Motor Racing: Imola in doubt for next year: San Marino omitted in first draft of 1995 calendar

(First Edition) The San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, in Italy, where Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna were killed this year, may be omitted from next year's calendar.

According to reports, Formula One team members who have seen the 1995 provisional calendar, the San Marino race was absent from the first draft of the 1995 calendar, although a subsequent edition reinstated it with a provisional date.

Motor racing sources suggested the race may be dropped if the circuit was considered to be responsible for the deaths of Ratzenberger and Senna. A full report on the causes of Senna's death is expected to be announced by the Italian authorities this month.

The provisional calendar also includes an Argentinian Grand Prix in March, which would be the first race of the season, and a free date on 18 June which could be for a possible United States US Grand Prix at the Brandy Station circuit near Washington DC.

The immediate future in the sport of Peugeot, the French engine suppliers, is in doubt according to Jean-Pierre Jabouille, who is in charge of the Peugeot Sport team.

Peugeot, who have supplied McLaren this season, face the possibility of being displaced by Mercedes in 1995. Speaking at Jerez during last weekend's European Grand Prix, Jabouille said: 'Officially, we will still be with McLaren. Nothing has been said or done to change that yet. I hope we can be.

I hope we will at least be in Formula One. But at the moment, I don't know if we will be or not.'

If Peugeot do part company with McLaren, the Jordan and Larrousse teams are their most likely source of future involvement.

1995 GRAND PRIX CALENDAR (Provisional dates): March: 12 Argentina (Buenos Aires); 26 Brazil (Sao Paulo). April: 16 Pacific (Aida, Japan); 30 San Marino (Imola). May: 14 Spain (Barcelona); 28 Monaco. June: 11 Canada (Montreal); 18 To be announced. July: 2 France (Magny-Cours); 16 Great Britain (Silverstone); 30 Germany (Hockenheim). August: 13 Hungary (Budapest); 27 Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps). September: 10 Italy (Monza); 24 Portugal (Estoril). October: 8 Europe (Jerez, Sp); 29 Japan (Suzuka).

November: 12 Australia (Adelaide).