Formula One News — December 2002

Renault will launch its new Formula 1 car on Monday, January 20 in the Swiss city of Luzern in German-speaking Switzerland. The event will take place at the Luzern Kultur und Kongresszentrum, a vast modern building which overlooks the tranquil waters of Lake Luzern.

The European Health Ministers have voted 13 to two to approve new anti-smoking legislation which will ban all tobacco advertising in newspapers and magazines and all sporting sponsorships. If the law goes ahead as planned the ban ccould come into effect at the end of July 2005

The Formula 1 world has spent the day waiting to hear any reaction from the Arrows F1 team over the FIA Formula 1 entry list which means that the team does not have an entry in the 2003 series.

Paul Stoddart likes to tease the press from time to time and has just let it be known that he is very close to signing one of his drivers for next season - but he's not saying who until next weekend at the earliest.

As we suggested would happen Rupert Manwaring has moved to Lola to take up a new job as managing-director of the Huntingdon car maker.

The annual Autosport Awards took place on Sunday evening in London with Ferrari as expected dominating the prizes. Michael Schumacher won the best international driver award but did not attend the event. Ferrari also picked up the car of the year award, which was not a big surprise.

The Arrows Formula 1 team was born in controversy and legal action and looks like going out of the sport in the same way. The team was established in November 1977 by a breakaway group of personnel from Don Nichols's Shadow F1 team and some of their associates.

The British Grand Prix is under threat again. Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone told The Guardian newspaper that the

Without an entry in the Formula 1 World Championship, the Arrows team is in trouble. The granting of an entry brings with it (if all the necessary conditions have been met) a ticket to the rights, privileges and responsibilities of the Concorde Agreement.

There will be 10 teams in the 2003 Formula 1 World Championship and there are no major surprises on the entry list.

The FIA has issued the official entry list for the 2003 Formula 1 World Championship and the Arrows F1 team is not on it. The list consists of just 10 teams. The FIA said that an application for an entry was received from Arrows but was declined by the federation for reasons

Minardi has finally confirmed that it will be using Cosworth V10 engines in 2003. The team will have the third supply of the engines, which will be similar to those used by Arrows this year.

Rupert Manwaring, the commercial director of Minardi, has departed the small Anglo-Italian team. It is believed that he will take up a new position at Lola in Huntingdon. The 46-year-old Englishman has been with Minardi since Paul Stoddart took over the team at the start of 2001.

The FIA will tomorrow reveal the entry list for the 2003 Formula 1 World Championship and there will be much interest to see if the Arrows team is on the list. In recent days there has been little word from the Leafield team about whether or not the rescue deal with a German company has gone ahead