All of the information in this section was obtained from a bloke down the pub, which means that while we believe all the following information to be true, we couldn't swear that it is.
What we will say however, is that usually, "there is no smoke without fire".....
Stewart Returns To F1
Mika Hakkinen To Test This Month ?
Morbidelli To Drive For McLaren ?
Alain Prost Testing At Estoril
Brundle Happy At Jordan
Herbert Glad To Be At Sauber
Minardi May Sign Brazilian Teenager
Ligier Update
Stewart Returns To F1
Jackie Stewart is almost certain to return to Formula1, this time as a team owner. The new team is likely to be called Stewart Grand Prix and has almost certainly signed a deal with Ford for engines. The new team will effectively be the existing Paul Stewart Racing team. PSR won the British F3 championship in 1992 (Gil de Ferran), 1993 (Kelvin Burt) and 1994 (Jan Magnussen). They were pipped at the post this year by Olivier Gavin in the Edenbridge Dallara Vauxhall. PSR are widely acknowledged as one of the most professional teams outside Formula1.
The engine deal with Ford will leave current Ford backed Sauber without a works engine for 1997.
New teams into Formula1 have not fared well lately, the most recent team with any degree of success are Jordan who entered F1 in 1991.
Mika Hakkinen To Test This Month ?
Mika Hakkinen continues to make steady progress and Sid Watkins has told him that if he continues to progress he will be allowed to drive again at the end of January. Mika is now at home in Monaco where he is driving his Mercedes. Mika says that his main aim is to get back to full fitness.
His recollections of his crash are brief but vivid, Mika has said that he remembers being in the car after his accident. He could not see and was in pain. He remembers his breathing becoming increasingly difficult and a massive pain in his throat (tracheotomy). His next memory is of being in hospital looking up at Sid Watkins who was asking him questions. Ron Dennis was there with his wife who was holding Mika's hand. Mika's first words to his girlfriend Erja were a dirty joke he heard the day before his crash !!.
Morbidelli To Drive For McLaren ?
Gianni Morbidelli may sit in for Mika Hakkinen at the beginning of the season if Mika fails to be ready for racing. Morbidelli was with Alain Prost at Ferrari and it is believed that Alain has endorsed Gianni as a great driver. Gianni managed one podium and two other points finishes last year in the Footwork and easily outpaced team mates Papis and Inoue.
Alain Prost Testing At Estoril
David Coulthard will have some company at Estoril next week in the Form of Alain Prost. Both Drivers are on development testing programs with the MP4/10. Prost is fulfilling his role as consultant and his feedback will be very valuable to the team as they prepare for the coming season.
Martin Brundle is very happy to be back at Jordan, he completed over 200 laps in the outgoing 195 and said the car had some very good points, and some bad points that were being addressed.
Johnny Herbert is pleased with his first impressions of the Sauber C14. He has also remarked on Gerhard Berger and his struggle with the Benetton B195.
Herbert has said that the fact that Berger is having a difficult time with the car has helped him feel that he was right when he criticised the car for being difficult. Berger is expected to improve his times when he gets the B196 which he will fit into properly (the B195 is a bit too small for him to be comfortable).
Minardi May Sign Brazilian Teenager
Minardi may be about to sign Brazilian driver Tarso Marques. At 19 he will be one of the youngest F1 drivers and join a select club of only three others who were aged 19 when they started their first GP. (Ricardo Rodriguez 1961, Chris Amon 1963 and Mike Thackwell 1980)
Ligier are expected to unveil their new JS43 at the end of this month, and they may announce their driver line up too (don't hold your breath ;-) ).
Olivier Panis is expected to be named as one of their drivers, though Vincenzo Sospiri is still testing with the team.
