Formula One News — December 2000

MINARDI's position as a devoted ally of Ferrari and Benetton on the convoluted F1 political scene will be guaranteed on a long-term basis when Renault subsidiary Mecachrome buys the team to ensure its future.

THE Hungarian Grand Prix has been given a reprieve after the country's government excluded "world-class motorsport events" from the newly-imposed tobacco ban.

THE Suzuka circuit, which hosts the Japanese Grand Prix, will feature changes for the 2001 World Championship in a bid to increase driver safety in Formula One.

THERE are rumors in British marketing circles that the Vodafone Air Touch company may be on the verge of signing a sponsorship deal with Benetton in an effort to increase its exposure around the world.

THE final day of testing at Estoril was abandoned on Thursday after teams deemed the circuit was too wet to drive on.

PROST GRAND PRIX announced on Thursday that they had secured their immediate future after signing a lucrative sponsorship deal with television broadcaster Pan-American Sports Network (PSN).

THE German stock market Deutsche Borse has announced tougher new rules for the Neuer Markt exchange following the disastrous collapse of EM.TV's share price recently.

ITALIAN Jarno Trulli believes he could better the performance of reigning world champion Michael Schumacher if he was given a chance in a Ferrari.

FORMULA ONE's newest recruit Kimi Raikkonen has expressed his optimism ahead of his first season in the sport after a three-day test in Barcelona with his Sauber team.

THE French motor sport federation (FFSA) hosted its annual awards last night and Ferrari's sporting director Jean Todt walked off with a golden steering wheel having been named as Personality of the Year.

BRAZILIAN Antonio Pizzonia has said that he is not ready for the demands of Formula One after testing at Barcelona with Arrows.

JARNO TRULLI topped the times in the final day of testing in Barcelona on Wednesday as he went over a second-and-a-half quicker than Michael Schumacher's pole position time in this year's Spanish Grand Prix.

BENETTON driver Jenson Button revelled in the absence of former BMW-Williams team-mate Ralf Schumacher as he topped the times in testing at Estoril on Wednesday.

PROST GRAND PRIX are set to hand Singapore driver Christian Murchinson a path into Formula One, but only if he provides the team with $2 million.

TUESDAY's test at the Estoril circuit for the Michelin tire teams was thwarted by wet weather.

FERRARI sporting director Jean Todt has been rewarded by the French Automotive Federation for his part in securing a double world championship for the Italian marque in 2000.

THE Moscow tourist authorities have confirmed plans to build a Formula 1 circuit on Nagatino Island with Tom Walkinshaw's TWR overseeing the construction of the facility.

NICK HEIDFELD recorded the quickest time for his new Sauber team in the second day of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona on Tuesday.

BRANDS HATCH chief executive Rob Bain vowed on Tuesday that the Kent circuit will not be neglected in the wake of Silverstone Circuit's acquiring of the British Grand Prix for the next 15 years.

WHICHEVER way you slice it, the British Racing Drivers' Club has pulled off the F1 deal of the new millennium in granting Octagon, the company which owns Brands Hatch Leisure, a lease on their circuit in order to stage the British Grand Prix for what both parties hope is the next 15 years.

ACCORDING to reports in the German newspapers, Bernie Ecclestone is looking at buying a shareholding in the troubled German media company EM.TV, which owns half of his Formula One group of companies.

MERCEDES-BENZ motorsport director Jurgen Hubbert has promised that the German engine supplier will be doing everything possible to assist McLaren in closing the gap on double world champions Ferrari in 2001.

NEW British American Racing driver Olivier Panis set the fastest time on the first day of a three-day testing session in Barcelona on Monday, seeing off the challenge of Briton David Coulthard in a McLaren-Mercedes.

JAGUAR driver Eddie Irvine recorded the quickest time in a rain-soaked testing session at the Estoril circuit on Monday.