Formula 1 News - Latest News

January 2003

31 January 2003 Williams have launched their 2003 contender, the FW25, at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. The FW25, which was designed by a team led by Chief Designer Gavin Fisher, is a new concept compared to the FW24 and represents a new design philosophy for the team. BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen said that they have developed a new, more powerful engine for the car.

31 January 2003 Minardi have lodged a complaint with FIA over Bridgestone's refusal to supply the team with tyres. Paul Stoddart said that Bridgestone is in clear breach of its obligations under the FIA F1 2003 Sporting Regulations, which states that one of the tyre suppliers must fill the void if a team is without a deal. Minardi has severed all ties with Michelin, leaving only Bridgestone as a possible tyre supplier for the team.

30 January 2003 Peter Sauber suggested a new way to cut costs in Formula 1. He said that all teams should use the same chassis, then development costs would come down. He suggested that a large racing car constructors, such as Lola, could produce the chassis.

30 January 2003 David Coulthard topped the Valencia tests today, while M. Schuamcher failed to clock a time in the top three. Minardi had to run on Avon tyres because they did not receive tyres from Bridgestone, with whom they are in the process of signing a deal.

Test results from Valencia:

D. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes MP4/17B M 1:10.983 48 laps
H.-H. Frentzen Sauber Petronas C22 B 1:11.093 43 laps
A. Wurz McLaren Mercedes MP4/17B M 1:11.118 66 laps
R. Barrichello Ferrari Ferrari F2002 B 1:11.293 96 laps
N. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas C22 B 1:11.410 50 laps
M. Schumacher Ferrari Ferrari F2002 B 1:11.528 62 laps
G. Fisichella Jordan Ford EJ13 B 1:11.704 62 laps
O. Panis Toyota Toyota TF103 M 1:11.913 63 laps
L. Badoer Ferrari Ferrari F2002 B 1:12.112 40 laps
J. Villeneuve BAR Honda 005 B 1:12.112 71 laps
A. Pizzonia Jaguar Cosworth R4 M 1:12.314 62 laps
C. da Matta Toyota Toyota TF103 M 1:12.408 77 laps
J. Button BAR Honda 005 B 1:12.409 62 laps
J. Verstappen Minardi Cosworth PS01 (Avon tyres) 1:15.182 47 laps

29 January 2003 Paul Jordan is Minardi Team's new commercial director. The 42-year-old started his Formula 1 career with the Ats team in 1984 and has also worked at Jordan, BAR and Benetton and in F3000. Paul Jordan will manage the commercial operation of the team from the Faenza HQ.

29 January 2003 Minardi has used the British-made Avon Formula 3000 tyres for its tests in Valencia, while the team tries to close the deal for tyre supply with Bridgestone.

28 January 2003 Ferrari was still ahead of the rest with Barrichello in the tests at Valencia.

Test results from Valencia:

R. Barrichello Ferrari 1.11.429 79 laps
G. Fisichella Jordan 1.11.703 66 laps
O. Panis Toyota 1.11.867 63 laps
M. Webber Jaguar 1.11.952 52 laps
J. Villeneuve BAR-Honda 1.12.384 65 laps
C. Da Matta Toyota 1.12.690 62 laps
A. Wurz McLaren 1.12.774 41 laps
L. Badoer Ferrari 1.12.889 104 laps
G. Paffett McLaren 1.12.890 19 laps
T. Sato BAR-Honda 1.13.118 51 laps

28 January 2003 The Italian Supreme Court has ruled that the trial for Ayrton Senna's death is to be reopened due to legal errors in the original appeal. In the original trial Patrick Head and Adrian Newey were cleared of the charge of manslaughter but now the judges have accepted the argument brought forward by magistrate Rinaldo Rosini, who has asked for the verdict to be thrown out. The original trial found that the death of Ayrton Senna had been caused by a design fault in the steering column, but that it was not possible to determine who was the guilty party. In the appeal trial the judges found that the evidence pesented by the prosecution was insufficent and that some elements contraddicted each other. Rosini argued that the appeal judgement was "illogical" and that the assumption that there was no connection between Head and Newey's actions and the breakage of the steering column was erroneous. The trial is to be reopened by the end of the year, though the date has not been fixed yet. Rinaldo Rosini will lead the prosecution.

28 January 2003 Minardi has signed a new sponsorship contract with German sportswear maker Puma, who will supply footwear for the whole race team, including fireproof boots to the refuel crew and racing boots to the drivers.

27 January 2003 Austria is to stage its final GP this year, despite having signed a contract with FIA until 2006. The Austrian government decided to bring the tobacco advertising ban forward from 2006 to 2005, thus allowing FIA to take advantage of an exit clause in the contract.

25 January 2003 Briton Ralph Firman is on the shortlist for the last seat availabel at Jordan. The 27-year-old won the Formula Nippon Championship in Japan last season and has worked as a on-off test driver for BAR. Felipe Massa also is in the spotlight for the drive and, in the end, it will all be down to who can briug more sponsorship money to the team.

24 January 2003 Giovanni Agnelli, honorary Chairman of the Fiat group, has died at the age of 81 in his family house in Turin, Italy, around 8.00am local time. The announcement was made earlier today by his family. He died just hours before he was due to have a meeting with the family to discuss the Fiat Auto's crisis. The Agnelli family owns 30% of the Fiat Auto company, which is separate from Fiat Spa that owns Ferrari. Last year Gianni (as he was familiarly known) Agnelli had been treated for prostate cancer in the US. The funeral will be a strictly family-only affair. Sergio Chiamparino, mayor of Maranello, has announced that tomorrow will be declared a day of remembrance for the town. The flags are at half-mast at the Lingotto and in all the Fiat factories across Italy. The strikes planned to protest against the proposed sale of Fiat Auto have been called off as a mark of respect.

24 January 2003 Minardi will switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres in 2003, according to Michelin competition boss Pierre Dupasquier. Paul Stoddart said that they are actively seeking to close a deal with Bridgestone, but that nothing is certain yet.

23 January 2003 Renault launched their 2003 contender, the R23. Renault Chairman Patrick Faure said that lots of work needed to be put into reaching the level of the top teams, but that it could not be excluded that Renault could win the Championship in 2004.

23 January 2003 Eddie Irvine is to take a year off Formula 1, after talks with Jordan collapsed because the cash-strapped team needs a driver who brings in sponsorship and he can only offer, in his own words "speed, reliability and greater experience".

22 January 2003 M. Schumacher was back on form after his less-than-ideal debut in testing yesterday.

Test results from Barcelona:

1 SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m17.206s
2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m17.605s
3 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda 1m18.787s
4 BADOER Ferrari 1m18.841s
5 PIZZONIA Jaguar 1m19.123s
6 BUTTON BAR Honda 1m19.145s
7 WEBBER Jaguar 1m19.839s

Test results from Valencia:

1 MONTOYA Williams BMW 1m10.782s
2 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes 1m11.102s
3 WURZ McLaren Mercedes 1m11.911s
4 GENE Williams BMW 1m12.338s
5 FRENTZEN Sauber Petronas 1m12.980s
6 PAFFETT McLaren Mercedes 1m14.399s

22 January 2003 Having failed to agree on rule changes last week, the FIA technical commission met again yesterday. Apparently an agreement has not been reached. These are the agreed changes:

Ban on pit to car telemetry (car to pit in 2004, with introduction of a standard data logging system)
Radio communication between team and driver restricted to unencrypted voice traffic (no data via this channel).
Third cars to be used only if one of the two main cars is damaged beyond repair.
Cars effectively impounded between qualifying and the race, with only very limited work permitted.
Traction control and automatic gearboxes banned from the British GP onward (launch control also, subject to all teams having fitted manual clutches). The FIA now is convinced this can all be policed without the introduction of a standard ECU in 2004.

21 January 2003 M. Schumacher did not have a very successful return to the cockpit. The German, who has not drivna Formula 1 car since the end of the 2002 Championship, spun his F2002 in testing, damaging the rear end of the car after losing control on his first lap out of the pits. The driver was unhurt but red-faced, as he grinned and said "Oops, that's a good start to the season", according to his spokeswoman Sabine Kehm.

Test results from Barcelona:

1 BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m17.647s
2 M. SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m18.136s
3 WEBBER Jaguar 1m19.354s
4 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda 1m19.740s
5 BADOER Ferrari 1m19.773s
6 DAVIDSON BAR Honda 1m20.462s
7 FISICHELLA Jordan Ford 1m20.788s
8 PIZZONIA Jaguar 1m20.880s

Test results from Valencia:

1 WURZ McLaren Mercedes 1m12.732s
2 MONTOYA Williams BMW 1m13.347s
3 FRENTZEN Sauber Petronas 1m13.385s
4 GENE Williams BMW 1m13.738s

21 January 2003 Jaguar have unveiled the R4 in an internet-only launch designed to save costs following the recent staff cuts. The R4 builds on the lessons learned in 2002 with the R3 and is the work of Aerodynamics Chief Ben Agathangelou, Chief Designer Rob Taylor and Head of Vehicle Performance Mark Gillan.

20 January 2003 Ian Pocock, formerly of Pi Research, has joined the Jaguar team as new Engineering Director. Jaguar’s new MD David Pitchforth explained that Pocock's role will be that of keeping contacts with Ford Motor Company, Cosworth Racing, Research, Michelin and any other relevant company or organisation. He will also take responsibility for operational as well as a budgetary tasks while at the same time taking care of all the managerial aspects of running the technical side of an F1 team.

20 January 2003 Renault has launched their 2003 contender, the R23, today in Lausanne, Switzerland. The car in today's launch sported a Mild Seven branding. A second launch, with a modified livery to appease French regulators, will take place later this week. Renault F1 Chairman Patrick Faure used the launch to attack the recent proposal to use one engine for six races, which will come into effect in 2005. He said that the plan is the end of Formula 1 and that the manufacturers will refuse to stay in Formula 1 under those conditions. It was also announced that sponsor Japan Tobacco, which promotes its brand Mild Seven, had extended its sponsorship for another four years.

20 January 2003 Jacques Villeneuve and other drivers, including Button and Montoya, have said that they do not intend using the HANS device, which is being introduced in the 2003 season, until further testing and refinement is being carried out. HANS is a carbon-fibre brace that is fitted to the shoulders and strapped to the helmet. It is designed to restrict dangerous neck movement in the event of an accident and is already being used in the US in open-wheeler series. Many Formula 1 drivers who tried it out said that it is extremely unconfortable and so painful that prevents them from concentrating. The use of HANS is compulsory from 2003, but several drivers are trying to get the rule changed, citing examples of recent non-fatal Formula 1 accidents in which the use of HANS would have resulted in the death of the driver because of the dynamics of the crash.

19 January 2003 The new Jaguar R4, which recently failed the mandatory FIA side-impact test, received its first shake-down at the Lommel test facility in Belgium on Friday. New Jaguar driver Mark Webber tested the car in a clear, no-problems session.

18 January 2003 Bernie Ecclestone has denied rumours that he intends to buy the rights to the British GP from current owners Octagon Motosports. He told British magazine Autosport that the talks he held with Octagon Motosports were aimed solely at helping steer Octagon down a more positive path.

18 January 2003 The Minardi and Jordan teams, that are currently struggling financially, are to receive financial packages to help them through the 2003 Formula 1 season. The move, worth a total of 16 million pounds for each team, was agreed at the meeting between the FIA and the teams held at Heathrow on Wednesday. The Concorde Agreement stipulates that there must be at least 20 cars on the starting grid, but the recent cost increases in the sport have sent two teams, Arrows and Prost, out of business. The funds will be drawn from funds that are generated by lucrative commercial deals, including TV broadcast rights.

17 January 2003 Jordan has extended its supply agreement with Bridgestone for another year, to cover the 2003 season.

17 January 2003 Jean Todt said that the reduction of costs brought in by the strict enforcement of the Formula 1 rules was in the best interests of everyone, but it would take some time before electronic driver aids disappeared from the sport. He also said that adjusting the machinery for the new rules in the next seven weeks will be quite a deal.

17 January 2003 Ferrari's 2003 contender, the F2003, will be launched on the 7th of February at Maranello, before being test-run at Fiorano. Chief Designer Rory Byrne said he has been able to make improvements in some technical areas of the F2002 to produce the F2003.

16 January 2003 The Jaguar team hit a testing glitch when its 2003 contender, the R4, failed a mandatory side-impact test after a small part of the chassis cracked. A spokesman for the team said that the problem was minimal and was due to the adhesive used to hold the chassis part in. As far as the team is concerned, he added, the problem is minimal and the next test, scheduled for the end of the month, is a pure formality.

16 January 2003 Eddie Jordan expressed his satisfaction to the media about the new rules introduced by FIA to limit costs in Formula 1. He said that there was total unanimity between all parties involced in the sport. Frank Williams, however, gave an initial approval of the rules, but warned that the execution and finalisation of the changes were crucial. Ron Dennis, on the other hand, objected to the changes without giving any details.

16 January 2003 In a meeting between with the Formula 1 teams held at Heathrow airport, the FIA has announced that in order to reduce costs and improve the racing it will rigorously apply existing rules from the start of the coming season, in order to:

eliminate pit to car telemetry;
eliminate car to pit telemetry;
eliminate all radio communication between team and driver;
allow only two cars per team (ie no spare car);
place cars in parc fermé between final qualifying and the race (teams will be unable to work on them, except under strict supervision);
eliminate traction control, launch control and fully automatic gearboxes (possible derogation for all or part of 2003 to be followed by absolute enforcement in 2004, if necessary by means of standard electronic control units);

The FIA will also allow teams to use common components. Starting from 2004 new sporting rules will be introduced that will:

require the use of a standard braking system;
require the use of a standard rear wing;
require the use of long-life components;
ensure that car manufacturers involved in Formula One supply engines to all competing teams;

Starting from 2005 the FIA intends to introduce further sporting rules to require:

engine life to be extended from one to two races;
a further extension to the life of major components;
new penalties for engine or component changes outside permitted times;

For the 2006 season the FIA intends to bring in a further sporting rule to require engine life to be extended to six races. It will also seek the agreement of the teams to introduce a new technical regulation to eliminate the use of expensive exotic materials in any part of the car, including the engine. A note detailing the new rules was handed to the teams.

15 January 2003 R. Schumacher is to miss testing for the rest of the month due to back pain. He will return for the launch of the 2003 contender, the Williams FW25, at the end of the month. Olivier Beretta, formerly of Formula 1 team Larousse, has been called in to help Montoya and Gené with testing.

15 January 2003 The Arrows team has been wound up. The winding up order was granted yesterday by the Birmingham Courts to a group of creditors, including ex-drivers Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jos Verstappen. The receivers, PKF, will try and sell the team's remaining assets, including the race cars and the three-seaters. Both Arrows Grand Prix International and its parent company Arrows Autosport are being put into liquidation.

14 January 2003 Coulthard has broken the Barcelona lap record in a modified 2002-spec McLaren.

Test results from Barcelona:

D. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes MP4/17B M 1:15.266 61 laps
M. Gen&ecute; Williams BMW FW24B M 1:16.568 69 laps
N. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas C22 B 1:16.688 81 laps
J. Montoya Williams BMW FW24 M 1:16.828 39 laps
O. Panis Toyota Toyota TF103 M 1:17.066 34 laps
A. Wurz McLaren Mercedes MP4/17B M 1:17.307 48 laps
H. Frentzen Sauber Petronas C21 B 1:17.909 68 laps
C. da Matta Toyota Toyota TF102B M 1:19.092 38 laps
O. Beretta Williams BMW FW24 M 1:19.160 53 laps

14 January 2003 The new BAR 005 has been launched in Barcelona.

13 January 2003 The new Sauber C22 made its debut today in testing in Barcelona, driven by Nick Hadfield. The other SAuber driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, ran last season's C21. Montoya clocked the fastest test time.

Test results from Barcelona:

J. Montoya Williams BMW FW24 M 1:17.790 46 laps
M. Gen&ecute; Williams BMW FW24B M 1:18.394 63 laps
H. Frentzen Sauber Petronas C21 B 1:18.725 37 laps
N. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas C22 B 1:18.901 60 laps
R. Schumacher Williams BMW FW24 M 1:19.658 05 laps

11 January 2003 The 2002 F1 awards have been handed out at the 2003 Grand Prix Party held in the NEC Arena in Birmingham, UK. The "Best driver of 2002" award went to reigning World Champion M. Schumacher. Giancarlo Fisichella won the "Driver’s Driver" award, which was voted by the other drivers. Fisichella is well known in the Formula 1 world not only for his driving ability, but also for his sportsmanship. Mark Webber received "Best Newcomer", Charlie Whiting "Outstanding Contribution" and Ron Dennis "Lifetime Achievement".

10 January 2003 Aaccording to the Sport Business service, Ford-owned engine builder Cosworth is to take legal action against Arrows Principal Tom Walkinshaw personally. Cosworth, that also is one of the creditors seeking to wind-up the Arrows team, is trying to get the lease payments on its engines dating back to mid last season. Arrows was recently placed in the hands of receivers who are trying to find a sustainable solution for the Leafield operation.

9 January 2003 Test results from Jerez:

R. Schumacher Williams BMW FW24 M 1:21.575 78 laps
L. Badoer Ferrari Ferrari F2002 B 1:21.708 68 laps
L. Burti Ferrari Ferrari F2002 B 1:23.278 73 laps
J. Trulli Renault Renault R202B M 1:24.435 47 laps
M. Gene Williams BMW FW24B M 1:27.980 49 laps
F. Alonso Renault Renault R202B M 1:30.739 30 laps

9 January 2003 Jos Verstappen has confirmed that he is a new Minardi driver for 2003 in a press conference in Dordrecht, Holland.

9 January 2003 Jordan will run the new EJ13 with the new Ford RS1 V0 engine at Barcelona on the 20th of January.

9 January 2003 Allan McNish has been confirmed as the new Renault test driver.

9 January 2003 McLaren has extended its deal with British-based Advanced Composites Group. The team also signed a new sponsorship deal with German car care products maker Sonax.

9 January 2003 Jean Todt has appealed to FIA to make it absolutely clear what is allowed and what is not in terms of team orders in 2003. Todt told British TV station ITV that there needed to be detailed clarification about team orders beyond the basic message that "team orders were forbidden".

8 January 2003 Test results from Jerez:

L. Badoer Ferrari Ferrari F2002 B 1:27.215 52 laps
L. Burti Ferrari Ferrari F2002 B 1:27.706 50 laps
R. Schumacher Williams BMW FW24 M 1:28.067 64 laps
M. Gene Williams BMW FW24B M 1:28.448 55 laps
F. Alonso Renault Renault R202B M 1:31.078 27 laps
J. Trulli Renault Renault R202B M 1:33.505 9 laps

8 January 2003 Formula 1 designer John Barnard has moved to two wheels, becoming Technical Director of the Grand Prix motorcycle Roberts MotoGP squad, effective immediately.

8 January 2003 The launch of the Toyota TF103 took place today at a facility within Paul Ricard in France. French veteran Olivier Panis and former CART Champion Cristiano da Matta are the drivers for 2003. Ricardo Zonta was announced as the Toyota team's new test driver

7 January 2003 Test results from Jerez:

L. Badoer Ferrari Ferrari F2002 B 1:20.871 59 laps
R. Schumacher Williams BMW FW24 M 1:21.029 80 laps
L. Burti Ferrari Ferrari F2002 B 1:21.029 58 laps
M. Gene Williams BMW FW24B M 1:22.251 57 laps

7 January 2003 The Jordan team has extended its sponsorship deal with Puma by three years.

7 January 2003 Christijan Albers said that he is out of the picture at Minardi for 2003. The young drivers failed to secure the required 3 million US dollars personal sponsorship package, leaving the door open for fellow Dutchman Jos Verstappen to take the driving seat. Albers, who will race for Mercedes in German Touring Cars in 2003, sadi that he is not worried because he only 23 years old and will get the chance to enter Formula 1 in the future.

6 January 2003 The Jordan team has said that all the rumours that the decision about next season's drivers has been made are rubbish. Eddie Jordan is busy finalising the sponsorship agreements and until that is done he will not worry about the drivers.

6 January 2003 British software maker Ebbon-Dacs is a new sponsor of the Toyota team.

5 January 2003 Paul Stoddrat said that he is prepared to sell a stake in his team to any car manufacturer that is interested. Stoddart said that he is not sure whether the private teams survive in modern-day Formula 1. Private teams Prost And Arrows recently went down because of financial problems.

4 January 2003 The personal manager of young Dutch driver Christijan Albers said that they are close to signing a dela with Paul Stoddart over a drive at Minardi in 2003. Albers has a spoken agreement with Stoddart that he will get a drive if he can come up with a three million US dollars sponsorship.

4 January 2003 According to British magazine Autopsort, the FIA will push last-minute rule changes for 2003 when it meets with the teams in two weeks time.

3 January 2003 Patrick Head has rapped Montoya's attitude to racing. The Williams Technical Director said that the Colombian driver needs to adopt a more composed approach to his driving, so that his speed and talent can shine without being overshadowed by racing accidents. Until he does that, he will not become a World Champion.

3 January 2003 UK-based Accountancy and business advisory firm PKF has been appointed as receivers to to run the company behind the Arrows Formula One team in an effort to help the operation survive. PKF, which also handled part of the liquidation of the Prost team at the start of last year, will attempt to find investors to stop the Arrows team from going into liquidation.

2 January 2003 Williams will present the 2003 contender, the FW25-BMW, on the 31st of January at the Spanish Grand Prix host the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

1 January 2003 Former Formula 1 driver Ukyo Katayama is set to take part in the gruelling Paris-Dakar race that starts today. This is the second time that Katayama takes part in the race.

Last updated on by Federica Massagrande