30 November 1999 Zanardi's departure from Williams appears to be almost certain, despite his contract with the team until the end of 2000. It is not yet known who will take his place.
29 November 1999 The organisers of the Hungarian GP have signed a deal for Hungary to host a GP until 2006.
29 November 1999 West McLaren Mercedes have signed Olivier Panis as their third F1 driver. McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh said that they need a third driver due to their intensive test schedule. Panis, who will start testing for the team at Jerez on Thursday 2 December, said that he is looking forwards to help the team develop their new F1 car.
29 November 1999 In an interview with car magazine Autosport Adrian Newey spoke about the prosecution of himself and Patrick Head for Ayrton Senna's death.
"The trial is one of the worst examples of the legal system behaving
badly."
"In terms of helping to understand what happened at Imola and learning
from the event, it has achieved nothing. It has helped no one in F1 - only
the lawyers."
"Although the episode appears to be over, it's a lesson for F1 to learn.
The sport should be pushing the EU for a new law."
29 November 1999 Marcela Praddo has started legal proceedings to have the paternity of her daughter Victoria recognised. Marcela Praddo claims that Victoria, 6, was conceived during her relationship with late F1 driver Ayrton Senna. Senna's sister Vivianne denies that this might be possible. If Victoria is recognised as Senna's daughter, she will be the only legal heir to his fortune, estimated to be over 120 million pounds.
26 November 1999 Williams will test next week at Jerez de la Frontera with the new BMW engines. The tests will be BMW's first appearance in Formula 1 for 12 years.
25 November 1999 The German press has accused Ferrari of putting pressure on M. Schumacher to get rid of his spokeperson Heiner Buchinger.
24 November 1999 Brazilian Luciano Burti, 24, who finished second in this year's British Formula Three Championship has been signed as Jaguar's test driver. Burti will test components for the car in Jerez next month. Irvine and Herbert will join him on 14-15 December. Jaguar will launch their car on 25 January.
24 November 1999 M. Schumacher has sacked his spokeperson Heiner Buchinger over differences on how to structure their press activity. His place might be taken by Sueddeutsche Zeitung journalist Sabine Kehm. The news was given by Buchinger himself.
22 November 1999 The Sauber team has announced that they have scheduled the launch of their 2000 team and car for the 2nd of February 2000 at 8:00pm in Zurich. The launch will feature huskies, horses and reindeer and will be attended by Pedro Diniz, Mika Salo and Peter Sauber, together with the entire team for the 2000 season. Tickets range from 40 Swiss Frank for a first class ticket to 30 Swiss Frank for a second class ticket. The tickets can be bought through their hotline 0041 13 16 77 88.
22 November 1999 Patrick Head and Adrian Newey have been found not guilty of Ayrton Senna's death by the Court of Appeal because 'the fact did not occur'. In 1997 the original verdict was that the accused where not guilty for 'not having commited the fact'. This formula implied that the faulty steering column had caused Senna's death. The new verdict removes this implication.
20 November 1999Sauber has hired Sergio Rinland (from Benetton) as project manager, Willy Rampf (from BMW) as chief track engineer and Jacky Eackelaert as test manager.
20 November 1999 Nick Wirth has resigned from the position of chief designer of Benetton following disagreements with the team bosses over future car development. His place will be taken by Tim Densham formerly at Honda.
19 November 1999 In the first session of Senna's death trial appeal, magistrate Rinaldo Rosini asked the Court to confirm the original terms as requested by Public Prosecutor Maurizio Passarini in the first trial. The terms are one year suspended sentence for Adrian Newey and Patrick Head. The full archive of articles on the first trial is available in the Senna's Death Trial section.
19 November 1999 Gerhard Berger, director of the racing department of BMW, stated that they do not intend to interfere in Williams' choice of drivers for next year. Gerhard Berger's interview with Italian magazine Autosport had generated rumours that BMW had demanded that Williams got rid of Zanardi, despite his contract expiry date of the end of 2000.
19 November 1999 Jacques Villeneuve confirmed that he intends to leave BAR if Pollock is forced to resign, but added that he intends to honour his contract too, so he will complete the 2000 season at BAR.
17 November 1999 According to Gerhard Berger, Zanardi's confirmation at Williams next year is not to be taken for granted. Berger, director of BMW Motorsport (supplier of engines to the Williams team next year), did not criticise Zanardi but refused to confirm that the Italian driver will race for Williams next year. Berger said that the final decision rests with Frank Williams.
17 November 1999 Juan Pablo Montoya, winner of the 1999 Cart Championship, announced to TV station Caracol that he does not intend to move into F1 next season. Montoya, 24, is test pilot for Williams. Next year he will stay in Cart and try to retain his title aided by Toyota that will provide him with new engines.
16 November 1999 Next Friday the three judges Agnoli (Court President), Migliorati (Reporter) and Campanile will hear in Bologna the appeal against the 1997 verdict on Ayrton Senna's death. The appeal has been brought by Public Prosecutor Passarini for the non-guilty verdict on Head and Newey (now at McLaren). Lawyer Dominioni-Gandossi will defend Head and lawyer Stortoni will defend Newey. The appeal proceedings will appear in the Senna's Death Trial section.
16 November 1999 Italian car magazine Rombo today published an article denouncing the fact that some (unnamed) teams used irregular flexible rear wings in the 1999 season.
12 November 1999 Russian daily paper "Kommersant" reports that a Formula 1 circuit complex will be built near Moscow's Sheremetevo airport, over a 90 hectars piece of land. The project has been approved by Moscow Council which will finance the work. The complex will have a five km track, parking for 40,000 cars, bars, restaurants, hotels and a golf course. The first structures will be ready in 2001 and the whole complex will be finished in 2005. The final cost of the new complex is expected to be 265 million dollars.
10 November 1999 Dubai is in talks with Bernie Ecclestone over the possibility of hosting a GP. Last month a FIA spokeperson had said that Ecclestone was talking to Egypt and another Middle East country over new GPs to add to the F1 calendar.
9 November 1999 Brands Hatch Leisure Plc has agreed to a 120m pounds takeover by US Interpublic advertising group. Interpublic will offer 22.67 new shares for every 100 Brands Hatch shares. Brands Hatch will become part of Interpublic's Octagon sports marketing and entertainment division.
8 November 1999 Luca di Montezemolo has announced the creation of an internet-based Ferrari club, to be launched in the near future. The Ferrari boss explained that it will not be just a way of counting Ferrari fans, but it will be a medium to give them privileged access as club members. Ferrari merchandise will also be sold through internet via the club. He is hoping to have four million club members in the next few years.
8 November 1999 Luca di Montezemolo said that he is tired of the drivers making controversial statements, but that he is not planning to leave the management of Ferrari.
7 November 1999 Eddie Irvine has written a book in which he accuses Ferrari of not treating him fairly in the time he was there. A preview of the book was published by British tabloid News of the World. According to News of the World, in his book Irvine says that Ferrari refused to treat him as equal to M. Schumacher and that he was told half way through the season that they had no intention of renewing his contract. He also says that he had refused to move over for M. Schumacher in the overtaking manouvre that resulted in the German's accident at Silverstone and that McLaren boss Ron Dennis had asked him to replace Coulthard.
7 November 1999 M. Schumacher denied having said that he was happy that Irvine had not won the Drivers Championship.
4 November 1999 M. Schumacher said that he had not attended a McLaren party after the Japanese GP, but a private party thrown by Zimmerman, an Austrian who works for Williams and that Norbert Haug was at the same party.
3 November 1999 Jacques Villenueve might leave BAR, despite having been confirmed for next year, if Craig Pollock is thrown out. BAR was the only team that failed to score a single point in 1999, its first F1 season.
2 November 1999 M. Schumacher said that he believes Barrichello will be a better team mate than Irvine because the Brazilian and M. Schumacher are both married and can understand each other on and off the track. Irvine's lifestyle was too crazy to go on with him off the track, he concluded.
2 November 1999 Photographs of M. Schumacher drunk at the McLaren party after the Japanese GP, still wearing his Ferrari overall, appeared all over the Italian press. Angry articles accused him of having let the whole team down and insulted the fans with this behaviour. Some papers accused him of toasting to Irvine's defeat.
1 November 1999 Irvine warned Barrichello that he does not have any idea about what he's let himself in. According to the Irishman, Barrichello is in for a really hard time and is in danger of being crushed by M. Schumacher. Irvine also said that he was desperate to get out of Ferrari this season.
Last updated on
by Federica Massagrande