Formula One News — April 2000

AS we revealed exclusively two weeks ago, at least one team (we believe it was three) were using illegal traction-control systems in Grands Prix last year.

THE Confederacao Brasileira de Automobilismo, the Brazilian national sporting authority, which organizes the race at Interlagos every year, has been fined only $100,000 for the incidents in qualifying in which several advertising hoardings fell onto the race track when cars passed beneath them.

OUR spies in Italy tell us that the Minardi team may not complete its deal with the Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica.

AS we predicted last week, Jaguar Racing and Michelin have announced a partnership for the 2001 season.

AFTER the Brazilian Grand Prix Sir Frank Williams flew home via the United States for a tour of the team's sponsors in North America.

ROBERT SYNGE, the team manager of British American Racing, has been dropped in the latest reshuffling of management at the Brackley-based F1 operation.

TOM WALKINSHAW's plans to build Renault Sport versions of the Renault Clio at Uddevalla, in Sweden, are unlikely to go ahead following the announcement that Walkinshaw's AutoNova AB joint venture with Volvo has been terminated.

EM.TV announced recently that it had acquired a 50% shareholding in Bernie Ecclestone's Formula 1 empire from the financial houses Morgan Grenfell and Hellman & Friedman.

THE West McLaren Mercedes team will go before the FIA Court of Appeal this week in Paris to argue that David Coulthard's second-placed McLaren-Mercedes should be reinstated in the results of the Brazilian GP.

WILLY RAMPF has been appointed technical director of the Red Bull Sauber Petronas team.