Sunday July 20th, 2003

Celebrities - Part Two
It was truly a case of 'I'm a celebrity...let me in here' at Silverstone on Sunday as king of the jungle Phil Tufnell arrived at the circuit as a guest of Fosters but only got in once he had finally found his pass! The former England cricketer, who is known for his drinking binges and shot to national fame by winning a cult television show in the Australian outback, was eventually allowed into the British Grand Prix paddock. He was Fosters' perfect guest, and said: "I am having a spanking time. I got here on Friday and I think it is Sunday now! I've been well looked after by Fosters." He led a host of celebrities gracing the grid at Silverstone, including Terminator 3 star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who shunned journalists who had gathered for interviews in the Jaguar motorhome but met the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone on the track before the race.

Arnie's arrival, as guest of the Jaguar team, was so significant for Formula One that even former royal Sarah Ferguson was bumped out of the way to allow him in. Jockey Frankie Dettori, who handed World Champion Michael Schumacher a whip to crack his season into shape on Thursday, was thrilled by his chance to stand on the grid and, dressed in Ferrari team gear, he bounced up and down like an excited child as Schumacher prepared for the race. "It's so exciting," he beamed. "I really want to jump in the car." Stars from England International scene in Rugby and Football were present with Lawrence Dallaglio and James Beattie both guests of the Jordan team. So too was Shane Ritchie, of Eastenders fame, who posed with British driver Ralph Firman on the grid before the race as Schwarzenegger's T3 co-star Kristanna Loken joined in the pre-race action.

Round the world yachtswoman Ellen McArthur was a guest of the Renault team and was more thrilled with the technology in the garages than the celebrity scene on the grid. "The place is amazing," said McArthur, who sailed solo around the world in the Vendee Globe race. "This is just like sailing only they have much bigger budgets." But the biggest celebrity, at the end of the day, was the man that jumped the barriers and placed Silverstone's future in doubt during the race - and left Schwarzenegger wondering: "Will I be back?"

Jail Jaunt
The Formula One paddock was shocked when news was revealed that an unnamed Italian journalist had been stopped for drink driving as he headed out of the circuit. The Grand Prix circus is full of temptations with dinners, lunches and cocktail parties throughout the weekend but normally the designated drivers are sensible enough not to go over the top and over the limit. This time, however, that was not the case and, it is understood, after a Toyota dinner in the paddock, the unfortunate Italian got his just desserts when he was taken in by the police. He was jailed overnight and eventually handed a year-long driving ban.

Fortunately for him, however, the Grand Prix circus will not return to British shores until his ban is virtually over - and maybe not at all if Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone's demands for improvement are not made. Although there was a hefty fine to pay, his strongest memory of the incident will be his overnight stay in the cells. It is understood to be the first visit of a Grand Prix journalist to the slammer since a popular English scribe was detained in Monaco for being "drunk and disorderly" after a Jordan dinner two years ago. It proved not to be the final involvement of the police at the circuit this year either - as they were back the following day to pick up the protester who ran onto the track during the race itself.

Jordan vs Jodie
The battle of the British Page Three 'babes' - Jordan and Jodie - continued apace on the British Grand Prix weekend when the pair, who have had regular verbal bust-ups in the newspapers, met in the garages of the Jordan Formula One team. There were no reports of any catfights, but journalists were quick to cast their own votes for their favourite 'lady'. "Jordan nearly poked my eye out," said one very happy fan of the glamour model.

Published at 18:29:48 GMT

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(03-11-2005): Australian GP Paddock Gossip (03-09-2005): Greece Finds Site for Formula One Track (03-09-2005): Red Bull Set to Get Honda Engines in 2006 (03-08-2005): Schumacher in Line for Sporting Oscars (03-07-2005): Daily Grapevine Sunday Analysis - Australia

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