR has confirmed that it is looking for a seventh Formula 1 team in order to fall into line with the FIA's regulations which state that if there are two tire companies present in Grand Prix racing each of them must "if called upon to do so" be prepared to supply up to 60% of the field.

BENETTON is rumored to be facing a major reshuffle of its engineering staff with technical director Ross Brawn and chief designer Rory Byrne both rumored to be leaving the team.

IN a series of announcements in the days leading up to the Japanese Grand Prix, Tom Walkinshaw revealed his expected deals for 1997 with Bridgestone, Yamaha and Pedro Diniz. Walkinshaw's package for next year is now in place and work is advancing on the design of the TWR Arrows team's new car.

LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX promoter Tommy Baker formally presented his plans to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority last week and met with strong opposition to the idea from the Hilton Hotels Corporation.

SANDRO NANNINI is expected to test a Minardi this winter, but the 37-year-old Italian is only having fun and has no plans of trying to make an F1 comeback.

TYRRELL will use Ford's V8 ED3 customer engine next year, having lost its Yamaha engine supply to the TWR Arrows team.

FORD has finally decided to go ahead with a customer V8 engine program for 1997 and a team of engineers is now pushing ahead with development of what will be called the ED3 engine.

FORD'S motorsport bosses have finally decided that the company will not be supplying a second team with its Zetec-R V10 engines in 1997 - and that is disastrous news for the Sauber team.

MINARDI is expected to announce in Japan that the restructuring of its shareholdings has now been completed and that the team is effectively owned by Flavio Briatore, managing-director of the Benetton F1 team and owner of Ligier.

AS we revealed at the end of July (INSIDE F1, Week 31) Lola as planning to build its own F1 engine.

RENAULT SPORT boss Patrick Faure has revealed that Bernard Dudot and his design team at Viry-Chatillon are to make a dramatic change to it's F1 engines in the company's final year in Grand Prix racing.

WITH Yamaha and Tyrrell having decided not to renew their contracts for 1997, and Yamaha tipped to be entering into a new relationship with Tom Walkinshaw's Arrows operation, it seems likely that the development contract between Yamaha and John Judd's Engine Developments company in Rugby will also be coming to an end.

TOM WALKINSHAW will announce his complete 1997 program at the Bridgestone headquarters in Kyobashi, Tokyo, on Wednesday evening and while everyone in Formula 1 is expecting a long-term engine deal with Yamaha there are one or two normally-reliable sources suggesting that Tom is about to surprise the F1 world again by revealing a long-term contract with Honda.

STEWART GRAND PRIX has just announced that it has signed a four-year contract with rising Danish star Jan Magnussen.