All F1 Teams Except Ferrari Agree to Limit Points to 10 per Team during Season London. 28 December. Nine of the ten Formula One teams have agreed today to reduce points awarded during the season to 10 per team. The teams met at Heathrow today to discuss a face saving initiative they signed at the Brazilian Grand Prix last October, and agreed to go ahead with the plan despite objections from World Champions Ferrari. "We have made a voluntary agreement to cut points by 90 percent," Minardi owner Paul Stoddart said. "That is a huge reduction for the big teams and the whole thing is a vast difference to the way we approached the meetings in the past when we failed to agree on anything." Under the new proposal, the maximum number of points each team can win during the season is 10. After 10 points have been awarded then no more points will be given to that team in spite of results. This should ensure a competitive and exciting Formula One climax for the end of the season, according to team owners. "It is grossly unfair that Ferrari have monopolized nearly all the points awarded during the racing season," said Renault manager Flavio Briatore. "All we want is a level and fair playing field and that is what I hope we have achieved." Analysts expect these latest proposals to be the first in a number of face saving initiatives by Ferrari's competitors.
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After a hectic week of drug taking allegations in Formula One, Minardi driver Christijan Albers beams with pride as he holds in his hand the proof of his negative drug test. US Navy 2nd Fleet to Handle all Future Negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone on the Behalf of the Banks Washington. 18 December. Bayerische Landesbank chairman Gerhard Gribkowsky, now heading the SLEC board, said today that all future negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone will be handled by the US Navy 2nd fleet. "In the course of three decades Bernie has built up close ties with the industry, with sponsors, race track operators and other parties," said Gribkowsky. "Unfortunately for him he forgot the armed forces." According to reports, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said that the threat of the approaching US Navy flotilla meant nothing at all. "I have contacted Admiral Mark Fitzgerald the commander of the 2nd fleet and offered him the use of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit as a firing range and if that is not enough I'll throw in Magny Cours as well."		SIDEBAR McLaren To replace Montoya's radio with loudspeaker system to intimidate competitors Toyota Making suspiciously good pasta, says Ferrari's legal department Sir Terry Rowduck "Cost cutting? I remember Stirling once dropping to two packs a day and slicing his team's budget by half." Sauber Buys world's largest supercomputer to handle Villeneuve's wage calculations
David Coulthard to Drive in a "Heidi" Costume, Says Red Bull Owner David Coulthard arrives at his first Jerez test session accompanied by five Alpine mountain goats Grand Prix Glamour! By Judy Mosley At a VIP cocktail party in Vienna yesterday the lovely Dietrich Mateschitz told me that instead of hiring an Austrian driver to his newly bought team, Scotsman David Coulthard would be asked to race in a "Heidi" costume. "Owning a Formula One team has always been my dream," Dietrich told me. "And to be able to combine that with my fond childhood memories of reading Heidi just shows you that everything is possible when you are stinking rich." After speaking with Dietrich I phoned David, who recently said he had no life outside of Formula One. David told me that he was very impressed with Red Bull's plans for next season. The car, engine and costume were all looking great. The important thing, though, was that he was racing next year in a dress and he still had his dignity.   German Engine Manufacturers to Counter Ferrari V8s with V2s Grand Prix Technical Update By Dr. Klaus Hergesheimer According to insider sources in Stuttgart and Munich, Mercedes and BMW are preparing to counter Ferrari's all-powerful V8 engines in 2006 with a salvo of V2s. The FIA has declared that from 2006 onwards it will be illegal to run the current V10 engines, handing the lead in the engine race to Ferrari, who have allegedly been developing V8 engines since 2003. "The limit is V8 so that is four V2 rockets per car, isn't it?" the unnamed technical source told me. "And with one rocket powerful enough to propel our car around the circuit the other three can be used to take out Fiorano and the Ferrari Paddock area."

About the author:
Reginald Kincaid was born on 30th November 1912. Following graduation from the Royal Military College in Sandhurst he was commissioned in the Forth Hussars in February 1931. While stationed in Egypt with his brigade in 1934, he led the famous "Elgar" high speed camel expeditions that explored and documented the vast sand seas of Libya. In his own words he soon after became addicted to the "fine art of travelling fast" but exchanged camels for cars. Kincaid's exploits in European motor racing became legendary after being documented in his best selling biography "Racing with a stiff upper lip". Reginald Kincaid retired in 1991 and has been covering motor racing ever since. He now lives in Surrey, England, and tends to his hobby of beekeeping.