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No prozes for guessing the biggest story in Formula 1 at the moment. That's
right - Nigel Mansell's possible return, this time with Jordan-Peugeot. The
1992 World Champion tested for a day and a half with the team in Spain last
week, and while his times would not have set the world on fire, discussions
about a possible return in 1997 are continuing.
Ironically, it was in Barcelona in 1995 that Mansell gave Formula 1 away,
after his ill-fated and very brief return to drive for McLaren. Not only
had he failed to add to his tally of 31 Grand Prix victories, he had been
made to look ridiculous in a car he could not fit in properly, and had been
woefully short of competitive pace.
Jordan, in need of a boost in '97 in the shape of a big name driver, have
denied the whole exercise is a mere PR stunt. Mansell was in fact the
slowest of the squadron of F1 drivers testing last week, in which Benetton
and Williams again dominated the times, but ring rustiness affects drivers
as well as boxers and Jordan, having lost out in the race for Damon Hill's
signature, are not likely to attach too much significance to the odd tenth
of a second in a one-off test.
In other driver news, Jos Verstappen has decided to throw in his lot with
Tyrrell next year. The talented Dutchman has been with front-line teams
like Benetton briefly, and drove for Footowrk last year, but lost his place
there to Pedro Diniz. Also confirmed, at the Lgier team Diniz has just
left, is Japanese newcomer Shinji Nakano, as partner to Olivier Panis. Ukyo
Katayama, a Tyrrell refugee, seems likely to go to Minardi, though the move
is yet to be confirmed.
The only teams yet to finalise their driver pairings are Jordan, Minardi
and the new Lola outfit. Minardi are going with Hart engines in 1997, while
Sauber have confirmed that they will run with Ferrari power for two
seasons, though the V10 units will be re-badged with the name of the team's
principal sponsor, Petronas of Malaysia.
Malaysia is also prominent on the newest of the Grand Prix contenders, the
Stewart-Ford SF-1, which was launched in London last week. The Malaysian
Government has entered into an agreement with Stewart Grand Prix to promote
the country as a tourist destination, and further confirmation of the
region's determination to figure as a major player in Grand Prix racing
came this weekend with the announcement that a new circuit is to be built
close to the capital, Kuala Lumpur, with a view to staging its own World
Championship round within two years. The SF-1 is the first of the 1997
contenders to be unveiled, the majority of the major teams planning to
launch their new cars in the month of January.
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