Flash.(Briefs)(Obituary)

Byrne will hang it up

Rory Byrne, the South African-born engineer who has been the chief chassis designer at Ferrari since Michael Schumacher lured him from retirement in 1996, has confirmed he will retire at the end of the 2006 season. With Schumacher, sporting director Jean Todt and technical director Ross Brawn, Byrne has been central to the success of the Italian team, which has won five drivers' championships and six constructors' titles under their direction. The contracts of all parties are set to expire at the end of 2006.

Escape

Meanwhile, both Byrne and Todt, who were on vacation in Asia, escaped the tsunami there. Byrne was in his home near the Thailand resort city of Phuket, an area hit by 12-foot tidal surges. Todt was in Malaysia with his girlfriend, actress Michelle Yeoh, visiting her parents. Both men called Maranello to tell the Ferrari team they were okay.

Albers to Minardi

Christijan Albers, a 25-year-old Dutchman who has finished second and third in the last two DTM touring car championships, returns to single-seat racing this season with the Minardi F1 team. The deal reunites the driver with team principal Paul Stoddart, who ran Albers in the FIA Formula 3000 series in 2000, the year after he won the German national Formula 3 title. Albers has been a regular driver in Minardi's fleet of two-seater promotional race cars and further impressed Stoddart in a test in Italy ...