Formula One News — May 2001

AFTER his disastrous Austrian Grand Prix performance last Sunday at the A1-Ring, Mika Hakkinen gave himself a welcome confidence boost on Tuesday by setting the fastest time of the day in testing at Valencia.

MIKA HAKKINEN is refusing to let his continued race-by-race disappointments knock him down and despite being 38 points from the top of the championship table is trying to retain his cool persona.

WILLIAMS driver Juan Pablo Montoya has vowed not to bow to the pressure and criticism from Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, after the pair clashed at the Austrian Grand Prix.

SUNDAY's Austrian Grand Prix was not the first time that Barrichello has been forced to defer to his team leader in such obvious fashion.

OUT-OF-SORTS Mika Hakkinen has been given a boost by McLaren technical director Adrian Newey after the Finnish driver failed to get off the grid at the Austrian Grand Prix at the A1-Ring on Sunday.

FERRARI's sporting director Jean Todt has said that Rubens Barrichello had no option but to give up his runners-up spot in Austria as he is paid to obey orders by the Maranello-based team.

DAVID COULTHARD has ignored Ferrari's use of team orders in the Austrian Grand Prix and believes his McLaren team will continue to back himself and team-mate Mika Hakkinen equally.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER has written off the title hopes of two-time champion Mika Hakkinen after the Finnish driver was left on the grid at the A1-Ring.

BRITISH AMERICAN RACING lost their protest against Sauber driver Kimi Raikkonen's fourth place finish in the Austrian Grand Prix, but have decided to appeal - leaving the result provisional for anything up to seven days.

MINARDI team-boss Paul Stoddart has said that the departure of technical director Gustav Brunner will not affect his team this year and vowed to take him to court over his decision to quit the team.

EDDIE IRVINE has received the full support of his Jaguar Racing bosses Bobby Rahal and Niki Lauda after reports in the British press labelled the driver "lazy" and a "playboy".

SAUBER driver Kimi Raikkonen's fourth place finish in the Austrian Grand Prix is under investigation after an appeal by the British American Racing team.

ARROWS and TWR chairman Tom Walkinshaw is confident that a Russian Grand Prix will be in the 2003 world championship as construction work on a new circuit in Moscow gets into full swing.

DAVID COULTHARD has said that the FIA must position a potential Russian Grand Prix right in the calendar if the event is to be a success.

THE McLaren team suffered a tragic blow on Saturday when Paul Morgan of Ilmor Engineering, the company which supplies the team's Mercedes engines, died in an air crash.

WILLIAMS technical director Patrick Head has said that his team have had to change their car after an interpretation of the laws of the sport was adjudged to be unfair.

IT is now almost six years since McLaren team principal Ron Dennis rushed into Adelaide's Victoria Hospital to be told by F1 medical delegate Dr Sid Watkins that he could not predict whether or not Mika Hakkinen would survive following a horrifying 120mph accident in practice for the 1995 Australian grand prix.

RUSSIA is set to host a Grand Prix in the future after Formula One ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone gave the country's plans the seal of approval on Friday.

BERNARD DUDOT, the former technical director of Renault Sport has been sent to the United States to keep on eye on the Nissan program in the Indy Racing League.

THE Formula 1 team bosses were due to meet with FIA President Max Mosley on Thursday at the A1 Ring but the FIA was left somewhat annoyed when only a few of the team owners were present.

FORMULA 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was in Moscow on Thursday to look at the plans being discussed for a Grand Prix in the city.

RON DENNIS said on Friday that he does not favor Mika Hakkinen over David Coulthard and promised to give both an equal shot at the title this year.

MIKA HAKKINEN still believes he can win this year's World Championship despite his lowly points score and his disastrous last lap failure to win the Spanish Grand Prix.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER has signed a sponsorship agreement with Piaggio Aero Industries and will sport the company's logo on his helmet in Austria this weekend.