July 2002

31 July 2002 In an interview with Dutch magazine RaceReport, Jos Verstappen said that he has been contacted by Paul Stoddart with the offer to replace Alex Yoong before the Hungarian GP. The Dutch driver refused the offer because he does not believe that the technical level of the Minardi package is high enough to be of interest to him. The interview is due to be published on Thursday.

30 July 2002 According to recent paddock rumours, Alex Yoong, who failed to qualify three times this season, could leave the Minardi team before the Hungarian GP, scheduled on 18 August. The drivers mentioned as his possible replacement for the rest of the season are Fernando Alonso and Jos Verstappen.

30 July 2002 Gerhard Berger is considering his options for next year. His three-year contract as the Director of BMW’s Motorsport Programme expires at the end of the current season. Berger said that in winter he will make the decision whether to stay with BMW or move out of Formula 1 altogether.

29 July 2002 The Toyota team has issued a press release denied the runour that Allan McNish is to be axed before the end of the season.

29 July 2002 According to Mark Webber, team mate Alex Yoong is out of his depth in Formula 1. Webber has regularly outperformed Yoong by a matter of seconds in every single GP this year. The Malaysian failed to qualify on three occasione because he could not clock a qualifying time within 107% of pole. Webber did admit that he thinks that Yoong is learning a lot and that it is as much as he can do at this stage.

28 July 2002 M. Schumacher added the victory of the German GP in a Ferrari to his own personal record. The lights changed, M. Schumacher set off in the lead and led an unexciting race to its obvious conclusion. Barrichello was denied a podium position by a fuel rig problem in his second pit stop, while R. Schumacher had to make an unscheduled stop after the team detected a pneumatic problem with his car in the final laps of the race. R. Schumacher's extra stop promoted a lacklustre Montoya into second place and prevented a Schumacher one-two finish on their home turf. Coulthard held high the McLaren flag by finishing fifth after his team mate Räikkönen had suffered a blown tyre and had had to limb back to the pits on three wheels. Heidfeld finished a deserving sixth after several midfield drivers retired for a variety of technical reasons. With this victory M. Schumacher equals Nigel Mansell's record of nine wins in a one season, while Barrichello's fourth place behind the Williams drivers means that the Constructors Championship is not yet sealed and that Ferrari still has some work to do to ensure that the Brazilian finished second in the Drivers Championship.

The German GP finishing times:

1. M. SCHUMACHER Ferrari B in 1h27'52"078 (average 209.262 Km/h) 2. MONTOYA Williams BMW M +10"503 3. R. SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M + 4"466 4. BARRICHELLO Ferrari B +23"195 5. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M +1 lap 6. HEIFELD Sauber Ferrari B +1 lap 7. MASSA Sauber Ferrari B +1 lap 8. SATO Jordan Honda B +1 lap 9. SALO Toyota M +1 lap

27 July 2002 M. Schumacher put in a last-dicth flying lap to snatch pole position from brother Ralf, whose perfomance overshadowed that of his team mate Montoya. Barrichello, who had held pole time for a good part of the session, failed to do better than third, but still manageds to be in front of Montoya. Räikkönen took fifth place on the grid haead of Fisichella, who came back in style from his accident. Coulthard, who suffered car trouble, had to settle for ninth place. Frentzen and Bernoldi qualified in 15th and 18th place respectively, indicating that Arrows will take part in the German GP. Not surprisingly, Alex Yoong failed to qualify within 107% of pole time yet again.

The German GP qualifying times:

1. M Schumacher (B) 1:14.389 11 laps 2. R Schumacher (M) 1:14.570 0.181 12 laps 3. R Barrichello (B) 1:14.693 0.304 12 laps 4. JP Montoya (M) 1:15.108 0.719 11 laps 5. K Raikkonen (M) 1:15.639 1.250 11 laps 6. G Fisichella (B) 1:15.690 1.301 12 laps 7. O Panis (B) 1:15.851 1.462 12 laps 8. J Trulli (M) 1:15.885 1.496 12 laps 9. D Coulthard (M) 1:15.909 1.520 12 laps 10. N Heidfeld (B) 1:15.990 1.601 12 laps 11. J Villeneuve (B) 1:16.070 1.681 11 laps 12. T Sato (B) 1:16.072 1.683 12 laps 13. J Button (M) 1:16.278 1.889 12 laps 14. F Massa (B) 1:16.351 1.962 11 laps 15. HH Frentzen (B) 1:16.505 2.116 12 laps 16. E Irvine (M) 1:16.533 2.144 12 laps 17. A McNish (M) 1:16.594 2.205 12 laps 18. E Bernoldi (B) 1:16.645 2.256 12 laps 19. M Salo (M) 1:16.685 2.296 11 laps 20. P de la Rosa (M) 1:17.077 2.688 12 laps 21. M Webber (M) 1:17.996 3.607 11 laps Not qualified (outside 107% of pole time): 22. A Yoong (M) 1:19.775 5.386 12

26 July 2002 No surprises in the second hour of Friday free practice for the German GP. M. Schumacher managed to clock a marginally faster lap time than team mate Barrichello in the closing minutes of the session, while the Williams drivers seemed to be having problems finding the right setup for their cars. McLaren showed their new-found form by placing themselves solidly behind Ferrari. Several drivers pushed hard and suffered spins, but one of the highlights of the session was Irvine clocking the sixth fastest time in the new R3B. Arrows took part in the second hour of practice, sending out the clear signal that they intend to race.

The German GP combined Friday free session times:

1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m16.086s 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m16.248s 3 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes 1m16.344s 4 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes 1m16.440s 5 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW 1m16.934s 6 IRVINE Jaguar 1m17.136s 7 MONTOYA Williams BMW 1m17.187s 8 MASSA Sauber Petronas 1m17.361s 9 MCNISH Toyota 1m17.422s 10 FRENTZEN Arrows Cosworth 1m17.471s 11 BERNOLDI Arrows Cosworth 1m17.481s 12 PANIS BAR Honda 1m17.482s 13 HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas 1m17.573s 14 SATO Jordan Honda 1m17.684s 15 DE LA ROSA Jaguar 1m17.732s 16 FISICHELLA Jordan Honda 1m17.805s 17 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda 1m17.954s 18 SALO Toyota 1m18.023s 19 BUTTON Renault 1m18.211s 20 TRULLI Renault 1m18.658s 21 WEBBER Minardi Asiatech 1m19.594s 22 YOONG Minardi Asiatech 1m20.164s

26 July 2002 Today in Hockenheim Mika Häkkinen has officially announced that he has decided not to return to motor racing. The announcement was made during the McLaren press conference in which Ron Dennis and Norbert Haug also confirmed that David Coulthard and Kimi Räikkönen will be the team's drivers in 2003. Alex Wurz is also confirmed as test driver.

26 July 2002 Rubens Barrichello dominated the first Friday free practice session ahead of team mate M. Schumacher, Panis and Räikkönen. The two Arrows drivers took part in the practice session for the first time in three races, suggesting that they might indeed race on Sunday. Despite the favourable weather forecast a little sprinkle of rain wetted the track at the start of the session and low dark clouds threatened more to come.

The German GP first Friday free session times:

1 BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m16.248s 2 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m16.323s 3 PANIS BAR Honda 1m17.482s 4 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes 1m17.564s 5 HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas 1m17.883s 6 MONTOYA Williams BMW 1m18.054s 7 MASSA Sauber Petronas 1m18.269s 8 SATO Jordan Honda 1m18.311s 9 FISICHELLA Jordan Honda 1m18.405s 10 FRENTZEN Arrows Cosworth 1m18.539s 11 MCNISH Toyota 1m18.587s 12 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda 1m18.620s 13 TRULLI Renault 1m18.658s 14 SALO Toyota 1m18.929s 15 IRVINE Jaguar 1m19.026s 16 BERNOLDI Arrows Cosworth 1m19.139s 17 BUTTON Renault 1m19.178s 18 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW 1m19.249s 19 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes 1m19.425s 20 DE LA ROSA Jaguar 1m19.909s 21 WEBBER Minardi Asiatech 1m20.045s 22 YOONG Minardi Asiatech 1m20.164s

26 July 2002 NTT DoCoMo, Japan's leading mobile communications company, and BAR Honda have announced a new partnership that will come into effect from this week's German GP. DoCoMo will be BAR's nwe Technical Partner and will be the Official Supplier of Circuit Wireless Communications Systems to the team.

26 July 2002 FIA has ascertained that Barrichello had done everything that he could to be at Hockenheim on time for the press conference. They decided that since his late arrival was not his fault, he would not be punished or fined despite missing the press conference. Barrichello's delay was caused by his flight from Faro in Portugal not taking off for unknown reasons. The Brazilian ended up having to switch to a later flight.

25 July 2002 Barrichello's arrival in Hockenheim has been delayed after he missed the flight that was supposed to take him to Germany. Ferrari said that the delay was outside their control. There is a fine for late arrival to the start of the GP weekend. Ferrari also said that from the German GP onwards the spare car will be set up for Barrichello rather than M. Schumacher to ensure that the Brazilian finishes second in the Drivers Championship.

25 July 2002 Heinz-Harald Frentzen reckons that the Arrows team, that has arrived in Hockenheim, will race normally this weekend and that there will be no repeat of the Magny-Cours events.

25 July 2002 Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo told Italian weekly paper Espresso that he intends to stay at Ferrari for a further four or five years. Afterwards he would like to set up his own business, probably not related to the motor industry.

25 July 2002 Max Mosley has sent a letter to Tom Walkinshaw condemning the team's behaviour in France and threatening a three-race ban if the same thing happens again in Germany this weekend.

25 July 2002 The weather is expected to be dry and pleasant at Hockenheim this weekend, with estimated highest temperature of 27 degrees Celsius and partly cloudy sky for tomorrow. Highest temperature of 30 degrees Celsius and bright sunshine are expected for the qualifying session on Saturday. Temperatute is expected to go down to 26 degrees Celsius with cloud cover but no rain on race day.

25 July 2002 The situation between Arrows and former shareholder Morgan Grenfell Private Equities has still not been sorted out, putting the team's participation in the German GP in doubt. However, there are reports that FIA is unhappy at Arrows' behaviour in France and the team could face sanctions if they do in Hockenheim what they did in Magny-Cours. Last week in France the two Arrows drivers ran only one lap of the qualifying session, making sure that they qualified outside 107% of pole time, so that the team did not have to race but avoided being punished with a 780,000 US dollars fine for missing the session. A FIA source said that Arrows would be kept under observation in Germany and a behaviour similar to the one in France would be looked upon unfavourable. Arrows is unable to enter any new sponsorship deals until the issues with Morgan Grenfell are sorted out.

25 July 2002 Giancarlo Fisichella will probably take part in this weekend's German GP. The Italian suffered a serious accident during free practice for the French GP and did not race last weekend on health ground. Professor Watkins has examined Fisichella and found that he has no physical injuries so he gave him the green light for racing, though the Jordan team has not yet made any official statement about Fisichella's partecipation in the German GP.

24 July 2002 Mumtaz Tahincoglu, president of the Turkish Automobile Federation, said that Turkey will host a Formula 1 GP from 2005. According to Tahincoglu, the relevant ministers have already allocated 27 million US dollars to the project and a new circuit will be built in one of four cities: Istanbul, Smirne, Antalya or Kirsehir. Turkey is perpared to respect the tobacco advertising ban.

24 July 2002 Ferrari have confirmed that now that M. Schumacher has won the Drivers Championship, the whole team's focus will shift to ensuring that the Constructors Championship is sealed and that Barrichello finishes second in the Drivers Championship tables.

24 July 2002 According to paddock rumours Toyota are about to sack McNish and snatch up Frentzen as a replacement. Toyota are suppsoed to have made a 2.5 million pounds offer to Frentzen. If the deal goes ahead, the German would be joining Toyota in time for the Hungarian GP, meaning that this weekend's German GP would be McNish' last. Frenzten is currently driving for debt-striken team Arrows after being sacked by Jordan halfway through last season.

24 July 2002 Jordan are looking for possible replacements for injured Fisichella for the German GP, in case the Italian is unable to take part in the race.

23 July 2002 M. Schumacher's personal manager Willi Weber said that the future of the five-times World Champion will be discussed and decided only in mid-2004, when his contract with Ferrari will be about to expire. Up to that point things will proceed as normal. Weber also said that he never said that M. Schumacher intends to continue racing after the end of his contract but, if he does, it will be with Ferrari.

23 July 2002 Next season's BAR team could consist of Jenson Button and Olivier Panis, rather than Jaques Villeneuve, if the team and the former World Champion fail to find an agreement over the Canadian's salary. BAR team principal David Richards has complained in the past that Villeneuve's wages, the highest in Formula 1 after M. Schumacher's, put too much of a strain on the team and prevent car development. Richards is also quoted as sayign that the team has signed Button for four years and that the young Briton will win the Championship wihin that time.

22 July 2002 Lucky Strike BAR Honda confirmed today that they have signed Jenson Button on a four-year contract. The initial contract is for two years with the option to extend for a further two years. BAR's line-up for next year has not been confirmed yet and while it is widely expected that Button will replace Panis, BAR's boss David Richards has said that he may have a 'novel way' to keep everybody happy in 2003.

22 July 2002 A faulty sensor was the cause of Barrichello's inability to start the engine of his car. The problem was completely different from the one the unlucky Brazilian suffered in Silverstone.

22 July 2002 The media in France, Germany, Spain, Argentina and Brazil have been giving great prominence to M. Schumacher's record five Championships, equal to Fangio's. Less prominence was givent to the event in the UK and in the US. Despite the win, Ferrari's president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is still considering his position at Ferrari and has not made any decision. He said that at this time it is more important to rejoice for the great results os this year. Everything else can wait.

21 July 2002 Ron Dennis, Kimi Räikkönen, M. Schumacher and another member of the Ferrari team have had a meeting with the stewards of the French GP. The meeting stemmed from a complaint from the McLaren team that M. Schumacher had overtaken Räikkönen under yellow flags. The stewards decided that McLaren's complaint was unfounded and the result of the race has been officialised.

21 July 2002 The deed is done and new history has been made. M. Schumacher won the French GP and the only two other drivers who could still mathematically have the hope to beat him, Barrichello and Montoya, failed to get in the way. Barrichello didn't even start the race after his mechanics could not start his car and left him stranded up on jacks on the grid. M. Schumacher has sealed his fifth Drivers Championship and equalled Fangio's record, though we still have to wait until next week to see whether Ferrari, that currently has almost twice as many points as the second-placed team, will seal the Constructors Championship.

Montoya started well from pole position and M. Schumacher did not bother him much, after an aborted attempt to go past the Colombian had brought Räikkönen dangerously close to go past and relegate the German into third place. The positions only changed at the pit stops, when M. Schumacher was too keen to come out of the pit lanes and crossed the line, earning himself a drive-through penalty that sent him down a couple of positions. Montoya ended up on a bad set of tyres after his last pit stop and stopped representing a threat down in fourth place. M. Schumacher seemed to have settled behind Räikkönen, who looked headed for his maiden win, when the Finn went over some oil left on the track by a blown Toyota and left the track but by the time ha had come back on it, with only five laps to go, the German had gone into the lead to win the race and the title.

The French GP finishing times:

1. Michael Schumacher (Ger/Ferrari) 305,889 km in 1h32'09"837 (average199.137 km/h) 2. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin/McLaren) + 1"105 3. David Coulthard (GB/McLaren) + 31"976 4. Juan Pablo Montoya (Col/Williams) + 40"676 5. R. Schumacher (Ger/Williams) + 41"773 6. Jenson Button (GB/Renault) +1 lap 7. Nick Heidfeld (Ger/Sauber) +1 lap 8. Mark Webber (Aus/Minardi) +1 lap 9. Pedro de la Rosa (Spa/Jaguar) +2 laps 10. Alex Yoong (Mal/Minardi) +4 laps 11. Allan McNish (GB/Toyota) +7 laps

21 July 2002 Fisichella's personal manager, Giampaolo Matteucci, said that Fisichella has suffered no serious consequences from his accident. The Italian is suffering from some neck pain, but nothing more. He is expected to be back next week at Hockenheim.

21 July 2002 The Jordan team has confirmed that Frentzen will not replace Fisichella in the French GP, despite the fact that Arrows do not seem able to take part in the race because of the ongoing dispute with ex-shareholder Morgan Grenfell. Frentzen has chosen not to race for Jordan to avoid legal complications, apparently under order of Arrows' boss Tom Walkinshaw. Frentzen is currently involved in a legal dispute with Jordan over his sacking last year.

20 July 2002 It has been confirmed that Jenson Button has been dropped by the Renault team for Fernando Alonso. Button's personal manager, John Byfield, said that the young Briton has another drive for next year, which will be announced shortly. Paddock rumour has it that Button's new team will be BAR replacing Panis.

20 July 2002 Montoya took yet another pole position in a strange qualifying session, in which the two Arrows came out for only one lap to avoid being fined by FIA, but lapped slowly to avoid qualifying within the 107% of pole time and having to race tomorrow. The Arrows team is still trying to sort out the problems with Morgan Grenfell. M. Schumacher and Barrichello took the second and third places on the grid, with Räikkönen and Coulthard in the fourth and fifth. R. Schuamcher had to settle for the sixth spot on the grid.

The French GP qualifying times:

1. MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'11"985 (avergae 212.594 Km/h 12) 2. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'12"008 3. BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'12"197 4. RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'12"244 5. R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'12"424 6. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'12"498 7. BUTTON Renault M 1'12"761 8. TRULLI Renault M 1'13"030 9. IRVINE Jaguar M 1'13"188 10. HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas B 1'13"370 11. PANIS BAR Honda B 1'13"457 12. MASSA Sauber Petronas B 1'13"501 13. VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B 1'13"506 14. SATO Jordan Honda B 1'13"542 15. DE LA ROSA Jaguar M 1'13"656 16. SALO Toyota M 1'13"837 17. MCNISH Toyota M 1'13"949 18. WEBBER Minardi M 1'14"800 19. YOONG Minardi M 1'16"798 Not qualifyed (outside 107% of pole time): 20. FRENTZEN Arrows B 1'18"497 21. BERNOLDI Arrows B 1'19"843

20 July 2002 Eddie Jordan said that he will try to "borrow" driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen from Arrows to replace Fisichella in the French GP. It is unlikely that Frentzen will agree, since he was sacked by fax without warning by Eddie Jordan last year following disagreements about the team's development strategy. Should Frentzen decide to take up the offer, the management of the French Grand Prix has suprisingly already agreed to the move.

20 July 2002 Giancarlo Fisichella suffered an horrific crash during free practice at Magny-Cours. The front wing of the Italian's Jordan came detached and became wedged under the front left tyre, causing the car to lose all handling and braking and sending it crashing straight into the tyre barrier on the third bend at 160 km/h. Fisichella walked out of the car himself, but was visiblty shaken and was taken by helicopter to the hospital of Nevers for medical checks. Since he could not remember anything about the dynamics of the accident and was not even sure where he was supposed to be racing, the doctors oprdered him not to take part in the French GP. The session was suspended for 26 minutes to repair the damaged tyre barrier.

19 July 2002 Peter Sauber announced that the team intends to take up the option of Nick Heidfeld for 2003. Meanwhile, McLaren International Managing Director Martin Whitmarsh said that next year's McLaren's line-up will be announced at Hockenheim.

19 July 2002 McLaren shot to the top in the second hour of Friday free practice for the French GP, sending Barrichello down to fourth place behind team mate M. Schumacher. Arrows missed the second session like they had missed the first one because of an ongoing dispute with former shareholder Morgan Grenfell, but Tom Walkishaw announced that they will take part in the qualifying and racing.

The French GP combined Friday free pracice times:

1. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'14"025 (average 206.736 km/h) 2. RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'14"097 3. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'14"240 4. BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'14"750 5. R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'14"970 6. IRVINE Jaguar M 1'14"983 7. SALO Toyota M 1'15"161 8. DE LA ROSA Jaguar M 1'15"179 9. BUTTON Renault M 1'15"218 10. MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'15"271 11. MCNISH Toyota M 1'15"411 12. FISICHELLA Jordan Honda B 1'15"422 13. MASSA Sauber B 1'16"030 14. PANIS BAR Honda B 1'16"163 15. SATO Jordan Honda B 1'16"167 16. HEIDFELD Sauber B 1'16"209 17. VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B 1'16"457 18. WEBBER Minardi M 1'16"496 19. TRULLI Renault M 1'16"763 20. YOONG Minardi M 1'19"015

19 July 2002 Barrichello posted the fastest lap in the first hour of free practice for the French GP, leading Coulthard, M. Schumacher, Montoya, R. Schumacher and Räikkönen. The Arrows cars did not take part in the session.

The French GP first Friday free pracice times:

1. BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'15"056 (average 203.896 Km/h) 2. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'15"099 3. M. SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'15"174 4. MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'15"271 5. R. SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'15"481 6. RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'15"525 7. BUTTON Renault M 1'15"869 8. IRVINE Jaguar Cosworth M 1'16"366 9. DE LA ROSA Jaguar Cosworth M 1'16"423 10. SATO Jordan Honda B 1'16"493 11. FISICHELLA Jordan Honda B 1'16"506 12. HEIDFELD Sauber Ferrari B 1'16"574 13. TRULLI Renault M 1'16"763 14. MASSA Sauber Ferrari B 1'16"776 15. PANIS BAR Honda B 1'16"814 16. SALO Toyota M 1'17"205 17. MCNISH Toyota M 1'17"219 18. VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B 1'17"415 19. WEBBER Minardi Asiatech M 1'18"203 20. YOONG Minardi Asiatech M 1'20"891

18 July 2002 According to the German edition of the Financial Times, Bayerische Landesbank, Jp Morgan and Lehman Brothers intend to reclaim the TV broadcast rights owned by debt-stricken Kirch Group in order to sell them back to the manufacturers. The manufacturers could then give up their idea of setting up an alternative Championship.

17 July 2002 The Arrows team has arrived in Magny Cours for the French GP, despite doubts about the survival of the team.

12 July 2002 Despite remaining critical of the organisation of the British GP, Bernie Ecclestone said that its place in the Formula 1 calendar is safe. The organisers of the British GP have a contract with FIA for the next 10 years.

12 July 2002 Jaguar test driver James Courtney has been dismissed from hospital after tests following his crash yesterday in Monza.

11 July 2002 Young Australian test driver James Courtney has suffered a masive accident during testing in Monza. As he was about to brak to enter Ascari travelling at 300 km/h, his rear right wheel became detached, sending the car crashing against the guard rail. The track attendant said that they saw the wheel arrive, followed by the cra. Jaguar has stopped the tests being carried out by the other driver, Pedro De La Rosa, to verify that the car is safe. James Courtney has been taken to hospital after complaining that his eyesight was blurred and that his neck was unusually swollen. He is undergoing magnetic resonance tests.

10 July 2002 Renault are auctioning on their website bits of the team single-seaters and some of the drivers' equipment for charity. The money raised will be donated to Oxfam. One of the items on offer is a jacket owner by M. Schumacher when he won the 1995 Championship with Benetton-Renault. The auction is being run through eBay.

10 July 2002 Montoya has renewed his contract with McLaren until the end of 2004. The Colombian will receive 4.5 million euros a year. Since R. Schuamcher also is officially with McLaren for the next two seasons, Jenson Button, currently on loan to Renault, would not have a drive there should he lose his current one to Fernando Alonso.

10 July 2002 Eddie Irvine believes that the new Jaguar R3 used in Silverstone has potential and can be developed into a performing car. Therefore, he has no intention of leaving Formula 1 at present.

9 July 2002 Volkswagen boss Bernd Pischetsrieder has again stated that Volkswagen has no interest in getting involved in Formula One, because the sport is too expensive and too risky. The statement came in repsonse to growing rumours that the firm was considering the option of joining the Formula 1 circus.

9 July 2002 British Minister for Sport Richard Caborn has offered his support to the British GP following Bernie Ecclestone's attack to its organisation. Ferrari Technical Director Ross Brawn's is another supporter of the British GP. He said that Silverstone is one of the remaining “true racetracks” on the schedule.

9 July 2002 Rob Bain, the boss of Octagon, British Grand Prix organiser, resigned in protest to Eccelstone's complaints about the organisation of the British GP. Max Mosley has also rushed to say that there are no plans to scrap the British GP in the near future.

8 July 2002 The 2003 San Marino GP will take place on Easter Sunday, the 20th of April. The date was confirmed by Bernie Ecclestone, who also extended the contract for the San Marino GP by another year without requesting any changes to the circuit.

8 July 2002 Bernie Ecclestone has expressed his disappointment over the way the Silverstone GP was organised. The Formula 1 patron's helyciopter could not touch down at the complex because of fog. Ecclestone was driven to the circuit where he got lost because there were no signs showing the way to the paddock. Eccelstone threatened to take the British GP off the Formula 1 calendar.

8 July 2002 Jean Todt said that Ferrari has a winning team and has no intention of changing it. The "winning team" consists of Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, Paolo Martinelli and the drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, all contracted to Ferrari until 2004.

8 July 2002 The work to build a Formula 1 circuit in Shanghai, China, will start later this month. A spokeperson for the Shanghai International Circuit Co. said that they have reached an agreement with FIA to host a GP from 2004 to 2010. The project is estimated to cost 240 million US dollars.

7 July 2002 The British GP was the first wet race of the season and the most exciting so far, with several pieces of real racing and overtaking. The first excitement of the day came as Barrichello stalled his car instants before the start of the parade lap and had to start the race from the back of the grid. The Brazilian managed to move up to second from 21st in the space of 16 laps, ending up behind team mate M. Schumacher. The German had managed to go past Montoya after a few attempts and led to win from that point on. BAR had all the good reasons to celebrate, as both drivers brought back their first points of the season. Not so for McLaren, who will want to forget today's race, after suffering a series of mishaps with the refuelling rigs and employing the interesting strategy of putting the drivers on slicks moments before it started pouring down. Jaguar's new aerodynamic package fell well short of its promises, as neither driver managed to finish the race. All in all, it seems that Ferrari have pretty much sealed both Championships, especially since today's result allowed Barrichello to leapfrog R. Schumacher, Montoya and Coulthard and place himself into the second spot in the Drivers Championship table.

The British GP finishing times:

1. M. SCHUMACHER Ferrari B in 1h31'45"015 2. BARRICHELLO Ferrari B + 0'14"578 3. MONTOYA Williams BMW M + 31"661 4. VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B +1 lap 5. PANIS BAR Honda B +1 lap 6. HEIDFELD Sauber Ferrri B +1 lap 7. FISICHELLA Jordan Honda B +1 lap 8. R. SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M +1 lap 9. MASSA Sauber Ferrari B +1 lap 10. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M +2 laps 11. DE LA ROSA Jaguar Cosworth M +2 laps 12. BUTTON Renault M +6 laps (retired but classified)

6 July 2002 On Monday the mayor of Imola, Massimo Marchignoli, and Sagis administrator Giancarlo Martellini will meet Bernie Ecclestone in London to ask for a different date for the San Marino GP in 2003. Sagis is the company that manages the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. The San Marino GP has been allocated a tentative date of 20 April, Easter day. The San Marino GP was held on Easter day in 2001 already and in that occasion it provoked complaints from the Bishop of San Marino and other religious authorities. The GP also suffered from reduced attendance in 2001.

6 July 2002 Montoya stormed to pole position in the closing seconds of the British GP qualifying session, pushing Barrichello to second on the grid and M. Schumacher third. R. Schumacher took fourth spot on the grid, while Räikkönen stole fifth place from team mate Coulthard instants before his car broke down. The session was dry and Ferrari dominated it until the very last, when Montoya pulled a trick out of his hat and put in a fantastic flying lap to take the fourth pole position in a row. Jenson Button was unlucky and suffered a blown engine before he ahd been able to record a time, but he was able to run back to the pits and jumpt into the spare car, eventually clocking the 12th best time. Fisichella too had his share of bad luck when his nosecone becomign detched for no apparent reason. the Italian limped back to the pits but still managed to claim 17th place on the starting grid. The new-package Jaguars did not live up to expectations and Irvine and De La Rosa just about managed to make the grid, sandwiching Minardi's Webber between them. The other Minardi driver, Yoong, failed to clock a time within 107% of pole for the second time this year and will not take part in tomorrow's race after an appeal by Minardi was rejected.

The British GP qualifying times:

1. MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'18"998 (average 234.279 kn/h) 2. BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'19"032 3. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'19"042 4. R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'19"329 5. RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'20"133 6. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'20"315 7. TRULLI Renault M 1'20"516 8. SALO Toyota M 1'20"995 9. VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B 1'21"130 10. HEIDFELD Sauber Ferrari B 1'21"187 11. MASSA Sauber Ferrari B 1'21"191 12. BUTTON Renault M 1'21"247 13. PANIS BAR Honda B 1'21"274 14. SATO Jordan Honda B 1'21"337 15. MCNISH Toyota M 1'21"382 16. FRENTZEN Arrows Cosworth B 1'21"416 17. FISICHELLA Jordan Honda B 1'21"636 18. BERNOLDI Arrows Cosworth B 1'21"780 19. IRVINE Jaguar Cosworth M 1'21"851 20. WEBBER Minardi Asiatech M 1'22"281 21. DE LA ROSA Jaguar Cosworth M 1'23"422 Not Qualified (outside 107% of pole): YOONG Minardi Asiatech M 1'24"785

6 July 2002 The last free practice session at Silverstone saw another Ferrari domination, with Barrichello leaping ahead of M. Schumacher, followed by the two Williams and the two McLaren.

The British GP Saturday combined free practice session times:

1. R Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:20.230 (24 laps) 2. M Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:20.428 (26 laps) 3. R Schumacher BMW.WilliamsF1 (M) 1:20.708 (30 laps) 4. JP Montoya BMW.WilliamsF1 (M) 1:21.076 (30 laps) 5. D Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:21.326 (22 laps) 6. K Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:21.768 (23 laps) 7. N Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:21.769 (35 laps) 8. J Button Renault (M) 1:21.998 (25 laps) 9. HH Frentzen Arrows-Cosworth (B) 1:22.174 (28 laps) 10. J Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 1:22.284 (34 laps) 11. J Trulli Renault (M) 1:22.466 (30 laps) 12. F Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:22.472 (33 laps) 13. E Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:22.527 (14 laps) 14. P de la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:22.543 (28 laps) 15. E Bernoldi Arrows-Cosworth (B) 1:22.628 (29 laps) 16. G Fisichella Jordan-Honda (B) 1:22.680 (17 laps) 17. T Sato Jordan-Honda (B) 1:22.812 (30 laps) 18. A McNish Toyota (M) 1:22.845 (25 laps) 19. M Salo Toyota (M) 1:23.184 (21 laps) 20. O Panis BAR-Honda (B) 1:23.244 (14 laps) 21. M Webber Minardi-Asiatech (M) 1:23.679 (33 laps) 22. A Yoong Minardi-Asiatech (M) 1:25.527 (33 laps)

6 July 2002 Tom Walkinshaw said that he is currently in talks with three parties interested in buying into the Arrows team, either as a whole or part of it. The Scotsman said that he is optimistic about the long-term future of the team, but that he doesn't know whether he is going to be a part of it or not.

6 July 2002 Arrows managed to reach a deal with Cosworth, paying for the engines out of his personal money. The Arrows cars could therefore take part in the first hour of Saturday free practice, which was dominated by Ferrari with M. Schumacher in front of team mate Barrichello. Depsite yesterday's downpours today's session took place under dry weather conditions.

The British GP Saturday first free practice session times:

1. M. SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'20"750 (average 229.196 Km/h) 2. BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'21"178 3. RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'22"424 4. FRENTZEN Arrows Cosworth B 1'22"532 5. VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B 1'23"026 6. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'23"155 7. SATO Jordan Honda B 1'23"520 8. BERNOLDI Arrows Cosworth B 1'23"537 9. TRULLI Renault M 1'23"634 10. BUTTON Renault M 1'24"109 11. DE LA ROSA Jaguar Cosworth M 1'24"122 12. HEIDFELD Sauber Ferrari B 1'24"168 13. R. SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'24"297 14. MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'24"459 15. MASSA Sauber Ferrari B 1'24"490 16. PANIS BAR Honda B 1'25"031 17. WEBBER Minardi Asiatech M 1'25"730 18. SALO Toyota M 1'25"785 19. MCNISH Toyota M 1'26"219 20. YOONG Minardi Asiatech M 1'28"020 21. FISICHELLA Jordan Honda B no time 22. IRVINE Jaguar Cosworth M no time

5 July 2002 Luca Cordero di Montezemolo declined to attend the GPWC meeting held today in a hotel in Silverstone. The Ferrari president is a board member of the society created to set up a Championship to replace Formula 1 from 2008.

5 July 2002 Mika Salo's free practice session was stopped by a stomach complaint after the installation lap. Salo has been advised to rest by his doctor, so that he will be well enough to take part in the qualifying session tomorrow. In case Salo does not recover on time, replacement drivers Stephane Sarrazin and Ryan Briscoe are on standby ready to take his place.

5 July 2002 Tom Walkinshaw is doing all he can to ensure that his cars can take part in the British GP. The Arrows boss ahs been seen talking to Bernie Ecclestone during the Friday first free practice sessions and is due to meet up with Cosworth Operations MD Brendan Connor and Commercial Director Bernard Ferguson. Walkinshaw owes Cosworth 4.7 million US dollars, but is unable to pay because a court dispute with former shareholder Morgan Grenfell Private Equity resulted in him being unable to sell team shares to other investors to raise the necessary money. It is expected that Walkinshaw will try and get another extension from Cosworth with a view of paying as soon as the court dispute is settled. There have also been speculations that Ecclestone might lend Arrows the money to settle the engine bill.

5 July 2002 Heavy rain continued in the second free practice session at Silverstone, leading to a number of spins. Those drivers on Bridgestone tyres could use intermidiates, but those on Michelin tyres had to go for full wets because the Michelin intermiates were not good enough. Given the weather conditions, it was difficult for any driver to improve on his previous time, but M. Schumacher managed to climb up to second behind team mate Barrichello. Fisichella showed off by clocking the third best time ahead of Montoya and Sato managed to climb to fifth in front of Vileneuve. Arrows still did not come out of the garage. They have time until tomorrow to sort out the engine payment problem, or be disqualifed from the British GP. Such an occurrence could put Arrows' right to take part in the current Championship in danger. Salo too failed to record a lap time after being ordered to rest by the team doctor.

The British GP combined Friday free practice session times:

1. R Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:31.457 (28 laps) 2. M Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:31.881 0.424 (22 laps) 3. G Fisichella Jordan-Honda (B) 1:33.434 1.977 (31 laps) 4. JP Montoya BMW.WilliamsF1 (M) 1:33.842 2.385 (21 laps) 5. T Sato Jordan-Honda (B) 1:33.901 2.444 (37 laps) 6. J Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 1:34.373 2.916 (36 laps) 7. K Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:34.473 3.016 (39 laps) 8. F Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:34.676 3.219 (28 laps) 9. J Button Renault (M) 1:34.744 3.287 (30 laps) 10. N Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:34.752 3.295 (28 laps) 11. R Schumacher BMW.WilliamsF1 (M) 1:34.766 3.309 (28 laps) 12. D Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:35.170 3.713 (29 laps) 13. P de la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:35.324 3.867 (39 laps) 14. O Panis BAR-Honda (B) 1:35.534 4.077 (24 laps) 15. E Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:35.682 4.225 (26 laps) 16. J Trulli Renault (M) 1:36.244 4.787 (33 laps) 17. M Webber Minardi-Asiatech (M) 1:37.835 6.378 (29 laps) 18. A Yoong Minardi-Asiatech (M) 1:37.997 6.540 (38 laps) 19. A McNish Toyota (M) 1:38.477 7.020 (30 laps) 20. M Salo Toyota (M) no time (1 lap) 21. HH Frentzen Arrows-Cosworth (B) no time 22. E Bernoldi Arrows-Cosworth (B) no time

5 July 2002 The Toyota team released a statement saying that Mika Salo, who has completed only one lap today, will not go out again today following medical orders. The team doctor said that Salo needs to relax.

5 July 2002 The first free practice session at Silverstone was blessed by the usual British weather and the drivers were out on a mixture of intermidiates and full wets. The weather conditions means a series of spins, including M. Schumacher who span out almost as soon as he left the pit lanes. Montoya, on the other hand, suffered another blown BMW engine. The Arrows cars simply sat in their garages throughtout the whole session. Arrows do not have to come out for free practice, but they will have to take part in the qualifying session tomorrow or be disqualified.

The British GP first free practice session times:

1. R Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:33.531 (9 laps) 2. J Button Renault (M) 1:34.744 1.213 (14 laps) 3. D Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:35.295 1.764 (10 laps) 4. K Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:35.407 1.876 (13 laps) 5. E Irvine Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:35.682 2.151 (15 laps) 6. G Fisichella Jordan-Honda (B) 1:36.242 2.711 (13 laps) 7. P de la Rosa Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:36.287 2.756 (13 laps) 8. J Villeneuve BAR-Honda (B) 1:36.603 3.072 (14 laps) 9. T Sato Jordan-Honda (B) 1:36.641 3.110 (14 laps) 10. N Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:36.661 3.130 (8 laps) 11. J Trulli Renault (M) 1:37.204 3.673 (13 laps) 12. JP Montoya BMW.WilliamsF1 (M) 1:37.651 4.120 (5 laps) 13. O Panis BAR-Honda (B) 1:37.762 4.231 (8 laps) 14. F Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:37.774 4.243 (7 laps) 15. M Webber Minardi-Asiatech (M) 1:37.858 4.327 (16 laps) 16. R Schumacher BMW.WilliamsF1 (M) 1:38.744 5.213 (10 laps) 17. A McNish Toyota (M) 1:39.137 5.606 (15 laps) 18. A Yoong Minardi-Asiatech (M) 1:43.108 9.577 (15 laps) 19. M Schumacher Ferrari (B) no time 20. HH Frentzen Arrows-Cosworth (B) no time 21. E Bernoldi Arrows-Cosworth (B) no time 22. M Salo Toyota (M) no time

5 July 2002 Arrows have presented their cars and have passed scrutineering after Cosworth lent them the engines for the check. Cosworth, however, are refusing to let Arrows use the engines in racing until the teams pays for them. The Arrows cars are currently in the garage and, with the first free practice session just started, nobody yet knows whether they have sorted out the engine payment and can drive. The cars have engines in them, but no engine control units. It is believed that Arrows owe almost 100 million US dollars to various creditors, including engine supplier Cosworth. Justice Lightman of the High Court in London said that the management of Arrows "are responsible for the prolonged insolvent trading". If they go into liquidation, as it appears inevitable, creditors may have to seek relief against the directors in proceedings for wrongful or fraudulent trading.

5 July 2002 With barely half an hour to go to the deadline, Arrows still have not presented their cars for scrutinee at Silverstone. If the team misses the GP FIA will hand it a 300,000 pounds fine per car, which would probably spell the end of the season for Arrows. The cars are at the circuit, but they cannot be presented before the Cosworth engines are paid for.

5 July 2002 M. Schumacher has rejected Damon Hill's analysis of his motivation and said that he has no intention of retiring at the end of the current season.

4 July 2002 Ford's Premier Performance Division's boss Niki Lauda has given the financially-troubled Arrows team time until tomorrow morning to settle the debt over the Cosworth engines. Tom Walkinshaw's company owes 4.5 million US dollars for the supply of the engines and Lauda said that he has already given them enough time to pay. Lauda also said that he is not prepared to wait until after the weekend for the payment.

4 July 2002 FIA have given Arrows time until 10.00am on Friday morning, one hour before the start of the free practice sessions, to present the cars to the pre-race technical tests for the British GP.

4 July 2002 When everything seemed set and ready for the race weekend, the bombshell dropped. It is possible that the Arrows team wil not take part in the British GP because of a serious financial crisis. The news was confirmed by the High Court in London. Group Morgan Grenfell, a former Arrows shareholder, has taken the team to court to stop Tom Walkinshaw from selling the shares to to a consortium made up of Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz and a number of Brazilian businessmen. . If Arrows is found to have to pay the money to Morgan Grenfell, the team will not have enough money to pay for the Cosworth engines they need to use in the British GP. The team would also be in danger of going bankrupt. The Arrows cars have not arrived at Silverstone yet and a statement from the team is expected soon. All cars must be presented for scruteneering at 4pm on Thusrday or they will not allowed to compete and the team will be handed a hefty fine by FIA.

4 July 2002 The Minardi team has been paid the 8 million pounds television money formely allocated to the defunct Prost team. The money will allow Minardi to complete the season.

4 July 2002 The Williams BMW team will debut a new livery at the British GP. The change was brought about by the merger of title sponsor Compaq with Hewlett Packard. A special taskforce had to be appointed to handle the task of re-branding all the team assets, from the cars livery to 2,400 items of clothing, to the team trucks, to the merchandise, to the web sites, to the filming of a new commercial featuring the mechanics and the drivers.

4 July 2002 The University of Ulster yesterday awarded an honorary degree of Doctor to Eddie Jordan in recognition of his services to international sport. Eddie Jordan said that he is thrilled to have been honoured in that way. The honorary degree was presented to him by Professor John Wilson.

4 July 2002 The new traffic reducing and parking facilities at Silverstone will be tested this weekend. The organisers of the British GP claim that the traffic situation will be much improved compared to the other years.

4 July 2002 Eddie Jordan said that he would make room for Eddie Irvine in his team, should the Ulsterman leave Jaguar at the end of the season. Jordan is keen to retain Fisichella, but they could get rid of current driver Takuma Sato. irvine, currently the third highest paid driver after M. Schumacher and Villeneuve, has indicated that he would be willing to take a pay cut when leaving Jaguar.

4 July 2002 Former World Champion Damon Hill said that in his opinion M. Schumacher will retire at the end of the season. Hill said that he has been studying M. Schumacher's behaviour and that the German is used to being the best and fastest, but now his team mate Barrichello is getting more and more competitive and could be faster than the World Champion by the end of the season. With 2002 M. Schumacher will (presumably) have won his fifth title and will have little incentive to keep on risking his life, so he will choose to retire at the top of his career, rather than waiting until he and Ferrari are less competitive.

3 July 2002 Niki Lauda has admitted that the Jaguar team has been in talks with Jenson Button over a possible drive for next year. The Briton has competition, however, Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber have both been in touch with Jaguar. Should Irvine leave the team at the end of the season, Button and Alonso are in line as possible replacement of the Ulsterman.

3 July 2002 Alex Yoong said that he would like to stay with Minardi next season and that he thinks his performance has improved. Minardi have a option on the driver. Yoong, who has been outpaced by his team mate throughout the season and failed to qualify within 107% of pole once, is staying realistic about his chances. If he does not stay on at Minardi, he said, he will look at some other Formula.

1 July 2002 Next 13 September the autodromo at Monza will celebrate its 80th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the podium will be erected on top of the pit wall. From 1922 to 1997 the podium was placed in correspondence of the finishing line, then it had been moved at the start of the pit lanes. From this year the podium will be halfway down the deceleration straight, on the right-hand side of the track. The new podium for Monza was requested by Bernie Ecclestone.

1 July 2002 Italian financial group Mediobanca has officially announced that they have bought 34% of Ferrari. Mediobanca has acquired 3400 shares of Ferrari spa, at the price of 775.2 million euros. The shares will be floated on the stock market later this year or next year.

1 July 2002 Eddie irvine has hinted that he might be leaving Formula 1 at the end of the current season. The Ulsterman said that he is interested in staying in Formula 1 if he can perform. His current team Jaguar, has not lived up to expectations. Irvine said that he is not going to do like Damon Hill and hang around just to pick up the cheques. Jenson Button has been mentioned as a possible driver for Jaguar next season.

Last updated on by Federica Massagrande