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Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management has decided to scrap its pay-per-view television service for the 2003 season.

Earlier this week the F1 supremo said that a decision on the future of pay-per-view had not been made.

But Ecclestone has now decided to concentrate his resources on terrestrial television coverage as the sport tries to arrest a slump in viewing figures.

"We have told all of our broadcast partners that FOM will no longer offer a separate digital pay-per-view service," Ecclestone said in a statement on Friday.

"Over the last six years we have developed very sophisticated outside broadcast facilities and we now intend to focus these resources on providing the best live feed to our free-to-air broadcasters."

Sky's F1 Digital+ channel will be closed down in Britain, while Canal Plus (France) and DSF (Germany) will also lose the service provided by FOM.

Terrestrial television broadcasters will now be given improved content.

Germany was the first country to screen the sport on pay-per-view television in 1995, while the interactive service has spread across Europe in recent years.

PastyHusty

Listening to the radio between driver and team would make the qualifying session more interesting, but I still don't think it'll be as interesting as it has been.

I'm glad to see that PPV F1 is scrapped for next year.

ForeverInLoveWithJus

Formula One's Jordan team says it is confident it will prosper despite being rocked by the loss of a £15 million a year sponsorship deal with Deutsche Post.

The team says it is confident that it will secure alternative sponsorship before the start of the new season next March.

"We believe we've got a bloody good package for 2003 – the chassis is looking fantastic and we already know that the Ford engine is second to none," said Jordan's commercial director, Ian Phillips.

"We'd known about Deutsche Post's withdrawal for some time. We've mentally absorbed it – although we have yet to physically accept it. But we've got plenty more irons in the fire," he added.

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Brazilian Felipe Massa could be on his way to Jordan for the 2003 Formula One season after being dropped by Sauber.

A Jordan spokesperson confirmed that Massa was in the running for a drive but said no deal had been signed.

"We have had contacts with a number of drivers, including Massa, but nothing has been agreed," a Jordan spokeswoman said on Friday.

"There will be commercial considerations regarding the second race seat."

Massa is reported to have said that he thinks the deal is done and dusted.

"It's all decided, Eddie Jordan wants me in his team," he told the Autosport website.

Jordan have Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and Japan's Takuma Sato under contract for next season.

But Sato is in danger of losing out despite finishing fifth in the Japanese Grand Prix, the final race of the season.

Jordan have lost their principal backer Deutsche Post and have made no secret of the fact that sponsorship will dictate who partners Fisichella.

Massa would appeal to any South American sponsors, but Britons Eddie Irvine, ousted at Jaguar, and BAR test driver Anthony Davidson have also been linked to the team.

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Niki Lauda has confirmed he has been replaced as team principal of the Jaguar Formula One team.

Jaguar are set to reveal more details at a news conference in London at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

"I am surprised by this decision that was made last night," said the Austrian.

Lauda, a former world drivers' champion, only took up the position in August 2001.

But despite his appointment and hefty backing from US car giant Ford, the team have continued to underperform, finishing seventh overall this year.

They have also announced plans to axe between 40 and 60 staff as the global economic downturn bites hard.

In an attempt to improve their fortunes, Jaguar recently ditched drivers Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa.

Ironically, replacements Mark Webber and Antonio Pizzonia will begin testing in Barcelona on Tuesday.

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Renault are hoping to gain an early advantage when testing for the 2003 Formula One season begins on Tuesday.

The team, with Italian Jarno Trulli at the wheel, are in Valencia as the six-week post season testing ban comes to an end.

And the car running in Spain will be unusually similar to the one that starts the season in Australia in March.

Although it will have the same bodywork and aerodynamics as the 2002 car, the chassis, suspension, gearbox and engine will be the same as those used in Melbourne next season.

McLaren, Williams, Sauber and Minardi will also be in Valencia this week.

McLaren drivers David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen as well as Austrian test driver Alex Wurz are all due on track.

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya returns from his honeymoon to test for Williams with Spaniard Marc Gene and young Italians Giorgio Pantano and Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Five-times world champion Michael Schumacher is enjoying an extended break with his family and will not be taking part in testing with Ferrari until mid-January.

A Ferrari spokesman said Italian test driver Luca Badoer would be tyre testing in Barcelona.

Brazilian Luciano Burti will be working on components at Mugello in Italy from Wednesday.

Toyota's new line-up of Brazilian debutant Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis, will join Ferrari in Barcelona along with Jaguar and British American Racing.

Jaguar's new pairing of Australian Mark Webber and Antonio Pizzonia, another Brazilian debutant, will get down to serious work after replacing Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa.

BAR will have Briton Anthony Davidson testing the transmission and electronic components.

New signing Jenson Button will be joining the team when his contract with Renault expires at the end of the year.

Jordan, who will have a Ford Cosworth engine replacing their 2002 Honda engine next season, will also be sitting out testing until they have their new EJ13 car ready in January.

The new season starts in Australia on 9 March with revamped qualifying rules and a new system awarding points to the top eight finishers.

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Britain's Justin Wilson is on the verge of joining Formula One team Minardi after satisfying them he can squeeze safely into their 2003 car.

Wilson stands 6'3" tall and spent the weekend at Minardi's Faenza factory in Italy proving his height would be no obstacle.


Team boss Paul Stoddart said: "He fits in the car. It's only a mock-up but we know exactly what we have to do to get him in.

"So that side of it is fine and we've just got to do the commercial negotiations this week to see if we can go forward.

"He's still going to look like he's shoe-horned in, no matter what you do, but he fits.

"There were three key areas where he didn't fit into the 2002 car and they are now overcome for 2003."

Wilson was in the frame to replace Malaysian Alex Yoong for two races last season but was unable to fit into the car.

The drive eventually went to compatriot Anthony Davidson instead.

However, Stoddart promised that the Formula 3000 champion would remain in the frame for 2003 and Minardi would make sure their new car was roomy enough for him.

Minardi, ninth overall last season, have yet to name their line-up for next season after Australian Mark Webber signed for Jaguar and Yoong was not retained.

"It would be nice to know who our two drivers are before Christmas but I think we will definitely know one but we may not know the other until January," said Stoddart.

Meanwhile, Toyota will unveil their 2003 Formula 1 car at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on 8 January.

The Germany-based team are the second outfit to confirm their launch date, with Jaguar having announced theirs will be on 13 January.

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Formula One legend Jackie Stewart is recovering from an operation to remove a pre-cancerous tumour from his cheek, it has emerged.

The 63-year-old underwent successful surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA, earlier this month.

News of the operation only became known after Stewart attended a media conference to announce the dismissal of Niki Lauda as team principal of Jaguar.

The Scot retired as chairman and chief executive of Jaguar Racing in 2000 after his wife and son both developed cancer but he still has connections with the team.

A spokesman for the three-time world champion told the Daily Record newspaper: "Sir Jackie Stewart had a small pre-cancerous melanoma removed in an operation three weeks ago.

"The operation was 100% successful and doctors are delighted with his progress and condition."

Stewart's wife Helen is still recovering from breast cancer and just two years ago his son, Paul, was diagnosed with cancer of the colon, which is now in remission.

Sir Jackie formed Stewart Grand Prix with Paul in 1996 but they sold the team to Ford three years ago for £60m and it became Jaguar Racing.

Paul's own battle with cancer had already caused him to step down as chief operating officer of the team.

Sir Jackie was born in Dumbartonshire as the son of a garage owner and he entered Formula One, after a spell in F3, with the BRM team in 1965.

He won his first Grand Prix that year at Monza in Italy before going on to finish third in the World Championship in his first season.

Eventually Stewart would win 27 grands prix, becoming world champion in 1969, 1971 and 1973, as well as runner-up in 1968 and 1972.

He retired before the final race of the 1973 season - which would have been his 100th grands prix - after his team-mate Francois Cevert was killed in practice.

Later Stewart became a ceaseless campaigner for driver safety and he also took up commentating and other business ventures before setting up the team with his son.

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Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya made an immediate impression as Formula One's testing period began in Spain.

The Williams driver, who finished third in the world championships last season, recorded the fastest time at the circuit in Valencia with a time of one minute and 13.346 seconds.

The McLaren pairing of Alexander Wurz and Kimi Raikkonen were second and third, while Italian Giorgio Pantano claimed the fourth fastest time in the second Williams.

Sauber's Nick Heidfeld and Renault's Jarno Trulli were the only two other race drivers in action, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

Renault were using a hybrid car, comprising the new mechanical package of the R23, including engine and gearbox, and the aerodynamic package of last season's R202.

"We are quite satisfied with this first day of testing with the interim car," said technical director Mike Gascoyne.

"We didn't experience any mechanical problems and we were able to complete our programme, which was very positive."

At the other testing venue at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Ferrari's Italian Luca Badoer recorded the fastest time while team-mate Michael Schumacher enjoyed a break.

Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia, who had his first test for Jaguar since signing to partner Australian Mark Webber, finished the day behind Badoer in second place.

Frenchman Olivier Panis and Brazilian Cristiano Da Matta made their debuts for Toyota and finished third and fifth respectively.

Briton Anthony Davidson was fourth for British American Racing, but Webber suffered a tortuous opening day in his Jaguar, completing just three laps and failing to set a time.

Cart champion da Matta was two seconds slower than Panis in his first test for Toyota since joining the team.

"I need more mileage," said da Matta. "An F1 car is very different to the Champ Car I used to drive so I know it is going to take time."

Jordan, who will have a Ford Cosworth engine replacing their 2002 Honda engine next season, will be sitting out testing until they have their new EJ13 car ready in January.

André_ea

They can realyl need every advantage they can get