Formula One News — October 2004

There are clear signals that the world's stock markets are now losing interest in sport after burning their fingers with a series of flotations at the end of the 1990s. This has not stopped people in F1 talking about their desire to float companies, despite the experiences of some of those who did go to the markets.

The Formula 1 community continues to blithely ignore the fact that on July 31 2005 all Formula 1 teams with any link to the United Kingdom will have to stop running their cars with tobacco sponsorship, no matter where in the world the races are taking place.

Sportel, the international sports television convention, took place last week in Monaco with broadcasters from all over the world meeting with sports marketing companies to do deals for the future.

With Dubai having stolen all the headlines in recent weeks rival Bahrain is trying to keep up and has announced that it is intending to push up attendance at its Grand Prix next year by 20%.

The planned Team Dubai F1 operation is to be funded with money from Dubai but what is probably going to happen is that the team will fund the set-up costs with a bond issue on the Dubai Financial Market.

Jacques Villeneuve goes to Brazil this week with a mission. The French-Canadian needs to re-establish his reputation in his third race for Renault F1 or he faces a winter of rumour, despite the fact that he has a two-year contract with Sauber.

Renault Development Driver Heikki Kovalainen wrapped up the Nissan World Series at the weekend in Valencia. The Pons Racing driver finished 10th and fifth in the two races at the Ricardo Tormo circuit but with his title rival Tiago Monteiro needing to win the two races the Finn took the title.

Former Jordan title sponsor DHL Worldwide Express is currently pushing hard into the US market with a series of TV advertisements and now it seems a plan to run a car in the Indy Racing League in 2005.

The Formula 1 Contract Recognition Board exists to make legal rulings on whether or not contracts are valid. In the past however it has sometimes acted an arbitration service in disputes over drivers and has come up with compromise solutions to complex contractual problems.

The idea that the Formula 1 teams will have to run three cars is not one which is greeted with any enthusiasm by those involved as, according to the Concorde Agreement, these cars cannot score World Championship points and have little value for the teams or for the drivers.

France has not had many FIA World Champions over the years but this year Sebastien Loeb has clinched the World Rally Championship at his home event in Corsica. The Citroen driver finished second in Corsica but only needed to be fifth to guarantee the title with two events still to come.

The new Team Dubai F1 operation is going to be a nice little earner for McLaren - but at the expense of Jordan Grand Prix, which had hoped that the Dubai group would buy into the team. There are still some potential buyers left for Jordan but time is running out.

There is not much logic in Formula 1 circles these days but it seems that outside the sport there are a similar number of illogical people. There are at the moment at least three F1 teams for sale: Jaguar Racing, Jordan and Minardi.

Jacques Villeneuve goes to Brazil with his Formula 1 future in question because of his poor performances in China and Japan.

Tomorrow in Milan the Formula 1 Contract Recognition Board will examine whether or not Jenson Button should drive for BMW Williams or for BAR in 2005.

Brand Synergy, the consortium which is supposed to be bidding for the rights to hold the British GP, has not given up, despite having been largely written-off by Formula 1 observers.

Renault F1 finds itself in a quandary over drivers having ditched Jarno Trulli and replaced him with Jacques Villeneuve for the last two races.

The United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis will be held on June 19 next year, despite the doubt created by the Formula 1 calendar issued by the FIA

The FIA is expected to summon Juan Pablo Montoya to the next World Motor Sport Council meeting to explain his conduct in relation to a road safety campaign in Costa Rica.

It is a fortnight since Eckhard Cordes took over from Jurgen Hubbert as the head of the Mercedes-Benz Car Group, the luxury car division of the DaimlerChrysler empire.

The word on the street in F1 circles is that Panasonic Toyota Racing will switch to Bridgestone tyres next year, after a year which has been spent struggling on Michelins.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council did not, on the face of it, announce very much after its meeting in Paris on Wednesday. There was the makings of a Formula 1 calendar and that was about it, at least in relation to Grand Prix racing.

It has been an open secret for sometime that British American Racing has been courting the Chinese oil company Sinopec

The FIA used its 100th anniversary celebrations to institute a Gold Medal for Motor Sport and a World Prize for Road Safety, the Environment and Mobility. The first winner of the Gold Medal His Serene Highness Prince Rainier of Monte Carlo.