Formula One News — June 2006

Honda and Toyota are not happy with the engine freeze being put forward by the FIA and according to reports are talking about pulling out of the sport if things do not change.

The F1 Technical Commission meets today to discuss a raft of proposals about the technical regulations in 2008.

Sakon Yamamoto is to leave Formula Nippon and take up a role with the Super Aguri F1 team. It is not yeat clear what that role will be but it is anticipated that he will be the team's third driver for the next few races and will then step in to replace Franck Montagny, probably at the French Grand Prix.

The Formula One group has launched a range of Formula 1-branded merchandise, including teeshirts, pole shirts, caps, and a variety of key rings, wallets, mouse mats, photo frames and document folders.

In recent years FIAT has let its control of Ferrari slip to just 56%, selling off shares to help raise money to get the parent company back on track financially.

Eddie Cheever and Marco Andretti have got into a spat over an incident last weekend in the Watkins Glen Indy Racing League race. On the 38th lap of the race 19-year-old Andretti was lapping 49-year-old Cheever when Eddie moved to the right unexpectedly and pushed Andretti off the road and into a wall.

The Red Bull Toyota team will debut in NASCAR later this year - but without Toyotas. The team is currently being put together in Mooresville, North Carolina, and will debut with cars as yet unknown at Charlotte in October.

Although Bruno Senna started the season looking good with Raikkonen Robertson Racing, it is Mike Conway, his English team mate, who has now moved to the top of the points standings in British Formula 3 with two maximum points scores in Pau.

The suggestion that the soccer world may try to have a World Cup-style competition every two years could be bad news for Formula 1 racing.

The Victorian State Government has agreed to provide an additional $37m over the next four years for major events in the state. Much of this money will go to help funding the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.

Although it has been a weekend off for the Formula 1 crews there has been plenty of action over the weekend - with more races taking place on Monday as this is a holiday weekend in many countries.

In the light of Michael Schumacher's recent activities in Monaco, it is perhaps worth noting some of the things that were said in 1997 after the incident at Jerez de la Frontera when Schumacher tried to drive Jacques Villeneuve off the road and was docked all his points from that year's World Championship.

Jean Todt continues to say that the FIA stewards at Monaco were wrong.

There are rumours that driver Sakon Yamamoto will be the third driver for Super Aguri F1 starting at Silverstone next week.

The word from Japan is that Williams will soon sign a three-year deal to use Toyota engines in Formula 1. The stories suggest that the team will be paying a nominal fee for the Cologne-built V8s.

Nicolas Lapierre is out of action with two compressed vertebrae after a spectacular crash at the start of the Monaco GP2 race.

Everything has a price and Midland boss Alex Shnaider has accepted that MF1 Racing might be for sale if someone is willing to pay enough for it.

Sometime Toyota F1 test driver Ryan Briscoe has landed a drive with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the Watkins Glen round of the Indy Racing League. He replaces Buddy Lazier.