Pacific Grand Prix - - -A Grand Prix held twice in Japan (1994-95) at the 3.703-km TANAKA INTERNATIONAL circuit near Aida. Benetton-Ford driver, Michael Schumacher, won both races.
Pacific, Team - - -Spectacularly unsuccessful team which ran for one and one half seasons
Paddock - - -The home of the Grand Prix at each circuit; this is a secure area from which the Formula One teams operate and where all motorhomes and transporters are parked.
Paddock Club - - -The area at a Grand Prix where hospitality services are provided for VIPs and Special Guests, usually with direct access to designated grandstand seating. Drivers and senior team personnel often visit the Paddock Club to meet guests.
Panis, Olivier - - -Driving again for PROST, Olivier Panis has faded somewhat since his accident at Montreal in 1997. Admittedly, last season’s Prost was appalling, but he never seemed to get motivated. Perhaps now that the pins are out of his ankles, we will see him return to form
Participating cars - - -For a Formula One Grand Prix, grid size will be limited to 24 cars for 1999 (previously 26 cars) This should not cause any problems, as there are only 22 cars entered into the championship. When (if) HONDA and TOYOTA enter, however, at least one of them will have to buy an existing team in order to compete.
Paul Ricard - - -Race circuit in southern France, midway between Nice and Marseilles, and site of the FRENCH GRAND PRIX in 1971, 1973, 1975-76, 1978, 1980, 1982-83 and 1985-90. Famous for its dauntingly long Mistral Straight.
Pedralbes - - -Home of the first two editions of the SPANISH GRAND PRIX in 1951 and 1954.
Penalties - - -May be assessed by FIA officials for any number of sporting or technical infringements by teams or drivers. These can range from a 10-second "stop-and-go" penalty to complete exclusion from the final results and a substantial fine.
Pescara - - -A town in Abruzzi on the Adriatic coast of Italy and site of a Grand Prix in 1957. This was run on a 25.579-km road circuit and won by STIRLING MOSS in a VANWALL L4. JUAN-MANUEL FANGIO of Argentina captured pole position in a MASERATI 250F.
Petrobras - - -Brazilian-based provider of oils and lubricants, affiliated with the WILLIAMS GRAND PRIX team.
Petronas - - -Malaysian state-owned oil company, sponsor of the the RED BULL SAUBER PETRONAS F1 team, and has naming rights to Sauber's Ferrari-supplied V10 engines.
Peugeot - - -French vehicle manufacturer, now part of the PSA Group, which experienced great success in the World Rally Championship before moving into Formula One with a "works" engine programme. Currently supplies its V10 engines exclusively to the Prost team.
Phoenix - - -Capital of the State of Arizona and site of the UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX in 1989-91. All three races, run on a 3.72-km street course, were swept by McLAREN's MP4. Frenchman ALAIN PROST was victorious in 1989, with AYRTON SENNA of Brazil the winner in 1990-91.
Pit crew - - -Crew of mechanics responsible for the successful execution of all of a Formula One team's pit stops.
Pit lane - - -Designated strip of tarmac, located immediately in front of the pit garages, which provides cars with access to and from the race circuit. A strictly enforced pit-lane speed limit is set between 80-120km/h (50-74mph), depending on the circuit.
Pit stop - - -A (usually) scheduled stop during a race when a driver brings his car into the pits for refuelling and/or the fitting of fresh tyres. The timing and number of pit stops is an integral part of a Formula One team's race strategy.
Pole position - - -Choice position, at the head of a Formula One grid, allocated to the driver who records the fastest time in QUALIFYING.
Pollock, Craig - - -Managing Director of BRITISH AMERICAN RACING, former business manager of Jacques Villeneuve.
Porsche - - -Stuttgart-based manufacturer of highly successful roadgoing and racing sports cars, Porsche was responsible for designing the TAG-financed turbocharged V6 engine that powered MCLAREN drivers to three World Championships (1984, 1985, 1986). Porsche was also an F1 entrant in its own right between 1957 and 1964, DAN GURNEY taking one victory for the German team, at the 1962 FRENCH GRAND PRIX.
Porto - - -City on the Atlantic (west) coast of Portugal that played host to the PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX in 1958 and 1960, on a 7.5-km track.
Portuguese Grand Prix - - -Sporadically staged Grand Prix held on one of three tracks - PORTO, MONSANTO and ESTORIL. The first Portuguese Grand Prix took place at Porto in 1958, moved to Monsanto in 1959 and returned to Porto in 1960. The race was then dropped from the calendar for 25 years, returning in 1984 with a new home at Estoril. It continued there through 1996. The 1997 Portuguese Grand Prix was dropped from the FIA calendar when a governmental jurisdictional dispute arose over FIA track improvement demands.
Postlethwaite, Harvey - - -One of the most highly respected designers in Formula One, Dr Harvey Postlethwaite has enjoyed spells with many of the top teams during a 27-year career in the sport. These include MARCH, HESKETH, WOLF, and double stints with FERRARI and TYRRELL. Postlethwaite fulfilled the dual roles of Managing Director and Technical Director at Tyrrell in 1998, the team's final year of operation. He is presently working on the design for HONDA’s proposed return in 2000
PRDA - - - (Polish Racing Drivers of America) an exclusive club run by part time racing driver and full time nutter Oscar Koveleski only open to Polish racing drivers, Polish non-racing drivers, non-Polish racing drivers and non-Polish non-racing drivers, although non-drivers were also allowed to join. I was a member. Oscar, if you are still out there, get in touch with a fan!
Prost, Alain - - -Four-time World Drivers' Champion, nicknamed "The Professor" for his cerebral approach to motor racing, the little Frenchman drove for RENAULT, MCLAREN, FERRARI and WILLIAMS, but will probably be best remembered for his battles with arch-rival (and one-time teammate), AYRTON SENNA. Leads all drivers with 51 career victories.
Prost Grand Prix - - -Former Formula One driver, Alain Prost, completed his takeover of LIGIER three weeks before the start of the 1997 season and the name of the team was quickly changed to Prost Grand Prix. Prost switched from MUGEN-HONDA to PEUGEOT power for 1998, and retains its driver pairing of OLIVIER PANIS and JARNO TRULLI for 1999.