Formula One News — August 2002

With CART issuing its calendar over the weekend, there have been rumors in Indy Racing League circles that Tony George may be about to announce that there will be an IRL race on the road course at Indianapolis next season.

There were a variety of rumors doing the rounds at Mid-Ohio over the weekend with the continuing suggestion that Cristiano da Matta will leave Newman Haas Racing to join the Toyota Motorsport F1 team.

Jason Priestley has suffered a broken back, injuries to his legs and an unspecified head injury in a 180mph crash at the Kentucky Speedway.

The mystery over what is happening at Arrows has been continuing all week but now Craig Pollock, the man expected to buy the Arrows F1 team, has thrown some doubt on the future of the team in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Le Matin.

The word on the street at Mid-Ohio on Sunday was that Paul Tracy will be joining Players Forsythe Racing next season. The Team Kool Green driver says he will not be staying with Michael Andretti's team next year.

Jason Priestley, the actor and F1 commentator at last year's United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis has been seriously injured in a practice crash for the Infiniti Pro Series race at the Kentucky Speedway.

Renault-powered teams dominated the qualifying for the Marlboro Masters at Zandvoort with pole position going to Brazil's Fabio Carbone in his Fortec Dallara-Renault ahead of three other Renault-engined Dallaras.

Minardi team boss Paul Stoddart has some serious business to do as well as he must decide whether or not to replace Alex Yoong, the team's second driver.

Michael Schumacher likes soccer. For some time now he has played for FC Echichens, a small-time soccer team in Switzerland, The problem was that Michael did not spend much time in Switzerland...

Ferrari is developing a new V10 engine for 2003 - and everyone else is getting worried. The men at Ferrari are not talking about what the engine will feature (no surprise there, then).

Honda continues to underline its desire to win in both Formula 1 and in the United States of America where the Japanese company will be switching to the Indy Racing League next year.

Derek Hill, the son of 1961 World Champion Phil Hill, has signed a deal to be managed by Brigitte Hill, the sister of 1996 World Champion Damon and daughter of Graham Hill, the World Champion of 1962 and 1968. Oddly enough, Derek's ambition is to be Formula 1 World Champion.

The road car engines which have been designed by Sauber Petronas Engineering could end up being sold to Hyundai.

After several months keeping a profile that was lower than low, the Premier 1 Grand Prix Championship has reappeared to announce that Olympique Lyonnais has signed up to be part of the supposed series.

It may never happen but the plans for the Grand Prix of Moscow have finally come to light.

There is much speculation at the moment about the future of Alex Yoong at Minardi, but in Formula 3000 the European Minardi team has been undergoing even more change with drivers Alex Muller and Alex Sperafico both having been ditched.

The need for Jacques Villeneuve to sign for Players Forsythe Racing becomes more acute by the day as the share price of Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. sinks on the Wall Street Stock Exchange.

NASCAR was once the home of the fist-wielding hard men of motor racing with regular punch-ups in the pitlane. The competitors honed their driving skills as bootleggers running moonshine across the Deep South.

The carousel of rumors about who will drive for Arrows in Hungary continues with the latest idea to surface being that Fernando Alonso, who was being tipped as a possible Minardi driver, being mentioned as a possible signing at Arrows

The Jordan team has announced that Zsolt Baumgartner, the Hungarian F3000 driver, will have the chance to impress his home crowds at the Hungarian Grand Prix when he will be given the chance to give a demonstration run in a Jordan Honda EJ12 on race morning

There are rumors in Formula 1 circles that Arrows will be making an announcement tomorrow with regard to what is going to happen to the team in the future.

Jim Crawford has died at the early age of 54. The Scotsman was once a great white hope in Formula 1 but then drifted away from the Grand Prix scene and ended up in the United States where he became a regular competitor in the Indianapolis 500.

The Good old Boys of NASCAR will have some fresh meat next year with the arrival from CART of Brazil's Christian Fittipaldi, who has signed a three-year deal to race for Petty Enterprises in Winston Cup racing.

This weekend will see two Formula 1 teams running cars at promotional events: Minardi will be at Donington Park for the Thunder in the Park meeting while Ferrari is sending a car to Zandvoort to take part in the hugely-popular Marlboro Masters Formula 3 event.