The 'F1 Challenge' Championship- 1999 Season

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

How can you join the grid for the '99??

After Suzuka, I'll begin the Off-Season process, so just keep checking until this season is over.

[SuperAguri]

Hermanos Rodriguez is now on the calendar for next season as the Mexican GP.

Where is it then? :p

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Hermanos Rodriguez is now on the calendar for next season as the Mexican GP.

Where is it then? :p

Woops.

Fix'd!

[Benetton]

F1 Grid interested in young Frenchman Duval
As the 1998 Formula One season draws to a close in Suzuka the rumourmill is ever buzzing with activity. Around the paddock journalists are trying to harass as many team principals and drivers as they can to get their hands on siomething they could print. One rumour that clearly has some merit is that several team principals are interested in Louis Duval, a 22 year old Frenchman who is backed by Crédit Agricole. Also engine supplier Renault would like a Frenchman to be back in F1 and therefore Duval has mostly been linked to Prost and Jordan. In the International F3000 series this year Duval had three wins with the DAMS team and finished third in the championship. When interviewed last week about a possible debut in F1 next year Duval had this to say: (audio) "I don't knouuuw yeee is still eearly too tell what will happen ööö becoose there many good driveuur competing four twent.. twentytwo places on the grid souu öö but is loouking like a seriouus possibilité. Just have too hope you get aa competitive caarr and a gooud team and soome decent salaire and it will be okayu."

[Wookey]

Looks like all the sudden the Jordan team is better again! First, I will stay with the team for next year, with option for another year. The car felt good for the qualifying, but I think we just fallen behind in the development race, we started development on the Jordan 199 some time ago. I just want score some points, but is very disappointing season after my win in Argentina.

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Suzuka, Japan - Race
Conditions: Dry then Monsoon

RACE FINISHERS

Code: Select all

1) Hagane Shizuka  Benetton-Honda
2) Barii Mori  Williams-Renault  +2.732
3) Douglas Mann  Williams-Renault  +22.469
4) Padraig O Connell  Ferrari  +36.258
5) Damon Cannon  Arrows-BMW  +46.884
6) Philippe Nicolas  Jordan-Renault  +1:12.350
7) Daniel Martins  Benetton-Honda  +1 LAP
8) Thomas de Bock  Sauber-Petronas  +1 LAP
9) Pippa Mann  Sauber-Petronas  +1 LAP
10) John Zimmer  McLaren-Mercedes  +1 LAP
11) Ron Mignolet  Prost-Renault  +1 LAP

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Code: Select all

1. Douglas Mann- 58
2. Damon Cannon- 58
3. Barii Mori- 52
4. Padraig O Connell- 44
5. Daniel Melrose- 35
6. Phoenix McAllister- 29
7. Jeroen Krautmeir- 26
8. Daniel Martins- 23
9. Philippe Nicolas- 22
10. Scott Menard- 16
11. John Zimmer- 15
12. Hagane Shizuka- 11
13. James Davies- 10
14. Ed Kevin- 7
15. Thomas de Bock- 3
16. Tristan Jung- 3
17. Jack Christopherson- 2
18. Pippa Mann- 2
19. Ron Mignolet- 1

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP

Code: Select all

1. Williams-Renault - 111
2. Arrows-BMW - 86
3. Ferrari - 60
4. Jordan-Renault - 59
5. Prost-Renault - 40
6. Benetton-Honda - 34
7. McLaren-Mercedes - 22
8. Sauber-Petronas - 5

Douglas Mann wins the World Drivers Championship on countback! (4 wins to Damon Cannon's 1) Congratulations to him, and congratulations to Rothmans Williams Renault on winning the World Constructors Championship for a second straight time! Another congratulations to Hagane Shizuka on winning his first race!

[DanielPT]

Congratulations to my team-mate for snatching this win. It was a difficult season for him. As for my race, to avoid pitting at the same time as my team-mate I decided to stay in dries for another lap, but it was pouring and it is clear now that it was a bad decision. It wrecked my race. I still recovered a few positions but not enough for points. Congratulations too for Douglas and Williams for their Championships. Next year we will be stronger and hopefully we can mount a serious charge for the title!

[dr-baker]

NO WAY!!! WOW!!! Sorry Damon, but if we could have been co-champions, I would have been happy with that too. What a race... Congratulations to Hagane, well done to Barii and congratulations to the whole Williams team for getting to this point. This is incredible. Wow.

[the Masked Lapwing]

McLaren, disappointed with John Zimmer's late season form, have sacked him, and left him in need of a new seat for next season. In other silly season news, young Australian Rhys Davies is rumoured to be close to signing a deal with Benetton to become their third driver for next year.

[dr-baker]

I can't believe I finish in exactly the same championship position this year in a Sauber as I did last year in that Crudbasket Lola. I just can't wait to be in next year's Reynard... And congrats to my brother for winning the championship with about 15 points fewer than he scored last year!

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

Congratulations Douglas! It was a close one, but in the end, you got it! Savour it buddy!

[Londoner]

Well, congratulations to Douglas on his championship victory. Well deserved mate. There was literally nothing I could do. The car was handling like a pig all throughout the race, the only reason why I got into the points was after Scott Menard and Phoenix took each other off at 130R. Oh well, third time lucky for the title in 1999? Let's hope so. I hear Arrows will be keeping the BMW engines and Bridgestone tyres for 1999, so the proven package remains for another season. Hopefully both me and whoever is my teammate next season (hopefully Phoenix will stay on, and we'll get a third driver) can hit the ground running at the start rather than having to play catch-up for the rest of the season.

Cannon's girlfriend to join the F1CC
As the 1998 F1CC season has now drawn to a close, the 'silly season' has begun, as it were, with rumours spreading of impending deals. Already, it is known that young Frenchman Louis Duval is likely to join the grid for 1999. The latest driver likely to join the grid for 1999 is none other than the girlfriend of twice championship contender Damon Cannon. Poppy Whitechapel, 21, is to step up having completely demolished the opposition in the British Formula Three championship this year, having the title sewn up by the start of September. This has apparentely attracted offers from McLaren and Jordan for a drive. Whitechapel said to us "I'm delighted to be making the step up to the F1CC for next season. It will be tough, with only 22 places for each race, but I know I can succeed, maybe even do better than Damon in some races" with a sly smile."And to possibly be the teammate of Daniel Melrose, who is simply an amazing driver, is an amazing possibility.

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

1999 F1CC Season

The following is the list of participants for next season. Names listed in green mean their seat has been confirmed at a said team. Names in black mean they have not been confirmed, but will take precedence over a 'newbie' or someone from another team who wants that seat, should he want to retain it. Tyres and engines will be decided by the team leader, who is automatically the person who roleplays the most. Feel free to discuss it with your teammates, however. Remember, the performance values for tyres will be randomly selected. Chassis HDV and engine files will largely be based on the team's performance this year. If a team doesn't have anyone choosing their engines and such, then the team will retain their current combo. So just to recap, confirmed drivers, engines and tyres are in green.

Canon Williams Renault
1) Douglas Mann
2) Barii Mori
24) Scott Menard
Engine: Renault
Tyres: Michelin

Repsol Arrows BMW
3) Damon Cannon
4) Phoenix McAllister
25) Jan de Friis (Australia-Monaco, Europe-Japan)
Engine: BMW
Tyres: Bridgestone

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
5) Giovanni Roda
6) Ed Kevin
26)
Engine: Ferrari
Tyres: Pirelli

Benson and Hedges Jordan
7) Philippe Nicolas
8) Aurelien Moll
27) Poppy Whitechapel
Engine: Renault
Tyres: Goodyear

Gauloises Prost Renault
9) Jeroen Krautmeir
10) Louis Duval
28) Ron Mignolet
Engine: Renault
Tyres: Michelin

Mild Seven Benetton Honda
11) Daniel Martins
12) Hagane Shizuka
29) Rhys Davies
Engine: Honda
Tyres: Bridgestone

West McLaren Mercedes
14) Daniel Melrose
15) Robert Finley
30)
Engine: Mercedes
Tyres: Bridgestone

Red Bull Sauber Petronas Peugeot
16) Thomas de Bock
17) Jack Christopherson
31) Tristan Jung
Engine: Peugeot
Tyres: Pirelli

HSBC Stewart Ford
18) Andreas Jonsson
19)
32)
Engine: Ford
Tyres: Bridgestone

Fondmetal Minardi Team SpA
20) Yahya Albaf
21) Matej Uram
33)
Engine: Porsche
Tyres: Bridgestone

Lucky Strike Reynard Racing
22) Pippa Mann
23) Ben Fleet
34) John Zimmer
Engine: Toyota
Tyres: Bridgestone

The following is a list of engines available. The number in the brackets indicates the maximum number of teams the engine manufacturer is allowed to supply. Confirmed supplies are in green.

Ford (4) - Stewart
Renault (3) - Williams, Jordan, Prost
Ferrari (3) - Ferrari
Mercedes (2) - McLaren
BMW (1) - Arrows
Honda (1) - Benetton
Yamaha (1) - N/A
Hart (1) - N/A
Toyota (1) - Reynard
Porsche (1) - Minardi
Peugeot (1) - Sauber

The following are the list of tyres available. Same rules as the engines.

Bridgestone (5*) - Arrows, Reynard, Benetton, McLaren, Stewart, Minardi
Goodyear (5) - Jordan
Pirelli (5) - Sauber, Ferrari
Michelin (5) - Prost, Williams

*The team who was lowest in the 1998 WCC will automatically be ejected and assigned to a random tyre manufacturer if the decision isn't made voluntarily by a team member.

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

PROST SWITCHES TO MICHELIN

Prost Grand Prix are the first team to switch to one of the new tyre manufacturers. Shortly after the Japanese Grand Prix, Alain Prost and a few team members including Jeroen Krautmeir, technical director Henri Durand and chief designer Loic Bigois announced that the French team will be switching to Michelin tyres for the 1999 Formula 1 Season. "We are very happy to announce that Michelin will supply us with tyres for 1999," Alain Prost said. "We are confident that together, we can prove that France is one of the best nations in racing." When asked if the deal had anything to do with the supply being free, Prost simply shook his head, seemingly annoyed. Regarding drivers, Prost confirmed Jeroen Krautmeir as a pilot for 1999. "We're pleased to keep Jeroen for another season," Prost said. He didn't, however, comment on the situation regarding the other two drivers, James Davies and Tristan Jung. While the present rumour is that Jung has done enough to keep his seat, chances are that Davies will be sacked and replaced by the up and coming driver, Louis Duval, who just so happens to be French.

[Malinth]

Well the conditions weren't as bad as, say, Monza I guess, but for some reason I seemed a bit out of sorts today ye know! I had a terrible start, nearly stalled the engine, and was making up ground when I tried to take Phoenix at 130R. You know, I'm a risk-taker. Sometimes it gets me into deep sh*t, but it's always worth a shot. Sorry Phoenix! And a very big hand to Doug who's now champ, and Hagane for his first win!

[tommykl]

Sauber announce changes

Peter Sauber, team principal of the F1CC outfit of the same name, has announced a switch to Peugeot enines for the 1999 season, as well as a move towards Pirelli tyres, in the hope of improved performance compared to 1998, where the Swiss team was only able to score five world championship points.

Thomas De Bock will be staying on for the third straight season, one of the three Belgian drivers on the grid towards the end of last season, Aurelien Moll and Ron Mignolet having replaced Daniel Melrose and Jeroen Krautmeir after their respective season-ending accidents.

Of these two, Mignolet is yet to secure a drive for 1999 with Krautmeir returning at Prost, while Eddie Jordan announced after the Luxembourg GP that Moll would stay on for Jordan full-time with Melrose departing to McLaren.

This announcement comes amid the rumours that Peter Sauber has offered contracts to upcoming drivers Poppy Whitechapel and Louis Duval, who have since been linked to other teams.

[Shizuka]

I had a failure season, so I'll let Daniel decide everything. Even my seat too.

WAIT WHAT I WON AT SUZUKA? WTF
I honestly drove my bad luck out here, my good start managed me to get the lead and not look back. At least we scored a win in this season, which started as a decent one frankly. Congratulations to Douglas. Also, Y U NO SHARE TITLE WITH DAMON? Oh, he can't. Crap.

[Benetton]

Prost GP closing in on Duval, McLaren also in talks
As fewer and fewer seats remain avalaible throughout the F1 grid the attention in the past few days has been on the remaining seats at Prost. Team principal Alain Prost and other senior management of the team have narrated down their options to three candidates: Davies, Jung and Duval. While James Davies didn't have the most strongest of seasons (being outscored 10-26 by lead driver Krautmeir) he performed "decently" enough. Tristan Jung impressed a bit more but Prost didn't want to confirm him at the post-Japanese GP presser. Louis Duval, 3rd in the F3000 International this year, has no previous F1 experience besides the odd straight line test with Prost.

However, Duval is backed by one of the biggest banks in Europe, Credit Agricole, and he'd be a young promising French driver, in a French team, rolling on French wheels and being powered by a French engine and using French oil (TOTAL). Plus, rumours say not just Credit Agricole is pushing for the Duval deal but also Prost's current main sponsor Gauloises (a French company too) are behind this move to go forward. Alain Prost is certainly not in an easy situation; on one hand you can maybe respect your current deals with your current drivers or you can employ "one of your own" and make your sponsors happy (really happy) and make a serious push up the grid with that extra revenue from them. Whatever Alain will choose the general feeling is it will have long term consequences for the team. Alain didn't however want to put light on the situation whether it will be a three car team or a two car team.

Duval has said he'd be more than happy to be at Prost, as Alain is one of his idols growing up, and that he would have no problem settling in well with the team and with the lead driver Krautmeir. Duval has though mentioned to be a bit annoyed with the three car system as he sees that as uneconomical. However, if the Prost deal would not go through Duval has been in talks with McLaren team principal Ron Dennis, about driving their car next year as also Ron might be looking for the Credit Agricole money.

Duval's manager, Sebastien Desharnais, had this to say: "Yes, we are negotiating with many teams on the grid, feeling the pulse from day to day. Optimal would be that the Prost situation could be resolved fast and favourably to us, since admittably it's our number one option since the team is on the rise and would be well funded with Gauloises, Total and Crédit Agricole onboard. They have a nice and talented personnel and good deals with suppliers. Therefore it would be optimal for Francois to debut in such environment.

However, if Prost chooses to renew contracts with both of their other current drivers then.. not a problem. We are certainly not going to sign a T-driver deal as in my opinion it is important to get Francois on the grid. We have no problems taking our backing elsewhere! I'm behind Francois in that aspect that in order to be a true contender a two car team is more optimal than a three car team. I hope lead driver Krautmeir takes notice of this."

Interviewer: "Is it true that you have been in talks with the McLaren team?? Others??"

Desharnais: "Yes it would be fooulish not to talk with a team like McLaren. Oukay the last seasons have not been their finest but I still see the effort being made and some improuvemeent compared to.. lets say 1994. McLaren has the discipline and infrastructure to do well already next season. If the Prost situation doesn't workout, then I'm confident we are going with McLaren. But okay that English girl is a small concern since I'm sure Melrose would rather have a team mate he actually could ****, yes literally, since no one can mess with Francois on the mental side. (Insert ignorant French face expression here). As for the other teams we were in talks with Jordan quite lot before Eddie Jordan told me he didn't need our money, which in my opinion is bs, and decided to extend his drivers. Sauber is our third option since they can't be any worse than they were this year. I'm a bit skeptical about the Peugeot engine though but who knows. Peter offered us a deal which said "10 000 CHF per race", man.. I know my currencies and declined. But if he can come up with a more "generous" offer we are going to look at it sure."

[dr-baker]

I am happy to hear from Frank Williams that Renault will continue to supply engines to the team, providing that Barii is satisfied with the arrangement too. Also, I have heard that Renault would prefer to have a French tyre manufacturer alongside the French powerplants and so Sir Frank is currently in negotiations with Michelin.

Yamaha engines? Really? I was told that Reynard were trying for a long term engine supply with Honda! But Benetton are trying to snatch them from under our noses? If that really is the case, we shall exact revenge by seeking an alternative deal with Toyota! But whichever engine we end up with, we hope to attract more Japanese sponsors by also racing on Bridgestone tyres.

[DanielPT]

Benetton aims to be a front runner next year

After a transition year, Benetton looks forward to next year having started to work in the 1999 challenger earlier this year. Again spearheaded by race winner Hagane Shizuka and upcoming star Daniel Martins, Benetton opts for continuity in order to achieve success.

"Hagane endured a rough season this year, but his efforts in improving were deservedly awarded with this last race. We had an upgrade at this race, eyeing already next year, that Hagane used to fullest and we are believing that we are in the right track. We trust in his technical input without which we had no such improvements. In relation to Daniel, we are very pleased in how he adapted this year to the car and how he managed many times to surpass the machinery placing an undeserving car on podium a few times. He was only in his rookie year and has a large margin for improvement, so we are counting on him." said the stylish Italian.

Benetton will also keep using the Honda engine, signing on for 2 more years and the Bridgestone tyres until the end of next year. "Honda has built a great engine that propelled us to great results in power tracks, so it is only fair that next year we present a deserving chassis to go with that engine. We are very pleased with our technical relationship that we built with Honda and hope that can bring both success for a long time. The same is true for Bridgestone, our tyre supplier. We are addressing common weaknesses and can only expect on improvements next season, specially in the way the tyre warms up which was the major weakness this year. They have a very good team and work extremely hard to respond to the teams demands. We placed our faith in them and they did not disappoint this year so move on next year!" added the cocky Italian.

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

For those who can't be bothered to go back in time, here are the winners of this season.

AUS: Melrose
BRA: Nicolas
ARG: Davies
SMR: Krautmeir
ESP: Melrose
MON: Krautmeir
CAN: McAllister
FRA: Mann (Krautmeir season-ending crash)
GBR: Mann
AUT: Mann
GER: Mann
HUN: Mori
BEL: Cannon
ITA: Menard (Melrose season-ending crash)
LUX: Mori
JPN: Shizuka

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

KRAUTMEIR CONFIDENT HE HAS LOST NONE OF HIS TALENT

Jeroen Krautmeir has been rather bullish about his chances for 1999. The 23-year old, who was challenging for the title, was taken out of the hunt after his massive smash at Magny-Cours, his team's home race. Despite doubts as to whether Krautmeir would stay on for another season, the German was quick to announce his devotion to the team for 1999. When asked whether he thought the next year would be an uphill challenge, Krautmeir said, "Well all years are challenges. It just depends on how you take them." Krautmeir was also asked if he had fully recovered from his injuries. "I'm off the crutches now, but the foot is still a bit sore, but I think it'll be better in a week or two." The German also said that he felt that nothing would compromise his driving. "I'll still be driving as I did when I was forced out of the season, maybe harder. I don't think my injuries have damaged my confidence, I still want to race hard, and I'm confident I've lost none of my talent."

PROST SIGNS DUVAL

In what was anything but a surprise, Prost Grand Prix have announced that they have signed a contract with young French driver, Louis Duval. "I am delighted to welcome Louis onboard!" said Alain Prost at the press conference at the team's headquarters in Versailles. "Louis is a very exciting talent, and alongside Jeroen, who really wants to prove that his championship challenge last season was no fluke, I think we have one of the strongest lineups." The team, however, did not state who would be leaving the team, as the contractual statuses of both James Davies and Tristan Jung are up in the air. Another announcement, however, is expected shortly.

[tristan1117]

Jung Leaves Prost

Today, Prost announced that they will not be renewing Tristan Jung's contract for next season, as Jung as apparently decided to switch teams once again. After mediocre seasons at both Minardi and Prost, Jung is apparently looking at offers from Reynard and Mclaren, but has not announced which team he will be signing with. Renault-backed Frenchman Louis Duval will most likely take Jung's seat; Renault has stipulated in the past that they wanted a French driver in a French team with a French sponsor and French engines driving in Formula One and Duval fits that description perfectly.

[Wookey]

Well its a good way to end the season! I score a point, which is, ok I guess, but I think I went as fast as was possible. For next year, I will be with Aurelien Moll. Welcome! I'm looking forward, so, I think Jordan are keeping the Renault engines and Goodyear tires. Everybody is switching to away from the Goodyear tyres, so maybe we can get the advantage we need.

[Malinth]

FINLEY TO JOIN F1?

Robert Finley, the 1998 Indy Lights champion, looks set to follow his predecessor Scott Menard into F1's ranks. Menard was the dominant 1997 Indy Lights champion, and was a challenger for the 1998 CART season when he made his switch to F1 mid-season. Menard won his first ever CART race driving for the Patrick Racing team. Menard also won his second race at Motegi, Japan. Finley is backed by a variety of sponsors, most notably Menards and Texaco. Finley is the nephew of John Menard, and a cousin of Scott Menard. At 28 years old, however, he is anything but an early bird. However, with an American Grand Prix sponsored by Texaco coming up, and with American interest in F1 at unseen before levels, Finley might just get his chance.

[SuperAguri]

Disappointing race, I should have won the grand prix but in the conditions I aquaplaned but just found enough grip to keep on the track but by then, Shizuka who was having a good race got by and I could not find a way past. Well done to him and my team mate douglas for winning, we had a good season but next season is mine.

Williams rubber up with a new sponsor.s

Williams who made no secret of it, have finally confirmed that for the 1999 season they will be using Michelin rubber. Frank Williams said "Renault wanted us to use them so we are, initial tests are showing that they do have much better grip then the Goodyears.", Williams also announce that they have changed title sponsor with the surprising news that Canon have returned to F1, "They approached us after the Japanese GP and by the end of the day we had signed a contract, personally I am happy that we have dropped all ciggarette sponsorship from the car as it was a filthy habit.", although Frank Williams refused to answer any questions about Robert Finley, which suggests that they are talking to him about the 3rd seat.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Finlay to drive for McLaren

28 year old American Robert Finlay will drive for the McLaren team alongside Former World Champion Daniel Melrose. The 1998 Indy Lights Champion was also rumoured to be in talks with Williams and Reynard but decided to go with the Woking squad for 1999. "This is a huge opportunity for to drive for McLaren, a team which has a rich history in Motorsport. The team have warmly welcomed me and although this season may be tough as we're at the beginning of a rebuilding stage I hope that I can learn off my teammate Daniel and match him on pace" said Finlay at the McLaren press conference.

When asked about the season ahead Daniel Melrose replied with "The McLaren team have been hugely successful in the past but they're going through a low patch at the moment. With the help of Mercedes we will rebuild the team, treat 1999 as a learning year before going for a championship tilt in 2000." Melrose also confirmed that the team will be staying with Bridgestone for the 1999 season.

[the Masked Lapwing]

Benetton confirm Davies as third driver
The Benetton F1CC team have announce the signing of Rhys Davies as their third driver for 1999. The Australian last year competed in Australia, driving in various categories, including part time in the ATCC. "I'm glad to join Benetton in the F1CC," he said at the announcement. "I've already met with Daniel and Hagane, and together I hope we can bring the team to the front of the field."

[Londoner]

Whitechapel is Jordan's third driver
The Jordan Grand Prix team has now confirmed its third driver for 1999. Reigning British F3 champion Poppy Whitechapel will take the third drive at the team, replacing Jack Christopherson, whose contract was not renewed for a third season. We understand that Christopherson is likely heading to Sauber or the new Reynard team. With Whitechapel joining the incumbent Phillipe Nicolas and new signing Aurelian Moll, the Jordan team looks strong for next season. Whitechapel also becomes only the second female driver on the F1CC grid, after Pippa Mann.

[Pointrox]

Bahraini racing driver to join Minardi
Yahya Albaf was confirmed to be Minardi's second driver. 33 year old businessman wasn't known outside his homeland, where he had moderate success in karting and lower formulae as well as some appearances in touring cars. It is worth mentioning that his racing career didn't start before his 21st birthday, and it is entirely sponsored by his company and anonymous investors from Asia.
Albaf will be not only the first Bahraini in F1CC, but also the first driver from Arabic countries.

[Phoenix]

MCALLISTER SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSIÓN WITH ARROWS
(blah blah blah)
"I'm very happy to remain with Arrows. They've proven to be a capable top team and, having achieved a win this season and been competitive all around I see no reason to move elsewhere."
(more blah blah blah)
"I'm really gutted about Damon losing the title. One more point and he'd have done it!".
(ending blah blah blah).

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

F1CC COMMISSION REFORMS CHAMPIONSHIP

The F1CC Commission today announced the introduction of a newly formatted championship for 1999. Chairman Rudolf Hasse presented the new format at a press conference at the F1CCC's headquarters in Paris. "I am excited to announce the new championship format for the 1999 F1CC Season," Hasse said. "First of all, I would like to retain that the World Drivers Championship will be completely unchanged. However, we have decided to split the engine manufacturers and chassis manufacturers when it comes to the World Constructors Championship. From now on, the WCC will be contested only by the chassis constructors, hence Arrows instead of Arrows-BMW. The engine manufacturers will contest in their separate championship. Only the best finishing car for an engine manufacturer is eligible to score points for said manufacturer. Another two championships will also be held, utilizing the same system as the World Engines Championship. These two championships are the World Nations Championship and World Tyres Championship. In the WNC, drivers will compete for the pride of their nations. Only the highest-positioned driver can score for his/her country. The World Tyres Championship will pit the tyre manufacturers against one another, once again, same system as the WNC and WEC. The Commission came to the conclusion that these new championships will increase the level of competition in the series. We have also agreed to increase the amount of prize money. £$200,000 for a race win instead of £100,000. £130,000 for 2nd instead of £70,000. £100,000 for 3rd instead of £50,000. £75,000 for 4th instead of £50,000. £50,000 for 5th instead of £30,000. And finally, £40,000 for 6th place instead of £20,000. The pole winner will also receive a £1,000 bonus. The WDC and WCC will still receive a £1,000,000 cheque, but so will the victor in the WEC, WNC and WTC. In the case of the WNC, the prize money will be sent to the racing governing body of the respective nation. Lastly, we would like to thank Rothmans International and the French Government for helping make all of this possible with their financial aid. We salute you!"

[Benetton]

"Merci Alain! This is a big relief for me since now I don't have to take additional Anglais classes.. hah.. First and fouremost I jüst want to thank the team for believing in my talent (and wallet) and for giving me this opportunité. I also want to thank my manager Sebastien who does a wonderful job for my behind the scenes, and Crédit Agricole who has supported my carrière since I was driving go karts. With that said I'm looking forward to the 1999 Formule One season and to work with another young and talented driver like Krautmeir. I believe that together we can all make this season a big success and fight for a top 3 place in the constructors."

"I'd also like to announce that Louis Duval will drive our no. 10 car in case we don't come to terms with James Davies"

[Benetton]

Telmex to withdraw backing from the Mexican GP
Telmex have announced today that they will not be sponsoring the Mexican GP this year because of, and we quote, "internal conflicts". Some workers say the marketing manager, who was a big supporter of motorsport, was fired because of excessive use of tequila and the top level management took a look at the sponsor deal more closely and found it unprofitable.

Corona to be the main sponsor of the Mexican GP
The Mexican brewery Corona announced yesterday that they'll fill in the void that Telmex left and are going to be the title sponsor of the GP. Corona said they are going to make the Grand Prix week unforgettable and have alot of free birra samples available. After this the ticket sales for the GP increased immediately.

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

I'd just like to take this opportunity to welcome Louis onboard! It's great to have an up and coming teammate, and from what I've seen in F3000, he looks like an extremely talented fellow. Alain has done a good job in getting him in the team, and I think at the present moment, there doesn't seem to be a reason as to why we shouldn't be challenging for wins and the championships next season. Just a notice to Louis, though. I'll be extremely friendly off track, but don't expect any favours on track!

F1CCC UPDATES CALENDAR

In light of recent developments in Mexico, the F1CC Commission has released an updated provisional calendar. The calendar includes several changes, including swapping the United States Grand Prix and Canadian Grand Prix dates, with the Canadian race coming first. The British Grand Prix has also been moved ahead of the French Grand Prix on the calendar. No other changes are expected, but for now, this calendar is still provisional.

Code: Select all

1. Qantas Australian Grand Prix  Albert Park
2. Grande Prêmio Marlboro do Brasil  Interlagos
3. Gran Premio Warsteiner di San Marino  Imola
4. Grand Prix de Monaco  Monte-Carlo
5. Gran Premio Marlboro de España  Barcelona
6. Grand Prix Air Canada  Montreal
7. Texaco/Havoline United States Grand Prix  Road America
8. Corona Mexican Grand Prix  Hermanos-Rodriguez
9. RAC British Grand Prix  Silverstone
10. Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France  Magny-Cours
11. Großer Preis von Österreich  Speilberg
12. Großer Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland  Hockenheim
13. Marlboro Magyar Nagydíj  Budapest
14. Foster's Belgian Grand Prix  Spa-Francorchamps
15. Warsteiner Grand Prix of Europe  Nurburgring
16. Gran Premio Campari d'Italia  Monza
17. Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix  Sepang
18. Foster's Pacific Grand Prix  Bathurst
19. Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix  Suzuka

[tommykl]

[i]Sauber announce second and third driver, Christopherson and Jung[/i]

Peter Sauber in a press release a few hours ago announced that Jack Christopherson and Tristan Jung would take the two other seats in the Swiss outfit alongside Thomas De Bock. With a fresh lineup, Sauber wants to forget about the disappointing 1998 season.

These changes come just days after the announcement of Peugeot and Pirelli as engine and tyre manufacturer.

1999 will be the first year that Sauber fields three cars, with Jack Christopherson taking the second car, the team management having decided that the Briton showed more speed last season than Korean-American driver Jung, who will drive the third car.

[Londoner]

Roda to appeal against superlicence loss
In news which will strike fear and contempt amongst the drivers in the F1CC, Giovanni Roda, the former Stewart and Lola driver who lurched from disaster to catastrophy throughout his 1 and 3/4 seasons in the F1CC, is to have his appeal for his superlicence to be reinstated heard later this week. Roda is claiming that the other drivers plus the F1CC commission ganged up on him to get him removed from the series. If his appeal is sucessful, Roda will most likely retake his Stewart seat for the 1999 season. Amongst the incidents that Roda has been involved in were a series of altercations an accidents with Damon Cannon in 1997, which most likely cost Cannon the championship. He also wrecked the qualifying sessions this year at Imola and Monaco, was involved in a number of incidents during the race itself at Monaco, and was involved in three accidents with Daniel Melrose, the last of which at Monza ended Melrose's season.

[The Lukas]

Minardi announce third driver,Matej Uram
Giancarlo Minardi in a press release a few hours ago, Matej Uram was confirmed to be Minardi's third driver. 22 year old last raced in the DTM but without success, the gossip may be about to have wealthy sponsors.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Oh and for the record McLaren are staying with Mercedes engines and Bridgestone tyres.

[Phoenix]

New season, new avatar to match! Hope it brings luck