Rubens Barrichello has not signed a two year deal with Stewart Grand Prix, as reported earlier this month by Atlas, but a three year deal. Barrichello will team-up with Jan Magnussen, who was the first driver to be signed to the new Formula One team.
Team owner Jackie Stewart said: "We are delighted to have Rubens with us from the start. We said from the outset that we want a driver with Formula One experience alongside a young up-and-coming talent which we have in Jan."
Heinz-Harald Frentzen has had his first test in the Williams-Renault on the Estoril (Portugal) track today. The German wants to try out the two pedal option instead of three which he had in his Sauber-Ford. He clocked a best time of 1m 21.680s.
Frentzen said after the test he feels there are some advantages to the two pedal option and the clutch on the steering. Frank Williams has guarantied he will be able to test a lot before the new season starts.
Damon Hill will start testing "at the end of this month, or the beginning of the next as he needs a break," a spokesman for TWR F1 said.
The partnership between Michael Schumacher and the Ferrari team could last a long time. According to his manager Willi Weber the German former world champion may even be staying with the team for another four or five years. It could also be possible that Schumacher will end his career with Ferrari.
Alain Prost, Ligier, Peugeot and Total will announce a birth of a new team on October 29 according to a French newspaper. This would not really be a new team but a dramatic change in the Ligier team. This would also mean that Jordan would not only lose their engine but also one of their associated firms.
Schumacher and Ferrari
Another new F1 team?