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OZ GP corner's inquest concluded 08 Feb 2002


State coroner Graeme Johnstone has released his findings following the inquest into the death of race marshal Graham Beveridge at the Australian GP last year.
Johnstone said the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) did not manage the risk to their track officials, and stated that they should have been aware that gaps in the fencing designed to stop debris spinning into the crowd could prove dangerous to officials and spectators at the event.

"The eventual solution (a partial cage around the openings) was not only obvious, it was practical, and should have been in place before the racing incident at Albert Park. Mr Beveridge's death was avoidable. The issue of the potential for debris to go through the gap had been identified by CAMS years prior to the running of the 2001 event at Albert Park," he was quoted as saying in the The Age newspaper.

Beveridge was standing near an access gap in the fencing on crowd control duty when a stray wheel, ripped from Jacques Villeneuve's car after a high-speed collision with Ralf Schumacher, flew through the hole causing fatal injuries.


Johnstone found that Beveridge died of a ruptured heart shortly after being struck by the wheel, despite efforts by medical staff at the race track to resuscitate him.

He also criticised the Alfred Hospital, where the 52-year-old volunteer was taken. Johnstone said he found it difficult to understand why the hospital altered Beveridge's medical record after he had been declared dead.

"The patient's record should be a true and correct record of medical management. It should not be altered for contractual, procedural or any other reason of self interest," he said.


Johnstone also went on to say it was vital that the teams and the FIA develop better methods of roping wheels to the chassis in the event of an accident. Tyre tethers have only been introduced over the past few seasons, but have so far proved only reasonably ineffective in the event of a big accident.

"Continuing development of technical systems like tethers is not only desirable but it is essential considering the acknowledged dangerous nature of the sport of motor racing," he said.

Johnstone absolved both drivers from blame, saying it was the nature of formula1 racers to push their vehicles to the extreme. Any minor error could have disastrous consequence.


He also handed down 13 recommendations in his findings, among which he requested the FIA to provide more information to future GP hosts and suggested race organisers should consider appointing safety officers and independent safety audits.

The coroner did have some praise for the AGPC, saying they had taken some positive and proactive steps to reduce the risk. "Whilst some of the comments in this inquest have been critical of the management of this particular risk by agencies such as AGPC and CAMS, it also needs to be said, in very positive light, that these agencies also have taken many pro-active and innovative steps in relation to safety in the past and appear to be engaged in a process aimed at continual safety improvement," he said.

"Processes aimed at continual safety improvement are essential if the risks are to be appropriately managed. It is noted that the FIA also appears to have taken a significant number of steps on safety in the area of international Grand Prix motor racing."

The AGPC have now raised fence heights around 40 per cent of the circuit from 2.5 to at least 3.5 metres.

After the inquest's findings were announced, Sergeant Ron Perrett of the police major collision and investigation squad, who conducted the investigation into Mr Beveridge's death, told The Age:

"(I am) pleased with the recommendations, I believe as a result of that we will have a lot safer Grand Prix in this state and that will flow on to other car races around Australia.

"Also with the recommendations as far as wheel tethering (affixing wheels to vehicles) on formula1 cars, it will flow on internationally as well."

This year's Melbourne Grand Prix is scheduled for March 3rd, but is yet to have its provisional status lifted by the FIA.

Australian Grand Prix still not confirmed


As testing for the 2002 season gets underway, an FIA spokesperson today (Monday) stated that the 2002 Australian Grand Prix had still not been confirmed by formula1's governing body.
The event is scheduled for March 3rd, less than two months away.

The race was only provisionally added to this year's calendar after marshal Graham Beveridge was killed by a flying tyre, wrenched free in an accident, last year.

The coroner's inquest into his death was scheduled for December last year, and despite pointing out a number of flaws in the safety of the event, the official indicated that he would not stand in the way of the 2002 race going ahead as planned.


However, the FIA have yet to make the Grand Prix an official event. "Despite reports to the contrary, as far as the FIA are concerned the Australian GP is still provisional," said a spokesperson to formula1.com today (Monday).

Tickets are still being sold for the event, and it is expected to go ahead.





Source: www.formula1.com

Testing February 8th: Mugello Day 5 09 Feb 2002


Michael Schumacher and Luca Badoer undertook Ferrari's last day of testing at Mugello yesterday (Friday).
They continued with tyre and electronics testing in the F2001 under clear skies for the first time in several days.

Schumacher covered a total of 104 laps, 79 of which were with chassis 208 and 25 with chassis 211. The four times world champion's quickest lap was 1.22.845. Badoer did 29 laps, the fastest being 1.24.077.

Despite telling journalists at Ferrari's launch on Wednesday that Schumacher would shakedown the F2002 at Fiorano today, a team statement now says that the German will begin testing in their new title defender tomorrow.


Source: www.formula1.com

Montoya quickest in Valencia 09 Feb 2002


Juan Pablo Montoya set the quickest time in the FW24 during testing in Valencia yesterday (Friday).
The team has so far completed five days of the planned seven-day session, and still have two day's of hard work left in front of them.

The Colombian was pleased with his efforts and spoke more positively of the FW24. "The car is getting better day by day," he said. "At the moment I am playing a lot with the set-up. I am very happy with the car so far."

Tim Newton, Williams Test Team Manager, added: "Another productive day that has kept us on schedule to complete our job list by Sunday when we are set to finish.


"However, with the end of the test in sight, there has been no let-up and we have covered over 900km today"



Source: www.formula1.com

Arrows to rectify wing problem 09 Feb 2002


Arrows have determined to rectify the rear wing problem that they experienced in Valencia testing yesterday (Friday), when two failures put new signing Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the gavel twice.
The German was still able to set the fifth fastest time, despite completing only 20 laps.

"I was pleased with the progress we made this morning," commented Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "So it was a shame we had the problems with losing the rear wing.

"The good news is that this has happened now, rather than in Melbourne. We will rectify the situation before we continue testing. Generally speaking though I'm encouraged by what we've achieved so far."




Source: www.formula1.com

FIA give OZ GP green light 09 Feb 2002


Formula1's governing body, the FIA, has finally given the go-ahead to the Australian GP three weeks before the start of the event on Friday 1st March.
This comes in the wake of the coroner's report into the death of marshal Graham Beveridge at the 2001 race, which was released yesterday (Friday).

State coroner Graeme Johnstone concluded that the track official's death had been "avoidable", and that the organisers should have been aware of the dangers posed by access gaps in the catch fencing around the track.

Beveridge died of a ruptured heart when he was hit by a loose wheel that had flown through the access gap he was standing by, following a high-speed collision between Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher.


However, the coroner went on to mention that the organisers had taken some positive and proactive steps to reduce the risk and praised their decision to raise the height of safety fencing from 2.5 metres to at least 3.5 metres around 40% of the track.

FIA president Max Mosley had hinted the Australian GP was unlikely to be taken off the calendar at a London lunch the day before the report was made public. He said on Thursday that "technically" the race was still provisional but that it would take unusual findings to prevent it going ahead.

Late on Friday the FIA then officially declared that the race would go ahead:


"The FIA has noted the Coroner's report into the death of Mr Graham Beveridge, a marshal at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix, which was published today," read a statement.

"The FIA is unable to involve itself directly in national inquiries of this kind. To do so on a world-wide basis would consume massive resources without necessarily producing any real progress in motor sport safety.

"Although the FIA could not create a precedent by making an exception, it endeavoured to give the Melbourne inquiry all possible assistance with letters, reports and information. The resulting Coroner's report is workman-like and useful.


"The FIA sets minimum standards, below which it will not authorise an international motor race. It anticipates that the Australian Grand Prix Corporation will continue to endeavour to exceed these standards.

"It must not be forgotten that by far the most dangerous element of a visit to a Grand Prix remains the drive to and from the circuit.

"It is to be hoped that the Melbourne Coroner and local traffic police can now concentrate once again on road casualties, which remain a very serious and ongoing problem within their jurisdiction as in the rest of the world.

"The FIA can now finally confirm that the 2002 Australian Grand Prix will form part of the 2002 FIA Formula One World Championship."



Source: www.formula1.com

Arrows lose Dutch sponsor 09 Feb 2002


Technology firm Trust announced yesterday (Friday) that they were withdrawing their support from the Arrows team following the replacement of Jos Verstappen with Heinz-Harald Frentzen on Thursday.
The company is a personal sponsor of the Dutchman and so had added its support to the British team when he drove with them.

However, they have now cut ties with the outfit and Trust's CEO, Mr M.J.C.W Perridon, has been reported to have described Verstappen's dismissal as a "slap in the face."

The Dutch branch of another sponsor, Red Bull, is also understood to be unhappy at the Dutchman's treatment.


Verstappen is now unlikely to find a formula1 race drive in 2002, but Trust have stated that they will continue to sponsor him.



Source: www.formula1.com

Berger: Montoya and Ralf will be a "super-duel" in 2002 11 Feb 2002


Gerhard Berger, BMW Motorsport boss, spoke recently to Kicker magazine about the strength of the two Williams drivers. Talking about the 2001 season he said: "Ralf (Schumacher) drove a fantastic first half of the season. (Juan Pablo) Montoya was very good in the second half."
"Montoya has enormous driving talent with unbelievable car control. He was fast at his first attempt - and the same whether the car was good or bad. Ralf is a cool analyst, who operates with German thoroughness and tries to improve his technique every lap.

"So far there was not a true comparison between the two, because Montoya had to learn several tracks during the year. He was unbelievably fast at his first attempt, as we saw in Suzuka. But in the course of a training session Ralf comes and makes continuous improvements. He uses his driving skills to improve in Qualifying."

When quizzed on who is the better driver the Austrian was non-commital. "They were both similarly strong in 2001. But Ralf had more victories and points to his account, therefore the comparison points to him. Whether it will be the same in 2002, I do not know. But one thing is clear to me: that it will be a super-duel between the two."

Schumachers' helmet stolen 11 Feb 2002


Reports have emerged that Ralf and Michael Schumacher's prototype Schuberth helmet, worth 12.000 euro, has been stolen from the manufacturers' factory.
The helmet, decorated with half Ralf's livery and half Michael's, was one of a kind that the brothers tested in Spain earlier this month. However, the good news is that the thief apparently had an attack of conscience and returned it.

It has been said that the helmet was returned to a pastor in Italy with the plea that it be returned to the brothers.

The helmet had a series of aerodynamic modifications being tested for this year, but it was not clear if it would have been used for the Australian GP.



Source: www.formula1.com

Coulthard takes a swipe at Schumacher 11 Feb 2002


In an interview with the Sun newspaper, David Coulthard made it clear that he expected to get the better of Michael Schumacher again this year.
Talking about his win at the 2001 Brazilian GP, he hinted that maybe the German's commitment in difficult situations could be waning.

"I watched Montoya's move and I analyzed that he had a car with more straight (line speed)," the Scot said. "The closing speed on Michael gave him the momentum to believe he could make the manoeuvre.

"It was a committed overtaking move, which any of the good guys would have attempted. I passed Michael later in the race, because he lifted as he could not see where he was going and, therefore, he had his doubts.


"I didn't lift because I had analyzed my commitment and knew it was my chance. It was a significant example that Michael is getting old. He's still good, but he lifted and I didn't."



Source: www.formula1.com

Dennis: Three strong teams makes it easier 11 Feb 2002


Asked by Welt am Sonntag whether 2002 would be a more difficult season than last year, Ron Dennis commented "It sounds strange, but if there are three strong teams, it will be easier. The competition becomes more open, more versatile, and there can be surprises."
The McLaren boss thinks that Ferrari will start the season from a position of strength but he is not discounting the prospects of his own team or Williams.

"The performance standard of the package of Ferrari with Michael Schumacher and its crew and the team's continuity as well as the fact that Ferrari continues to drive with Bridgestone tyres, again gives them a very good starting point.

"The difference between Ferrari and us and Williams is: In order to catch up on someone, one must accelerate more strongly than them. Williams and McLaren Mercedes are able to do this. If one catches up quickly, one can also overhaul."


Dennis was pressed on whether the 2002 engine was up to scratch in terms of performance. The Englishman was cautious in his response trying to pass off the question by saying that everyone always wants more performance from an engine.

"Compared to the targets we set, we never have sufficient performance. Mercedes Benz does not have different opinions to McLaren, the ambition of our partner on this point is not any lower than ours."

Mercedes Motorsport boss Norbert Haug said last week "We are never content and continuously work to improve the engine.There are always possibilities of increasing and only those who uses these can win a race."


Commenting on the decision of McLaren to switch to Michelin tyres in 2002, Dennis said it was "because we believe that Michelin has the better tyre today compared to Bridgestone. We also wanted a more intensive co-operation with our supplier to co-ordinate with our targets, and the tyre construction with the wheel suspension." On Friday David Coulthard rolled his car during a private test in Barcelona. The suspected cause was a tyre puncture.

The lessons of 2001

When asked whether Ferrari's 2001 championship victory was the result of Ferrari's dominance or McLaren's weakness, Dennis responded: "We won only four races, because we produced too many technical errors.


"Many believe that victories or defeats are dependent on one special ingredient: the driver, tyres, the chassis or engine. That is untrue. The charm of formula 1 is that about 14,000 individual parts of the engine, transmission up to the chassis must work almost perfectly in harmony. If it is not enough for victory, in the long run each section must be improved.

"We tried to produce an optimal system for the automatic choke. Ultimately it was probably too complex. As a result we disqualified ourselves from the running. If we had manufactured a simpler system which would have been more reliable, although only 95 per cent of our demands would have been fulfilled, we would have driven better and started (the races) better."

But the Englishman was not advocating to compromise targets in order to be reliable. When asked how important reliability was, given the problems of last season, Dennis commented: "The simplest type of driving is to run reliably and slowly. What is difficult is to be reliable and fast. "

And the McLaren boss gave due credit to Ferrari in 2001. "The technical reliability that our main rival achieved was impressive."

Drivers

Talking about McLaren's policy of avoiding a number one driver the McLaren boss said "We are extremely flexible when there is any doubt. We have an equal driver team. That is indispensable for continuous success without large dips. If Michael Schumacher decides to withdraw (from Ferrari) and takes some people with him, that would lead to a large vacuum which one could not fill so fast."

The German press continue to be intrigued by McLaren's choice of Kimi Raikkonen over his Sauber team mate Nick Heidfeld who already had a relationship with Mercedes. "Basically one needs a lot of support in the team during the driver decision. For McLaren those involved are: Ron Dennis, technical boss Adrian Newey and Managing Director Martin Whitmarsh as well as our partner Mercedes Benz. Before a choice is made, it is discussed intensively. As far as Kimi is concerned, he went through an extremely steep development curve last year. That is a strong indication towards the fact that someone has the potential to be a winner. "

Tyre manufacturers face Melbourne ban? 14 Feb 2002


Tyre manufacturers have been warned that their product will be banned if they take a radical new design to the first race in Australia.
At least one of the sport's two tyre manufacturers, Bridgestone and Michelin, are considering debuting an innovative new groove pattern and altered shoulders. But they are in dispute with the governing body over the exact interpretation of the regulations.

One leading source within the manufacturers says the rules are too vague and the FIA's stand had come too close to the first race.

FIA President Max Mosley did not make specific references to the tyre dispute but he acknowledged there are issues going on behind the scenes.


"There are certain controversial things being discussed for Melbourne, things we know about," he said. "But there is only one thing we think is illegal and we have told the people concerned. I hope they won't turn up with it in Melbourne."

Sources close to the FIA said there are concerns over proposals for asymmetric grooves and sloping shoulder designs on the drawing board.

"We think the grooves should be uniform across the tyre whichever way you look at them, but some people disagree," said an insider. "Some people think that if one shoulder slopes more than the other that would be alright. We don't."


A confrontation with the FIA at the first race in Australia, in three weeks time, could prove costly for at least one of the sport's leading teams.

Bridgestone supply champions Ferrari while Michelin supply the other two top teams McLaren and Williams.


Source: www.formula1.com

Schumacher "99% sure" of racing in F2002 13 Feb 2002


Michael Schumacher has told French news agency AFP that he expects to race Ferrari's new contender, the F2002, in the Australian GP on 3rd March.
There had been doubts about how reliable the innovative title defender would be, leading to speculation that last year's car may be used for the first three races of the season.

However, the F2002 made its debut at Fiorano on Sunday and broke the track record there straight out of the box. It has continued to improve on this record on each day of testing.

This has given Schumacher confidence that they will be able to use the F2002 from the start of the year.


"It's now 99 percent certain I'll race the F2002 in Melbourne," the four time world champion said yesterday (Tuesday).

"The F2002 should be faster (than the F2001) and I'm especially surprised at how reliable it is. There have been no problems up to now and we are confident about the future.

"(However), we'll have to fully simulate a Grand Prix before we take the car to Australia. We have to be totally sure about the first race."


Tests move on to Mugello from today.

Alesi: Young guns have chance to shine 15 Feb 2002


Formula1 veteran Jean Alesi has said that he believes this year will be the time for up-and-coming drivers to prove their worth in F1.
"The younger drivers have more of a chance to impress as no one expects anything from them," he said at the Grand Prix Party in London on Tuesday.

"I think for Sauber Felipe Massa is a good young driver. I think he can have a very good season. Raikkonen will impress as well. He's been good in testing."

Alesi failed to mention new Jordan driver Takuma Sato, who took his seat at the Irish team.


The French Sicilian has left formula1 and will compete for the Mercedes team in the German Touring Cars series, DTM. He will also participate in a one-off test for McLaren.

Attempts to block new Schumacher home 15 Feb 2002


Environmental and heritage groups formally complained yesterday (Thursday) about Michael Schumacher's plans to build a new family home, including riding stables, in rural Wolfhalden, Switzerland.
The German four times champion already lives in the French-speaking quarter of Switzerland, however had planned to move his family to the German speaking part of the country in order to give his two children a German education.

There have already been concerns raised when he first began the purchasing process, over his reported plans to use a nearby military base for his private jet.

However, it is still close to Altenrhein airport, near the Swiss-Austrian border, allowing him to fly to European races and test sessions.


Now Stiftung Landschaftsschutz Schweiz and Pro Natura St. Gallen-Appenzell, in separate documents, both alleged that the project breached federal, cantonal and municipal zoning rules protecting the landscape.

Local residents will vote on the zoning changes as early as April 21st. Should they be approved then Schumacher's building plans will be made public, and put to the vote should there be any objections.

However, Mario ***hi, head of the village council, supported Schumacher's move, saying that a large majority of Wolfhalden backed the German's plans.