IT was a perfectly imperfect season for Formula 1. When, in a few years from now, we wander through the record books it may seem that 1999 was simply a continuation of Mika Hakkinen's domination with the powerful McLaren-Mercedes team.
ARROWS is to have a completely new management structure and has signed up a pair of professional managers to look after the administration and financial side of the business.
CART team owner Chip Ganassi popped over to Britain last week for a bit of Christmas shopping, and the word on the street in Formula 1 circles was that he was selling rather than buying.
THE local authorities in Hockenheim are discussing a complete rebuild of the racing circuit to ensure that the GermanÊGrandÊPrix stays at the circuit well into the next century.
JORDAN GRAND PRIX has announced a major sponsorship deal with Deutsche Post and will run with the company's postal horn logo on the side of the car - along with Euro Express branding, which will publicize DP's courier service.
AS we have been suggesting for several months, Michelin is to return to Grand Prix racing.
THE Formula 1 teams did their last tests before Christmas last week at Jerez and Barcelona and it was Stewart Grand Prix's JohnnyÊHerbert who set the pace at the bigger of the two tests in Jerez with a best lap of 1m23.01s after 275 laps (756Êmiles).
AS we suggested recently, Williams has been looking at a number of possible drivers to replace Alex Zanardi.
AN opportunity to race in the United States of America has opened up for Williams driver Alex Zanardi.
TOM WALKINSHAW's Arrows team has announced that Paul Stoddart's European Formula Racing will become its junior team next season.
REPORTS from Germany suggest that Porsche and Audi may be working together on the development of a Formula 1 engine with Porsche engineers using their knowledge of V10 technology to help the Volkswagen subsidiary to develop an engine for Grand Prix racing.
MICHELIN is expected to inform the FIA within the next few days that it is intending to enter Grand Prix racing in 2001 but a public announcement is not expected until January.
WILLIAMS F1 is due to test Darren Manning this week in Jerez de la Frontera and although the word is that Manning may only be in line as a test driver, we believe that if the test goes well the 24-year-old British driver could be a candidate to replace Alessandro Zanardi next year.
THE first BAR-Honda 02 ran for the first time last week at Silverstone and to the relief of all concerned the new car completed 35Êlaps without a problem.
THE Toyota Motor Corporation is taking no risks with its plans to enter the Formula 1 World Championship and has lodged the $48m deposit demanded by the FIA.
THE sale of Minardi, for a rumored $50m, has yet to be officially confirmed by the new owner Telefonica but we hear that the Spanish telecommunications company, which had been dithering for several months, had to move quickly to avoid the Italian team being bought by a second bidder.
WITH Olivier Panis having decided to join McLaren, Williams is looking for another driver to replace Alex Zanardi.
MORGAN GRENFELL PRIVATE EQUITY - which owns half of the Arrows team - says that it is looking to reduce its shareholding in the Leafield team and has asked the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank to look for a buyer.
DR. MAHATHIR MOHAMAD has been returned as Prime Minister of Malaysia and his National Front alliance has retained its two-thirds majority in parliament having won 148 of the 193 seats.
TWO Formula 1 hopefuls - Shinji Nakano and Stephane Sarrazin - have accepted that they are not going to be racing in Grands Prix this year and have signed to race elsewhere.
OLIVIER PANIS turned down an offer from Williams last week and has joined the West McLaren Mercedes team as the team's third driver.
THE long-awaited board meeting at British American Racing failed to produce the coup d'etat that had been rumored and so CraigÊPollock's position within the team remains as before.
THE burgeoning Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica has finally concluded a deal to buy the Minardi team after months of negotiation.
AS soon as the month-long F1 testing ban was over five of the 11 teams went into action immediately with three days of testing at Jerez and at the Ferrari test track in Fiorano.