The report by the English newspaper the Guardian are unconfirmed says BAT (British American Tobacco), but they don't deny it. The paper reported that BAT was ready to buy the Tyrrell F1 Team for 300 million pounds. And that they had signed Jacques Villeneuve for the 1999 season.

A company spokesman stated: It is just a continuation of the speculation which has surrounded BAT for some time and we cannot confirm anything at the moment."

They want to launch a Grand Prix team next month but do not want to comment on the details. The spokesman said: "I cannot confirm any details at this stage but we expect to be in a position to do so on 2 December."