Formula One News — August 2003

James Courtney, once seen as a great white hope in Formula 1, disappeared off to Japan this year to compete in the local Formula 3 Championship with the TOM'S Toyota Team.

With Canada now unlikely to appear on the Formula 1 calendar in 2004, the number of events looking for a race is down to 17, a number which the Formula 1 teams are willing to consider.

The Canadian Grand Prix has been cancelled because of the Canadian government's ban on tobacco advertising. Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who at Hockenheim last weekend, denied that the race was off, has sent a letter to race promoter Normand Legault.

Gary Savage has been appointed Deputy Technical Director of BAR. Savage's role is to take day-to-day responsibility for the design and testing programs and will work closely with Geoff Willis, the team's Technical Director, who will remain responsible for leading the design and operation of the car.

We hear that the McLaren team will announce its 2004 driver line-up in Hungary and all the signs are that the team will retain both Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard, despite lengthy talks in recent days with Juan Pablo Montoya.

Japan Tobacco Inc, the parent company of the Mild Seven brand, sponsor of the Renault F1 team, is to slash 4000 jobs, 23% of its workforce. The cutbacks are aimed at boosting profits in the next three years.

China's Franky Cheng has been trying to establish himself on the British motor racing scene this season after emerging as a star in last year's Asian Formula Renault series.

An appeal against the FIA Stewards' decision in Hockenheim has been lodged at the FIA by the Britain's Motor Sport Association, acting on behalf of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team.

There have been suggestions in recent days that Antonio Pizzonia's F1 career, cut short when the Brazilian driver was dumped by Jaguar Racing, could be revived in a new role as a test driver at Williams.

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says that drivers need to work harder to give the crowds more of a show and that drivers who do not wave to the crowd during the drivers' parade should be fined. He also thinks that salaries should be replaced by bonus schemes...

Reports in the Spanish press suggest that Fernando Alonso was not happy with Renault's strategy in the German Grand Prix because he felt that an opportunity for a better result had been thrown away because the team did not allow him to overtake his team mate Jarno Trulli after the first pit stops.

Eddie Jordan has plenty of problems at the moment but the embarrassing Vodafone judgement is possibly not the worst of them, although it will have had an effect on Jordan's credibility within the sponsoring community. Jordan's biggest problem right now is that he needs an engine deal for 2004.

It was no surprise when earlier today Panasonic Toyota Racing announced that it will be keeping the same two drivers in 2004. Both men have solid two-year contracts with the team and the timing is good for Toyota as the announcement comes two days after the pair finished fifth and sixth at the German GP

Ralf Schumacher's appeal against the Stewards' Decision in Hockenheim will be heard by the FIA International Court of Appeal in around two weeks from now. The date of the hearing will be announced tomorrow.

It is being reported in England that a $50m bid is being prepared for Brands Hatch and the other Brands Hatch circuits involving former Grand Prix driver Peter Gethin and property magnate Larry Lipman.

As we exclusively revealed at the weekend CART is looking to rebrand itself as Motorock.

German GP - Race Report

Eddie Jordan has come under serious attack in the judgement from Mr Justice Langley in the High Court. The judge said that Jordan's case against Vodafone was "contrived and unsustainable" rejected the claim that Vodafone had made any binding commitment to Jordan.

Jordan has issued a statement following the judgement issued by Mr Justice Langley at the High Court.

Mr Justice Langley has delivered his judgement on the Jordan-Vodafone case and has condemned it as being "without foundation and false".

Unless there is a last-minute upset, this afternoon Mr Justice Langley, the judge who heard the Jordan-Vodafone case, is to deliver his judgement. The Jordan team awaits the result with some trepidation.

When you take a look at the 2003 Formula 1 World Championship calendar you see 16 races. From this you can strike out Austria as a candidate for 2004 because, even if the Formula 1 circus wanted to return, the circuit at Zeltweg is being rebuilt. That takes the total down to 15.

The BMW Willliams team might have dominated the German Grand Prix in dramatic fashion but the accident which put Ralf Schumacher out of the race could come back and bite the team.

German GP - Race Notes