NewsOnF1 - 22 - 25 July News

25-July: At the Thursday press conference for the German Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher indicated that he still wants to win especially at home and said "Certainly as the championship is, from the drivers' point of view, finished we just look for each event to win it. You know the way I look at it now, I try to win rather than to lose, naturally, so that is my aim, especially in Hockenheim, where my record is not very high. In 1995 here was my first win, so I would like to get a number two."
As for helping Rubens get second, Michael said "One thing we discussed with the team is that he is going to have the T-car from now on and, well, in the other situation, what happens on the circuit, I think statements have been made after Austria."
As for the celebrations he and the team had following his title win, Michael said "We had a very good party which was not pre-organised but went very well in the end. It started an hour or two after the race and finished on the Monday after. It has been nice to see the mechanics, the engineers enjoying themselves so much. It is something that hasn't been natural with the Italians to do so. Whenever we had a good moment we would celebrate together they were a bit stiff and in the meantime after all the years we have had a few occasions and this celebration we have had at Magny-Cours was very special as well, the one last year in Budapest as well was very special so it is really good to see them enjoying it."

Ralf Schumacher was pleased with Williams qualifying performance but hopes to sort out their tyre degradation during the race and said "The performance in qualifying by the team was great, but we are definitely not looking forward to having another performance like we had in the Magny Cours race. Michelin brought a very good tyre to Magny Cours, so I hope they will be able to do the same here. There are many things on our side to sort out at the moment."
As for his feelings about Michael winning his 5th title, he said "In that respect, I don't see him as a competitor, I see him as my brother and I'm very proud for him and that he achieved it so early. I've said that many times. It's unbelievable what they and he did this year and at the same time I hope that we can stop them one day!"

Nick Heidfeld indicated that he expects Peter Sauber to take up the option on him for next season and said "The chances are very big that I'm going to stay with Sauber next year but there's nothing confirmed yet because the situation is that Peter has got an option which he's got to take up somewhere around Spa and I think that he's going to take that option and then that's it. But for now there's nothing fixed. The chances are really big and I feel good within the team."
As for rumours about him joining other teams and Toyota in particular, Nick said "There have been a lot of rumours in the past few weeks and months but most of them are just made up. Obviously my manager is speaking to a couple of teams, but as I said, the chances are very big that I'm going to stay with Sauber."
As for his feelings about Michael winning his 5th title, he said "My congratulations, I think it was quite clear a couple of weeks ago already that Michael and Ferrari would win the championship but I was surprised at how early it really happened. I think there's not a lot more to say about it."

Heinz Harald Frentzen believes Arrows are ready to race this weekend and said "I think we are ready to do this race in Hockenheim. We are going to plan everything as normal and I think we're racing here so preparation has been good. The cars are ready and we're looking forward to it."
Frentzen explained why he didn't take up the offer of driving the Jordan in France replacing Giancarlo and said "I think Professor Schukies from Deutsche Post had the idea that it made sense if a driver who had not qualified took one of their Deutsche Post cars at Magny Cours on Sunday instead of Fisichella, and I think the idea itself was not too bad. They know I'm a racing driver and would like to race and have a great pleasure of racing but I would say the contractual situation was a little bit more difficult to allow this move in the end. So in the end, for this reason, it didn't work."
As for his feelings about Michael winning his 5th title, he said "I think he deserves it. He did a good job. I have to say that I admire the situation, having a team around, having worked so hard for so many years, and continuing to do good work. I think that paid off in the end and I think it's a congratulation to Michael, but also to the Ferrari team to show this strength of continuity."

Kimi Raikkonen indicated that he was over the disappointment in France and hopes to do well here and said "What happened is still a bit disappointing really, but it's passed now and I just have to forget those things and try to do a good race here."
Kimi hopes McLaren can be even more competitive but isn't too sure about this track and said "It is difficult here because it's a different circuit to Magny-Cours and we know that we have a better engine for qualifying but, of course, we weren't expecting to be so strong in the race. I hope that we can keep it up and perhaps even improve more during the rest of the season and score more valuable points."

25-July: The Jordan team announced that Giancarlo Fisichella was declared fit to race at the German GP by the FIA medical delegate Sid Watkins
Fisichella crashed during Saturday practice in last week's French Grand Prix and missed qualifying and the race.

24-July: After missing the French Grand Prix following his high speed crash during practice, Giancarlo Fisichella is expected to be full fit for the German Grand Prix and is looking forward to racing on the new track and said "I'm very curious to experience the new circuit with its recent modifications and I'm very committed about this race. In Magny-Cours I realised that we have a good technical package with the new Honda engine specification, and I'm really looking forward to trying it out this week."
While he is confident he will take part in the event, the final word rests with the FIA medical delegate Sid Watkins who will give Fisichella a check-up on Thursday.
It is believed that team boss Eddie Jordan has a number of drivers on standby to take over from Fisichella if needed.

After deliberately failing to qualify at the French Grand Prix, the Arrows team was advised not to repeat those tactics at the German Grand Prix or they could face severe consequences. Reports indicate that the FIA can consider the actions by the Arrows team to fall within Article 151c which states "Any fraudulent conduct or any act prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motor sport generally"
Reports are also suggesting that another payment to Cosworth is due prior to the German Grand Prix and according to Cosworth, Arrows cannot use the engines they have saved as a result of not racing in France.
No official statement has been released from Arrows regarding their participation in the German Grand Prix but team boss Tom Walkinshaw earlier in the week said that the team will do everything they can to ensure they participate fully in the event.

24-July: Vic retains the lead in the 6 'n' Pole Competition following the round of France with 3 players in second! ... Overall Results ... France Results ... Popular Picks ... Register

23-July: The Quali-flyer's predictions for the 'Real Race' at the German GP ... Report

23-July: "New track, new challenge!" - The German Grand Prix Preview is now available ... Race Preview

German Formula 1 Grand Prix Schedule:

Session	Time (Local / GMT) - Current local time
Friday Practice Session 1 Friday Practice Session 2 Saturday Practice Session 1 Saturday Practice Session 2 Qualifying Session Warm-up Session Race	11 AM Hockenheim Time / 9 AM GMT 1 PM Hockenheim Time / 11 AM GMT 9:00 AM Hockenheim Time / 7:00 AM GMT 10:15 AM Hockenheim Time / 8:15 AM GMT 1:00 PM Hockenheim Time / 11:00 AM GMT 9:30 AM Hockenheim Time / 7:30 AM GMT 2:00 PM Hockenheim Time / 12 PM GMT
Go to the German GP Page

22-July: Following the announcement by Renault that Fernando Alonso will replace Jenson Button at Renault next season, British American Racing announced today that they have signed Jenson Button for a 2 year deal with an option for a further 2 years.
The team did not not announce who will be partnering Jenson Button however the indications are that Jacques Villeneuve will remain with the team however negotiations are still continuing for a long term deal with the Canadian driver.

Team boss David Richards was delighted to have signed Jenson Button and said "I'm delighted to welcome Jenson to B.A.R. He has an extraordinary talent which now needs to be nurtured in the right environment in order for it to flourish. Over the past 7 months the management team have set out a long-term plan which is designed to deliver success to B.A.R and our partners. This won't happen overnight and we have realistic expectations for the next two seasons. In the current Formula One climate, we are fortunate to have the stability of long-term funding and a strong, developing relationship with Honda. Our agreement with Jenson will enable us to carry that stability through to our driver line-up and, as we move forward, I have every confidence that he will play a pivotal role in gelling the team together."
Richards indicated that the team is still in talks with Jacques Villeneuve and nothing has been finalised yet and said "We are in discussions with him about what he wants in the future and what the team needs in the future from him. Contracts are one thing but you need to have people who want to be there. I need long-term commitment. I need someone working for the team and its long-term success like Jenson will."
Richards also indicated that he discussed with Villeneuve the prospect of Button joining the team and Villeneuve was happy with that. He said "I had been judging who would be the best person to join our team. Jenson was one of the people Jacques said he would get on with."
As for BAR's current driver Olivier Panis, Richards is hoping to find a suitable arrangement and said "I explained to Olivier some time ago that there were going to have to be some changes. We are not talking to any other drivers. With Olivier Panis there is a unique situation which, in the coming weeks, could see everybody happy."

Jenson Button was thrilled with the announcement and looks forward to driving for the team and said "I'm thrilled to be joining B.A.R. The past few weeks have been very exciting and I've been flattered by the enormous attention I've received. I've had a whole range of opportunities open to me but after careful consideration of what would be best for my future, B.A.R provided me with an excellent opportunity to progress and ultimately, I hope, to achieve my ambition to be World Champion. David Richards has talked me through the long-term strategy for the team in great detail and I have been very impressed with the strength of the partnership with Honda. I have no doubt that, together, we can all look forward to some very exciting times ahead."

Shoichi Tanaka, President of Honda Racing Development, said: "I am very pleased to welcome Jenson to the B.A.R-Honda partnership. We are all looking forward to working with him and feel confident that he will play an integral part in our plans to make a big step forward next year."

Click here for the latest on the 2003 Season line-up

22-July: "Your thoughts on the French Grand Prix" - Topic of the week - Have Your Say