Last days for a dying breed of daredevils

Flavio Briatore, the head of Renault, has dismissed claims from Ralf Schumacher's camp that the German driver is on the verge of a move to the team.

Formula One World Drivers' Championship Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka

THE REST of the world seemed far more concerned than Edmund Irvine that he had lost his World Championship fight with Mika Hakkinen.

THE ENTIRE Ferrari team, who had a less than auspicious Grand Prix of Europe, were summoned to a two-and-a-half hour meeting with a disgruntled president, Luca di Montezemolo, yesterday.

THEY SAT together, the four contenders for the Formula One world championship, and only one of them played down his prospects here, leaving the others to advance their causes.

JAGUAR, THE most evocative name in British motor racing, formally joined the Formula One fold yesterday and confirmed an appropriately all- UK driver line-up in Eddie Irvine and Johnny Herbert.

EDDIE IRVINE yesterday revealed he left Ferrari as he was no longer prepared to continue with his long-standing role as the understudy to Michael Schumacher.

THE WORLD of motorsport has lost one of its most enduring and endearing characters with the death of Rivers Fletcher. This dashing, dapper man was for more than 70 years one of the sport's quietly ubiquitous figures, a profoundly dedicated custodian of what remains of its old Corinthian spirit and the last link with that glamorous group of square-jawed sybarites from the 1920s known as the "Bentley Boys".

THE SPECTRE of Michael Schumacher is ever more apparent and Eddie Irvine, conscious that the man is close to re-appearing in person, was at pains here yesterday to stress the merits of his own claims, over the Ferrari No 1, for official recognition as the team's championship contender.

Sir: It seems to me that Eddie Irvine's main problem in chasing the F1 drivers' title is not David Coulthard, nor Mika Hakkinen, but Jean Todt. With a car that is inferior to the McLarens, Eddie has scored points more consistently than any other driver this year, and one wonders what he has to do to win Todt's approval.

FERRARI ANNOUNCED yesterday that Michael Schumacher will not make a return to action at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix. Eddie Irvine and Mika Salo will continue as their drivers.