MAGNY-COURS, France, 5 July 2003 — BAR drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button were given the go-ahead yesterday to race in the French Grand Prix after their team won a courtroom cash battle.
As Australia’s Mark Webber was setting the fastest time in the opening practice session, both men had to skip the action as their cars were still impounded following a demand for an alleged unpaid debt of three million dollars.
However, a commercial court in nearby Nevers ruled it was not qualified to hear a claim for the alleged debt dating back five years. BAR team principal David Richards said he was outraged at having to spend the morning in court and not at the track.
“It is quite staggering that the French legal system can be abused in this manner and it has to be a concern for every responsible and respectable team in the Formula One paddock that people can take advantage of the system and achieve what they did overnight.
“The method and validity of their way of going about their business has been brought into serious question,” added Richards who said he is contemplating legal action against his accusers. “I am taking advice. We can prove damages and it should be very interesting.” On Thursday, a bailiff, accompanied by five police officers, arrived at the track after a company, Partnership Production Group International, alleged they were owed compensation rising from a sponsorship deal five years ago. The cars of Villeneuve and Button were then impounded and locked away in the team’s transporters in the paddock ahead of yesterday’s court hearing. The team later issued a statement saying that at the first hearing on June 18, only the PPGI case had been aired. “The team was confident that once the court was made aware of the full situation, the original order would be overturned,” the statement said. “Further to proceedings at the Monaco Grand Prix, the team’s lawyers had been in discussion with those of PPGI with the clear objective of reaching a mutual agreement.
