Formula One News — February 2001

THE Magny-Cours circuit have announced radical new redevelopment plans to be completed in time for the French Grand Prix on July 1.

BERNIE ECCLESTONE last week met with Grigorij Antjufeev, one of Moscow's deputy mayors to discuss the possibility of a Grand Prix in Moscow.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER tested a second F2001 chassis for the first time at Mugello on Friday as Ferrari's preparations for the defence of their double world championship stepped up another gear.

PROST GRAND PRIX have confirmed the name of their F3000 Championship team as Prost F3000 Junior Team.

GIANCARLO MINARDI is looking forward to the new season now that stability has returned to the team -- and said securing the team's future has been the hardest job he has had.

MCLAREN's managing director Martin Whitmarsh has admitted that he is concerned about the reliability of the team's new MP4/16 car.

BRIDGESTONE's new technical manager Hisao Suganuma has declared himself pleased with the company's preparations as they prepare for the first race in of the season in Australia.

OUTSPOKEN Ulsterman Eddie Irvine has slammed his Jaguar team as they prepare for the first race of the season in Melbourne on March 4.

ARROWS technical director Mike Coughlan believes in the power of positive thinking going into the 2001 season, as he aims to bring the team's 23-year bid to get on terms with the big names in Formula 1 a step closer to fruition.

GIANNI MORBIDELLI will find out if he is in line for a Formula One return with Minardi on Friday.

JOHNNY HERBERT has made a shock return to Formula One after being confirmed as the Arrows team's development and testing driver at their launch on Thursday.

FORMULA 1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone is poised to clinch another business coup today with the news that, after all, he will be selling another 25 per cent shareholding in his SLEC empire for an estimated billion dollars.

JENSON BUTTON completed Benetton's nine-days of testing at the Estoril circuit on Thursday as he drove alone for the final day.

BMW-WILLIAMS technical director Patrick Head has indicated that Jenson Button's future in the sport will not be easy to resolve.

EXILED Formula One star Johnny Herbert is close to sealing a deal to race in this year's Indianapolis 500 race, he said on Wednesday.

NIGEL MANSELL has signed a contract with European Minardi but he will not make an astonishing racing comeback, the team confirmed on Wednesday.

THE Toyota Formula One team announced on Wednesday that they will base their testing work in 2001 and will launch their new car at the Circuit Paul Ricard, near Marseille in France.

EXPERIENCED Formula 3000 runner David Saelens has been announced as the second driver for European Minardi's F3000 assault this season.

MCLAREN's David Coulthard topped the times for the third successive day as wet weather marred testing at Valencia on Wednesday.

FERRARI driver Rubens Barrichello is reportedly set to become a father for the first time.

JEAN ALESI put the Prost team on top of the times in the eighth day of testing at the Portuguese circuit of Estoril on Wednesday.

FERRARI's Luca Badoer completed a successful three-day test for the team at the Fiorano circuit in Italy on Wednesday.

DAVID COULTHARD broke the lap record at the Valencia track for the second day in a row on Tuesday.

FOR some time the management of British American Tobacco has been under investigation for an involvement in international cigarette smuggling in Asia and Latin America.