SEPTEMBER 10, 2004

Signs of change

The World Rally Championship can sometimes offer indications as to what is happening in Formula 1 and the recent days have seen a lot of pushing and shoving over the future of the Ford Motor Company in the series.

The World Rally Championship can sometimes offer indications as to what is happening in Formula 1 and the recent days have seen a lot of pushing and shoving over the future of the Ford Motor Company in the series. There have been reports that Ford's number one driver Markko Martin has signed to drive for Peugeot in 2005 and it is already clear that the team's second driver Francois Duval will be released from his contract because Ford cannot guarantee him a drive next year. Malcolm Wilson, the director of Ford's M-Sport operation, has been informed that there will not be any funding from Detroit next year because all the available money is going to be put into the Formula 1 programme. This does not necessarily mean that there will be more money for F1 because with the budget cuts going on within Ford at the moment, nothing is certain and clearly there are worries about the funding next year for the team that is currently known as Jaguar Racing.

The team has an option on the services of Christian Klien. This was due to run out on September 15 but has been extended to later in the autumn.