This week's Grapevine brings you information fresh from the paddock on: Williams fuming at Ralf's penalty Silly Season Shenanigans

Williams fuming at Ralf's penalty

For all their apparent ease over the penalty imposed on Ralf Schumacher, Frank Williams and Patrick Head are fuming at the decision to use a stop-go penalty to penalise their driver for a transgression of the rules which, they believe, did not warrant it.

In public, they are playing the game. This is simple – you do not question FIA decisions in public, especially when half the world saw the origination of the situation. If you have a problem with the penalty, then you have to go and see Bernie Ecclestone for a quiet chat, and ask for a "rule clarification." You do not confront The Administration, who are known to get very upset about having their actions questioned in public. Patrick Head, despite his penchant for speaking his mind, plays these politics as astutely as any other leading pitlane figure...

The issue, as far as Williams is concerned, and one that is reflected in the opinions of a most of the pitlane, was that the penalty deprived the sport of a genuine race. Ralf was challenging his brother very strongly, and without the additional thirty seconds from the pitstop, could well have successfully challenged for the lead before the end of the race. Had he been handed a time penalty to add to his finishing time, then the public could still have seen a race, and the inevitable position drop resulting from the penalty would have allowed justice to be seen to be done.

A different, but equally valid, approach, could be to fine drivers in future: they are fined for pit lane speed transgressions in all the other sessions over the weekend.

Adding insult to Williams injury, as many sporting aficionados have pointed out, Michael Schumacher also touched the line; however, Charlie Whiting adjudged him not to have actually crossed it…

Looking at the situation from the FIA's angle, the penalty fits the crime. Ralf Schumacher did, as Williams readily admit, cross the line. The punishment is clear – break pitlane rules during the race, and you earn yourself a stop-go.

One thing the FIA are sure about, though: Ralf Schumacher won't be making that mistake again in any hurry

Silly Season Shenanigans

It must have been a slow news week, as the Nurburgring paddock was full of rumour and scuttlebutt concerning engines deals and driver movements, yet the underlying substance comes down to a few innocent queries and statements.

Ralf Schumacher has signed with Williams to the end of 2004, and depending who you ask, he will be receiving between nine and fifteen million dollars for filling that seat. It could be a pure coincidence that this times the end of his contract with his brother's expiring at Ferrari. Then again, it might be part of a Schumacher master plan to ensure the family name dominates Ferrari to the end of the decade...

David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen look set to remain at McLaren for another year, and have been confirmed in all but official press release to that effect. However, media speculation that McLaren approached Kimi Raikkonen to drive for them next year has triggered a return of the Hakkinen retirement rumours.

Jenson Button's Benetton seat is again being vacated in the minds of journalists, despite assurances from both the driver and Briatore that it is filled to the end of next season, let alone the remainder of this year. Prompted mostly by indiscreet enquiries by his management into options post 2003, speculation is rife that the young Briton could be moving to Jaguar after 2003. Ironically there is a grain of worthiness to the rumour. Word from inside the Jaguar team holds that they are interested in talking to Williams about buying Button out of his post-Benetton contract. We are not privy to any Williams response on this issue, and Button himself has not been approached – it's all just barnstorming by the thinkers and planners at the Big Cat.

The latest Button move rumour, currently unfounded, but of great interest, is that he could be "swapped" with Jarno Trulli for 2002. Trulli, despite his current role driving for Jordan, is tied to Briatore, and could arguably be persuaded to go for the move. More likely, he will refuse to compromise his career with Benetton – or rather, Renault – until the team shows some signs of being competitive against teams other than Minardi, and resign with Jordan. The Irish outfit has not lived up to his expectations, but is expected to compete nearer the sharp end of the grid for a while yet...

On a different note, Nick Heidfeld has also featured in the movement news: his seat at Sauber is supposed to be safe for another year, but there is no safeguard against poor performance. His performance is not poor, of course, but Kimi Raikkonen is flying in his rookie year, leaving Heidfeld with plenty to do to stop the rot, at least in the press rooms.

Moving away from the drivers, there is a bundle of fun and games going on with engines!

Tom Walkinshaw has told AMT that they can plan without him for next year. His claim to be choosing between three potential suppliers came as something of a surprise. Given time constraints, it is around about the limit for General Motors to be included in that number – the lead time to produce a half way competitive first attempt at an F1 engine is something like nine months. So, if they are joining the circus, then it will certainly be by rebadging someone else's box. Of those, a Ferrari unit is top of the list, with GM paying for the supply Prost currently uses, whilst palming off the AMT concern on the French outfit. Although Prost continue to make loud noises about sticking with the Ferrari plant, the very fact it would free up around a third of their budget to put into the car could sway them.

Then again, Minardi are looking for something a little more up to date, and would settle for working with AMT, if it came to it. They are also believed to be fighting for a 2001 spec Ford engine, but no substance has been produced to back those rumours. Some believe that Walkinshaw could be in line to persuade Jaguar to give him works support in 2002, in order for the team to establish a good chassis comparison. Few in the paddock give it credence, however, and there has been no leakage from the Jaguar team that they are even beginning to get that desperate.

Of course, whenever "engine supply" rumours circulate, Renault is included. If the rumours are to be believed, Renault could find themselves supplying the entire bottom half of next year's grid: yet it is notoriously hard to prize the units from the manufacturer: last time out, Benetton had to win the 1994 Championship with their outmoded V8 Ford unit before they could convince Renault of their worthiness...

All told, a busy weekend for Silly Season rumours; and with the circus moving straight to France, and another slow news week in the offing, there's a good chance there will be plenty more in the weekend to come!