Formula One News — June 2002

Ricardo Zonta may be out of Formula 1 but he continues to show his class in the Nissan World Series.

There have been talks in recent weeks between the FIA and the two Formula 1 tire companies in an effort to work out how to keep lap times in check.

Testing continued in Jerez Wednesday, where Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest lap of the day for McLaren.

TaurusHolding and Kirch Beteiligung sought bankruptcy protection from creditors in a Munich court on Wednesday bringing to an end the drawn-out struggle to keep them alive.

Larry Perkins, who raced for Brabham in the mid-1970s, is to retire from racing at the age of 52.

The motor racing world will be crossing its fingers this weekend during the Le Mans 24 Hours as the race organizers appear to have decided to ignore a warning from the FIA.

Three teams resumed testing in Jerez, Spain on Tuesday, kicking off a four day session in sweltering conditions.

The Bayerische Landesbank has been accused of aiding and abetting fraud in relation to transactions involving EM.TV and Kirch.

Paolo Cantarella, the boss of Ferrari parent Fiat and the man who was in charge of the Grand Prix World Championship BV bid to start a rival series to Formula 1 has resigned with immediate effect.

The word on the street in the tobacco world is that British American Tobacco is about to make a takeover bid for Britain's Gallaher Group plc, the owner of Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut.

Former Grand Prix driver Stefan Johansson has withdrawn from the Le Mans 24 Hours just a week before the event is due to take place.

The resignation of Paolo Cantarella from Fiat is significant in Formula 1 circles only because it means that the Grand Prix World Championship Holding NV organization is now without its chairman.

The American film studio Columbia Tristar is in talks with German banks over a possible bid for the assets of the Kirch company.

The first round of the French parliamentary elections last weekend could be a big boost for motor racing in France.

There are suggestions in the F1 paddock that Tom Walkinshaw's new backer for Arrows is the Austrian drinks company Red Bull.

<b>Canadian Grand Prix Sunday Race Report</b>

Rubens Barrichello said after the Canadian GP that Safety Car wrecked his hopes of winning the Canadian GP and criticized the officials for having made that decision.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir Mohamad is in Europe at the moment and on Monday visited the headquarters of the Sauber Petronas Formula 1 team at Hinwil in Switzerland.

<b>Canadian Grand Prix Sunday Race Notes</b>

Felipe Massa's accident at Monaco was a frightening one with the Brazilian suffering a rear brake failure at the Ste Devote corner and ploughing straight on into the barriers.

<b>Canadian Grand Prix Sunday Morning Warmup Report</b>

There has been very little movement of late on the F1 driver market for next year.

According to the Journal de Montreal, the promoter of the Canadian GP Normand Legault is going to be Bernie Ecclestone's replacement as the head of the Formula One group of companies.

When Formula 1 engineers go from one team to another it is often necessary for them to sit out a six month period of what is known as "gardening leave".