Formula One News — March 2005

Melbourne traffic clogged up completely on Wednesday when F1 cars went for a spin in Melbourne's central business district.

There are reports in Germany - not the first - suggesting that Sauber may be sold to BMW. The idea has been plugged for some years by BMW Motorsport boss Dr Mario Theissen but to date the board of directors has refused to accept the idea. We believe that if BMW does ever decide to do its own team, it would do it in Munich.

That may be the headline again this weekend in Melbourne but it has already happened in the United States where defending NHRA champion Tony Schumacher kick off his new season with victory at Firebird International Raceway.

President Pervez Musharraf was present on Monday for the launch of Team Pakistan in the new A1 Grand Prix series. The launch took place at Lahore Fort with the announcement that Nur B Ali, a graduate of the Skip Barber Racing School who has raced in Formula Mazda in the United States will drive for the team.

The Toyota Motor Corporation has inaugurated its new Fuji Speedway and says that it hopes to get a Grand Prix at the facility in the near future. The Japanese GP was held at Fuji in the 1970s but since 1987 has been held at Suzuka, a circuit which is owned by Honda.