News in brief

12th January 2008

Low-key policy suits Williams

There will be no glamourous official car launch from the Williams Formula One team this season. Instead, the outfit, based in Grove, Oxfordshire, will concentrate its resources on the forthcoming FW30. After an encouraging 2007 season, Williams is keen to develop its latest Toyota-powered machine.

Galli secures Ford Stobart rally seat

Italian rally ace Gigi Galli has secured a place in the Stobart Ford WRC team. The extrovert driver replaces Jarri-Matti Latvala, who has been promoted to the frontline BP outfit alongside fellow Finn Mikko Hirvonen. Galli will be behind the wheel of a Focus WRC, joining Brit Matthew Wilson and Norwegian Henning Solberg in the three-car team.

Chinese GP chief jailed over fraud

One of the key figures behind the Chinese Grand Prix has been jailed for four years. Yu Zhefei, the former manager of the Shanghai International circuit, was convicted of embezzling £69,500 when he was head of one of the city’s top football clubs in the Nineties. Zhefei helped attract Formula One to the track in 2004, but left his job in May 2007 after the scandal broke.