Unoff. HHF Fan Site: HHF News Archive 2002

Following two foreign rounds in Estoril in Portugal and in Adria in Italy, the DTM is now returning to Germany: from June 4 till 6, the EuroSpeedway Lausitz will be hosting the fourth round of the current season.

For Opel, the three proven works-teams will be taking part: the OPC Team Holzer with Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Timo Scheider and Manuel Reuter, the OPC Team Phoenix with Laurent Aiello, Marcel Fässler and Peter Dumbreck, all driving an Opel Vectra GTS V8, and the OPC Euroteam, that is entering an Opel Astra V8 Coupé for Jeroen Bleekemolen.

"After our two foreign rounds, we are happy that we are now racing in Germany again", says Opel motorsport-director Volker Strycek. "At the EuroSpeedway, we want to continue the good performance we showed there in previous years and achieve a good team result. We are expecting a good atmosphere with packed grand stands, because tickets are selling quite well."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen: "I am looking forward to the EuroSpeedway."

For Heinz-Harald Frentzen, the track in the Niederlausitz-region is unknown territory. "I have never driven there, I only know the EuroSpeedway from what I have seen on television. The entire facility seems to be very impressive. I am looking forward to getting to know the track. The team has provided me with extensive data, so that I have already had the chance to become familiar with the characteristics of the circuit. From a sporting point of view, I hope that we can continue at the point where we have stopped in Adria. I am still learning, but my performance is increasing at every race. When I succeed in not being pushed off the track by another driver this time, I hope to finish in the points."

Timo Scheider: "I am expecting exciting slipstream fights."

Timo Scheider, Frentzen’s team-mate at the OPC Team Holzer, has already known the EuroSpeedway since its opening in 2000. "This track provides quite a few opportunities for overtaking. At the straights, I am expecting some exciting slipstream fights", the Austrian-based driver says. He is impressed by the atmosphere: "It is like on an oval in America. The pit lane is in the shadow of the massive grand stand that always impresses me. Every time you drive out of the pit box, you see the crowd, which is always an extra motivation.” As far as his time schedule allows, Timo Scheider will also be watching the action in another race series at the EuroSpeedway: His fiancée Jasmin Rubatto will be racing in the new Mini-Challenge, that will have its first race together with the DTM.

A full programme for Opel: DTM and 24-hour race

After the DTM-race at the EuroSpeedway, another big event is ahead for Opel: on June 12 and 13, Opel is entering two Opel Astra V8 Coupés for the Int. ADAC 24-hour race at the legendary Nordschleife-circuit of the Nürburgring. Last year, Opel caught a lot of attention by claiming overall victory in this event. This year, the two Opel Astras, based on the competition car of the 2003 DTM, will once again be prepared and entered by the OPC Team Phoenix, that is located at the Nürburgring.

Opel will be taking part in the invitation race of the DTM in Shanghai on July 18 with three Vectra GTS V8s for Germans Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Timo Scheider and Swiss Marcel Fässler as well as one Astra V8 Coupé for Dutch driver Jeroen Bleekemolen.

Opel’s commitment to the race in eastern Asia, following an invitation by the municipal government of the city, underlines the significance of the Asian market for General Motors, Opel´s parent company. For the world’s largest automotive manufacturer, the Chinese market is an essential part of a global expansion strategy. In China, GM is already selling products under the Buick, Chevrolet, Wuling, Opel and Saab brands.

"With our participation in the invitation race in China, we are continuing a tradition in the DTM", says Opel motorsport director Volker Strycek. "The DTM is a series that is deeply rooted in Germany. Since the 1990s, there has been a tradition of invitation races, which brought the DTM among others to the fans in South-Africa. The invitation of the Shanghai government underlines the significance of the DTM, which will become the first international race series to race in Shanghai, even before Formula 1."

Chinese fans already know the DTM because of the television coverage by channel CC TV (Central China TV), that started its coverage at the second round of the DTM in Estoril.

In the first quarter of 2004, General Motors Asia Pacific (GMAP) earned 275 million US-Dollars, up from 75 million in the year-ago quarter. At the same time, the market share rose from 4.3 to 4.7 percent in the first three months of the current year, led by gains in China and India. The Opel Agila, Astra, Vectra 2.2 and 3.2, Zafira and Omega are being sold in China. Last year, Opel sold 1,837 cars in mainland China, while the GM China Group sold a record 386,710 vehicles.

2004-05-16

Opel scores its best DTM finish of season in the third round in Italy.

Opel recorded its best result of the DTM season so far at the state-of-the-art Adria International Raceway in Italy on Sunday, as Timo Scheider raced home in the top five, just ahead of the second highest placed Vectra GTS V8 racecar of former champion Laurent Aiello, who finished sixth from 20th on the grid.

The weekend started promisingly, with three Opels in the top 10 in the initial test session on Friday, led by Swiss driver Marcel Fässler (OPC Team Phoenix) in fourth position overall in the timesheets. A similar result was repeated in the afternoon session, with Manuel Reuter leading the way in his OPC Team Holzer-run Vectra GTS racecar on fifth position, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen seventh and Peter Dumbreck ninth. Fässler was fourth once again in Saturday's free practice, the final session before qualifying, backed up by Peter Dumbreck (OPC Team Phoenix) in sixth.

But it would be Frentzen that was Opel's leader in qualifying, the former F1 World Championship runner-up qualifying sixth in the Super Pole session, setting the fastest time of all in the middle sector of the lap. Scheider (OPC Team Holzer) was the only other Vectra driver in the Top 10 qualifying run-off, and he would start ninth.

"I am not really happy with today's performance, I prefer it when all our cars are as quick as Heinz-Harald," said Opel's motorsport chief Volker Strycek. "Frentzen did a great job, but our performance on the long runs is even better, and I hope we can show that in the race. The speed of our car is very good in the middle sector, but we are losing too much time in the last part of the lap."

Frentzen said: "I'm pleased with this result. Yesterday I was trying to learn the lines of the circuit, which is new to me, but I'm happy with the outcome of qualifying. The lap was okay, but it wasn't perfect, because I lost a lot in the first and last sectors. The middle one was perfect, however."

Scheider made a good start from ninth on the grid, in contrast to Frentzen who made a poor getaway. Timo lost some time when he was hit at Turn 2, but soon settled into a good rhythm, and passed reigning champion Bernd Schneider's Mercedes for seventh position on lap three. Frentzen was lining up Schneider for a pass when he was punted into a spin by the Audi of Christian Abt, who was given a drive-through penalty for the offence. That dropped Heinz-Harald to the tail of the field.

Scheider took full advantage when another pair of Audis collided, and following the first round of mandatory pitstops was running a solid fifth. With no more retirements in front of him, and a gap to the race leaders, Scheider reigning back his pace to preserve the car to bring it home safely. Behind him, Aiello drove a storming race to finish sixth from 20th on the grid.

Frentzen also starred as he battled back through the pack. He eventually finished 12th, despite damaging his car while fending off championship stalwart Bernd Schneider, whom he raced with in highly entertaining fashion. Manuel Reuter (OPC Team Holzer) finished 13th, ahead of the OPC Euroteam-run Astra Coupe of Holland's Jeroen Bleekemolen.

"I'm really happy about the performance of Timo, Laurent and Heinz-Harald," said Strycek. "I'm sure that Heinz-Harald knows all about what it takes to race in the DTM, coming from last position to finish 12th. His fight with Schneider was brilliant. Timo did a great job, he was hit at the second turn, but he did well to recover to finish fifth. The drive from Laurent makes me even more happy to have finished sixth from such a low starting position."

Scheider said: "It was a lonely race for me after the start. In the middle of the race I took off a bit of speed to make sure I'd make the finish. To finish fifth from ninth on the grid, and be close to the fastest lap time, is very satisfying. I look at my result as a step in the right direction."

Two Vectras failed to make the finish. Dumbreck, who was fourth fastest in the pre-race warm-up, was forced off the track on lap four, while Fässler was forced to pull into the pits with handling problems.

Strycek is upbeat about Opel's chances at the next round of the series, at EuroSpeedway Lausitz next month, where Opel finished on the podium last year. He said: "What we have to do is improve our qualifying pace, and that's what our focus is for Lausitz."

Opel celebrated the 20th anniversary of the OPC Euroteam, located in Arese, near Milan, at Adria, which is the local event for the team.

Opel opened its 2004 DTM account with a double points haul in Sunday's DTM season-opener at Hockenheim, with Peter Dumbreck and Timo Scheider both finishing in the top eight in their Vectra GTS V8 racecars.

The weekend started well, as Opel was on the pace throughout testing, ending Friday's first session with three cars in the top five. Laurent Aiello (OPC Team Phoenix) was fastest, with Scheider (OPC Team Holzer) and Marcel Fässler (OPC Team Phoenix) third and fifth respectively. Fässler was third fastest in the second test session, with new signing Heinz-Harald Frentzen (OPC Team Holzer) also in the top 10.

Qualifying was not so good, however, as Dumbreck hit the wall on his first flying lap in the Mercedes Arena when the rear wheels of his Valvoline-backed OPC Team Phoenix car locked-up under braking, causing him to spin. The car was severely damaged, and required his team to work through the night to get it back in shape for raceday.

Despite this problem, three Opels made it into the top 10 Super Pole qualifying session, with Scheider, Manuel Reuter (OPC Team Holzer) and Fässler all making it safely through. After the single-lap Super Pole session, they would start seventh, eighth and ninth respectively in Sunday's race, a little bit disappointing for Opel's motorsport boss Volker Strycek.

"Our qualifying result was not what we expected - we are not happy with the result," said Strycek. "We know that we can do better than this. We were right on the pace of Audi and Mercedes in testing, so that cannot have gone overnight. We have shown several times that we can do it, so we need to concentrate on doing that in the race."

The race did not start well, as both Scheider and Fässler were pushed into spins on the opening lap. Aiello led the initial Opel charge in eighth, ahead of Frentzen, who was acquitting himself well in the rough-and-tumble of the early laps. Dumbreck soon emerged as the star of the show, however, the Scot passing car after car as he worked his way through towards the front of the field.

The Scot briefly held second position during the pit stop cycle, but after making his own second stop became embroiled in a battle with the fifth placed Audi of Martin Tomczyk, which had started 19 positions ahead of him on the grid. Despite feeling he had the edge in terms of speed, Dumbreck wasn't able to pass the German and was forced to settle for sixth.

"My weekend got off to a bad start, but it finished with a good ending," said Dumbreck. "The car was very good in the race, and I gave it 100 per cent. I had a great race early on with my colleagues Aiello and Frentzen, and after I won that fight I was able to work my way towards the Audis. I caught up with Tomczyk near the end, but my tyres were pretty much finished, and I couldn't pass him. From last on the grid, I'm happy with sixth."

After his early setback, Scheider produced an equally praiseworthy performance to finish in the final points-paying position in eighth. He led a quartet of Opels, with Aiello, Reuter, Frentzen and Jeroen Bleekemolen's OPC Euroteam Astra Coupe next up. The Dutchman was the best-placed driver with one-year old machinery in the DTM-field. Fässler failed to finish when he hit a kerb heavily, which sent his car into a barrier. The Swiss escaped unscathed.

"This afternoon our lap times mirrored our effort," said Strycek. "Although we had some difficulties on the opening lap, which caused some damage, Peter and Timo have shown the developments we have made with the car. It was a much more encouraging performance for us than qualifying."

On the subject of Frentzen's first race for Opel, Strycek commented: "He drove a fine race. He wasn't to the fore, but it was a sensible drive. I know that he will soon get used to the DTM, and I know from testing he has the speed."

The DTM now moves on to its first round outside Germany of the season, at Estoril in Portugal on May 2.

The opening round of the 2004 DTM season will be taking place at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg on April 18.

With Frenchman Laurent Aiello, Scot Peter Dumbreck and Swiss Marcel Fässler for the OPC Team Phoenix and Germans Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Manuel Reuter and Timo Scheider for the OPC Team Holzer, six renowned drivers will be racing the new Opel Vectra GTS V8. Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen will be driving an Opel Astra V8 Coupé from last year, entered by the Italian OPC Euroteam.

"With these drivers, we certainly have the strongest line-up ever for Opel", says Opel’s motorsport manager Volker Strycek. "During the past few weeks, everyone involved on behalf of the teams and at the OPC-DTM-Center in Bobingen has been doing an excellent job. Within the shortest period of time, the race cars were built and we have completed an extensive test programme. Now, we are well prepared for the season opener."

In fact, the kick-off for the new DTM-season has already taken place: at the occasion of the official season presentation, drivers and teams from Europe’s premier touring car race series showed themselves to a huge audience in the inner city of Hamburg. No less than 22,000 visitors came to watch the DTM live at the market square in front of the town hall in Hamburg on the last Tuesday of March. Activities included autograph and interview sessions, pit stops and driving demonstrations at a temporary race track along the Binnenalster. "This close interaction with the public is unique", said former F1-star Heinz-Harald Frentzen, whose autographs were in great demand in Hamburg.

On the second joint DTM test driving in Brno, Czechia, Heinz-Harald Frentzen made the minimum time of all rounds in an Opel Vectra GTS V8. The German driver from the city of Mönchengladbach relegated his brand colleague Marcel Fässler, who at forenoon had been on top of the list, on rank two, outperforming him by 5/1000 of a second.

While the wheather was sunny, the Opel duo beat their competitor Bernd Schneider in his AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse by more than half a second.

"Brno is a most welcome change to Estoril, since the course provides interesting curve combinations", says the day's fastest driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen. "We had the chance to gain experience and data. The course's characteristics are completely different from, say, Estoril." His brand colleague Marcel Fässler, too, gave a positive résumé after day one of test driving: "We are most content with the test. Naturally, there are still a few things left to sort out. But we now do know what we have to work on. We are in it."

Very much like two weeks ago during test drives in Estoril, Portugal, Audi's drivers went smooth. Emanuele Pirro made a fifth place on the 5,403 km "Autodromo Brno" circuit, driving a 1:55.001 minutes in an Audi A4 DTM, thereby staying behind young Mercedes talent Gary Paffett. He was followed Tom Kristensen on the sixth rank, who stayed behind by 32/100 of a second.

"This was a very good day. Once more, I learned a lot about DTM", Pirro resumed in the evening. "We tried different things with the car and we collected important data." Mattias Ekström, who was seventh, added: "We managed the whole of our testing programme and we obtained valuable data. The course is extremely fast. Third gear is lowest possible."

The DTM is headed for a particularly special season in 2004. The DTM driver line-up has never been so top-class: Heinz-Harald Frentzen (three-time Formula 1 winner and 1997 vice-world champion) is driving for Opel in 2004, Frank Biela (DTM champion in 1991) is making his comeback to the DTM with Audi after an absence of 13 years. And: Bernd Schneider, the most successful driver in the history of the DTM, is again competing for Mercedes-Benz. All three makes have developed completely new racing cars - and all the new vehicles are four-door instead of the previously raced Coupés. Audi, Opel and Mercedes-Benz are competing with racing versions of their bestsellers A4, Vectra and the C-class and by doing so are making an even stronger endorsement of the DTM. The four-door car also represents a return to the classic touring car.

The class of 2004 - 21 drivers start for Audi, Opel and Mercedes-Benz DTM partners ARD and ZDF will be broadcasting the DTM races live for the fifth year in a row. All 10 races will start at 14.00, while broadcasts will alternately begin at 13.45. It will also be worthwhile attending in person: the new DTM season begins on April 16-18 at the Hockenheimring Baden-Wuerttemberg with family-friendly ticket prices and a unique event concept. The DTM took its leave in front of 105,000 spectators before the winter break at the same place.

Audi: Factory-backed return to the DTM
Audi is once again competing factory-backed in Europe’s most popular touring car racing series more than a decade after the triumphal procession of the Audi V8 quattro. The Ingolstadt-based manufacturer has pulled together a strong line-up with 1991 DTM champion Frank Biela, Italian Emanuele Pirro and Dane Tom Kristensen as well as the established drivers Christian Abt (D), Martin Tomczyk (D) and Mattias Ekström (S).

"The A4 is tailormade for the new technical specifications of the DTM", said Audi motorsport head Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "It can also look back on a long tradition in the sport of touring cars." The team, backed by the works teams of Joest and Abt Sportsline, wants to match the success that Audi enjoyed with the A4 when it won many international titles between 1995 and 1999. "The primary aim for us is to be able to triumph", said Frank Biela.

Opel: strong line-up, high motivation
Opel is entering the new DTM season with a newly drawn up driving team. Former Formula-1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, three-time DTM winner Marcel Fässler (CH) as well as 2002 DTM champion Laurent Aiello (F) are the spectacular new entries for the Ruesselsheim carmaker. Timo Scheider, Peter Dumbreck, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Manuel Reuter complete the line-up. "This is the strongest driver line-up that Opel has ever had", said Opel sports head Volker Strycek. "This will naturally spur us on even more."

Just as spectacular as the new line-up is also the look of the Opel Vectra GTS V8, which with its interesting sponsors brings even more colour onto the DTM grid: men’s magazine Playboy and current affairs magazine Stern are advertising on the Opel winners. Alongside the new Opel Vectra GTS V8, which is being used by the OPC teams Phoenix and Holzer, an Opel Astra V8 coupé will be driven by Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen.

Mercedes-Benz: new car, well-established team
At Mercedes-Benz the four-door Mercedes-Benz C-class is also superseding the hitherto used CLK coupé. Apart from the four new cars which will be driven by champion Bernd Schneider, former Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi, Briton Gary Paffett and vice-champion Christijan Albers, the Stuttgart manufacturer is relying on four of last year’s successful cars for Markus Winkelhock, Jarek Janis, Bernd Maylaender and Stefan Muecke.

"Audi and Opel have substantially strengthened themselves this year and I therefore expect that the coming season will be even harder, perhaps the hardest ever", said Mercedes motorsport head Norbert Haug. "Our drivers’ team consists of a good mix between experienced drivers and young talent. The test drives in the new C-class have shown that the team around Gerhard Ungar have formed a good foundation for the new season."

Only a few days left before the DTM presentation in the Hanseatic City of Hamburg. Fans should brace themselves for an extraordinarily spectacular event. On 30th March, as of 12pm, things will literally be going full tilt on Hamburg’s historic market square.

All of the DTM drivers will be available for autographs and Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Opel racing cars can be examined at close quarters.
The DTM bolides can also be admired in action - visually and acoustically - at various driving demonstrations. And some inside information for autograph hunters: There will be a DTM gala evening in Hamburg’s town hall the night before, with all DTM drivers invited. The guests will arrive at the historic market square as of 6.30 pm.

Late news from 22-Feb-2004:

During the past few days, Opel has completed a test session with the new Opel Vectra GTS V8 at the race track in Estoril, Portugal. During the test, Opel works-drivers Laurent Aiello, Marcel Fässler, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Manuel Reuter, as well as test driver Marcel Tiemann were out on the track. For the works-drivers, it was the first experience with the new Opel-DTM-race car.

"Being back behind the wheel of a race car after the long winter break is nice. The new Vectra gives a very good feeling and has a lot of potential", the 2002 DTM-champion Laurent Aiello reported after his first outing with the Opel.

Former F1-star Heinz-Harald Frentzen was satisfied, too: "The Vectra GTS V8 was much fun to drive right away."

Opel’s motorsport manager Volker Strycek commented: "This test was a major point in our programme in preparation for the new season. On the various days, we had many different weather conditions which didn’t make things particularly easy. But still, we have managed to complete a big part of our plan and acquired further valuable experience."

In the next few weeks, the testing programme with the Opel Vectra GTS V8 will continue.

The new DTM-season starts at the Hockenheimring Baden-Wuerttemberg on April 18. The former Grand Prix-track near Lisbon will be hosting the second season round of the DTM on May 2.

During the press conference, Opel also announced its team-line up for the new season. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Manuel Reuter and Timo Scheider will each be driving an Opel Vectra GTS V8 for the OPC Team Holzer, while the OPC Team Phoenix will be running cars for Laurent Aiello, Peter Dumbreck and Marcel Fässler.
"We are continuing our co-operation with the teams OPC Team Holzer, OPC Team Phoenix and OPC Euroteam, because in the past years, it has proven to be effective", says Opel's motorsport manager Volker Strycek.

There is only three months before the new DTM season kicks off at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg. With new big names such as Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Frank Biela, as well as Audi works power and brand-new DTM cars from Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Opel, it promises to be a fantastic season. On April 18 the lights will go green for the series’ fifth season. The championship consists of ten rounds, six of them taking place in Germany and four in other European countries.

Apart from the Hockenheimring, venue of the season opener and the last round of the championship, the German rounds will take place at the traditional DTM venues of the Nürburgring, EuroSpeedway Lausitz and Norisring. Furthermore, the Motopark Oschersleben has returned onto the DTM calendar as a racing highlight for Northern Germany and second DTM event in Eastern Germany. The last DTM event at Oschersleben, in 2001, was a big success and a complete sell-out. For two of the European rounds, DTM returns to the Circuit Park Zandvoort (NL) and to the Adria Raceway (I) near Venice, while Estoril (Portugal) and Brno (Czech Republic) are new venues on the DTM calendar.

“Particularly last year, DTM experienced a huge upswing and a true spectator boom”, said ITR chairman Hans Werner Aufrecht. 632,000 spectators at the ten 2003 DTM events represent an increase of about 16.4 percent compared to 2002. “We are looking forward to our traditional venues but also to the new DTM rounds taking place at Estoril and at Brno”, added Aufrecht. “Both circuits have already hosted exciting DTM races in the 1990s.”

Furthermore, the established partners of DTM will once again spice up the show in 2004: Formula 3 Euro Series, Formula BMW ADAC Championship, ADAC VW Polo Cup (successor of ADAC VW Lupo Cup) and Porsche Carrera Cup will all be support races of DTM.

Provisional 2004 DTM calendar
18th April 2004 Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg(GER)
2nd May 2004 Estoril(P)
16th May 2004 Adria Raceway(I)
6th June 2004 EuroSpeedway Lausitz(GER)
27th June 2004 Norisring(GER)
1st August 2004 Nürburgring(GER)
8th August 2004 Motopark Oschersleben(GER)
5th September 2004 Circuit Park Zandvoort(NL)
19th September 2004 Brno(CZ)
3rd October 2004 Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg(GER)

Team Sauber Petronas drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished ninth and 13th respectively in today's Italian Grand Prix.

Nick Heidfeld
"During my first pit stop we changed the front wing adjustment on my car and after this it was going well. I had a good race until I had to let Gene lap me on the last lap. At the same moment Alonso, who was right behind me, took the chance to overtake. He had got close to me in the first place because I'd been baulked badly by Baumgartner for several laps and had thus lost valuable ground."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen
"When I came out of the chicane right at the end I heard a strange noise in the area of the transmission and then the car just lost drive. I don't know exactly what broke. Up until that point I'd been having a really good race and the car was going well. It would have been so nice to finish in the points ..."

Willy Rampf - Technical Director
"Our race result is very disappointing considering that Heinz-Harald was running in seventh position and Nick ninth only two laps from the end. Then Heinz-Harald was forced to retire due to a technical problem which awaits analysis, and to our intense disappointment Nick was passed by Alonso on the very last lap and thus lost a valuable championship point."

It was announced this weekend that Giancarlo Fisichella will join Sauber next year. For the Italian driver, this move is dictated by his desire to eventually become a Ferrari driver.

Giancarlo didn't have too many other choices than to join Sauber since all the top teams have already booked their driver line-ups for next year. At least the Italian got a few technical guarantees from Ferrari and he will have a new teammate as well: Felipe Massa, this year's reserve driver at Ferrari.

Leaving Jordan didn't create any problems for Giancarlo. The transition should be smooth and easy. "I never tried to hide the fact that I was going to leave at the end of the season and that my goal was to join one of the top three teams. Eddie Jordan even wanted to help me achieve my goal. But it was not possible and I signed a contract with Sauber and I am very happy. I leave Jordan that is actually going through difficult times but it is still a very professional team, starting with Gary Anderson who was already there in 1997."

The Jordan era is almost over for Fisichella, who is now thinking about next year. The Italian claims that he received technical guarantees and some may be coming from Ferrari : "Sauber is not having a good season", said Giancarlo. "But it is because of their car, which is not very efficient. Peter Sauber gave me some technical guarantees that were good enough to convince me."

Included in these technical guarantees is the new state-of-the-art wind tunnel that will be up and running in March 2004. Ferrari is said to be very interested to use the new facility. On the other hand, Felipe Massa will go back to Sauber next year and the news should be confirmed sometime before the Italian Grand Prix.

Team Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld finished ninth in today's Hungarian Grand Prix, but Heinz-Harald Frentzen was forced to retire on lap 48.

"On one hand it's a shame to finish ninth, just out of the points, but on the other, looking at the drivers who finished in front of me, I think I did a good job", said Nick Heidfeld. "The start was quite good initially but when it got chaotic I wasn't able to move up as much as I thought I would be able to. My result also confirmed once again the improvements we made to the C22 over the past weeks. We were able to score better than our direct competitors who are using the same tyres, Jordan and BAR."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen was not able to reach the finish line. "This race was a pleasure for me until I ran out of fuel", said a disappointed Frentzen. "The team obviously instructed me to come into the pits but the radio didn't work, so I didn't hear them. When they indicated to me with my pit stop board, I was just behind Kiesa and didn't see the signal. It's a sum of unlucky circumstances."

Peter Sauber, Team Principal at Sauber, commented : "Despite the test break in August we've been able to make clear steps forward. Nick had a very good race and the chosen strategy was the optimum. We can say that both chassis and engine were working perfectly today. Heinz-Harald had a rather unlucky weekend. Due to a mistake by the team he was handicapped in yesterday's qualifying, and today he ran out of fuel due to unfortunate circumstances."

The Sauber Petronas drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will start tomorrow's Hungarian Grand Prix in 11th and 17th places respectively after the second qualifying session.

Nick Heidfeld is happy with his result, which he believes confirms the improvements made to this year’s chassis.

"I'm quite happy with my lap time even though I made a bit of a mistake in the second corner. In general, this result confirms the improvements we have made recently to the C22. This morning we did some long runs and improved there, too, so I'm optimistic for the race tomorrow."

However, it wasn’t such a good session for team-mate, Frentzen, who says that his car was difficult to drive and that he made the best of a bad situation.

"The car was oversteering quite a bit which made the handling difficult. I think to do better was not possible. My mistake in the second corner didn't actually cost me that much time, but we need to look at the data analysis before we can understand why I lost time in the second sector."

Team Principal, Peter Sauber, was overall pleased with his team’s performance today, and is looking forward to the race tomorrow.

"Nick was able to endorse the upward trend we have shown recently and was able to achieve a strong lap ahead of our two direct competitors, Jordan and BAR. Heinz-Harald couldn't use the potential of his C22 to the full. We are now looking forward to an exciting race, which is surely guaranteed when you look at the mix of the starting grid."

Sauber Petronas have signed Giancarlo Fisichella as a new driver from the 2004 season onwards. The 30-year-old Italian entered into a two-year contract with the Swiss team.

Expressing his enthusiasm about signing Fisichella, Team Principal Peter Sauber said, "I've been watching Giancarlo's career for years and consider him one of the best drivers in Formula One. He's not only quick but a strong fighter as well, who never gives up and makes the best of any situation. We've been in contact with Giancarlo before, and I'm very happy that, now, we've been able to sign him for our team."

Giancarlo Fisichella, too, is optimistic about his future: "In mid-August, I met with Peter Sauber and Technical Director Willy Rampf in Hinwil and immediately had a positive feeling. The new wind tunnel, in particular, highly impressed me. It proves that the team has a lot of potential and the will to be successful. I'm looking forward to my new challenge."

Giancarlo Fisichella entered Formula One in 1996 and has since participated in 119 Grand Prix races. In April of this year he won the Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos.

Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished 10th and 11th fastest respectively after the first qualifying session on Friday for the Hungarian Grand Prix, and will therefore start the qualifying session on Saturdayin 11th and 10th positions.

Nick Heidfeld is particularly pleased with the result, stating that the improved performance of the car is now beginning to shine through, although he is disappointed with his own mistake in the early part of his lap.

"I am happy that now it has become obvious how much we have improved the C22's performance, because it was not so clear in the last two races", he explained.

"I have mixed feelings about today's qualifying because of my mistake in the first corner this afternoon, when I got into the dirt off line. I was able to learn quite a bit about the tyre performance from the other drivers who did their flying lap before me, and therefore chose to run a rather conservative out lap to conserve my tyres as they can start to grain quickly under these track and weather conditions.

"This decision turned out to be right and allowed me also to score this fast lap, but I could have been faster still."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen believes that the entire team worked well today, but admits he lost a lot of time due to graining of the tyres.

"I think Nick and I have done a really good lap! Unfortunately I lost some time in the third sector due to graining and so the tyres' performance decreased and I wasn't able to attack any more. In the morning I also suffered graining, particularly on the new sections of the track surface."

However, this doesn’t seem to pose much of a problem for team-boss, Peter Sauber, who is thrilled with today’s outcome.

"Friday qualifying is a pleasure again", he enthused. "The hard work of the last few weeks has reaped a dividend and I thank our development team and, of course, our drivers, for doing their jobs with such effective commitment today."

Team Sauber Petronas driver Nick Heidfeld finished 10th in today's German Grand Prix, but Heinz-Harald Frentzen was forced to retire on the opening lap after becoming an innocent victim of the accident in the first corner.

Nick Heidfeld:
"After the start I was able to pass some cars. I felt confident I could score some points after the accident at the start. To begin with my race was okay and I got closer to Button's BAR. The balance of my car was good, but I knew that I had to be careful to conserve the rear tyres. From the middle of the race I also had to be cautious with the brakes, although that didn't actually influence the car's performance."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen:
"Straight after the start there was a crash right in front of me. Everyone hit the brakes, but behind me someone obviously didn't realise that there was an accident and crashed into me. I lost my rear wing and came into the pits hoping that the race might be stopped and that I could take over the T-car, but instead the safety car was deployed. My car was too badly damaged, so that was the end of my race."

Peter Sauber:
"For reasons that escape me Heinz-Harald was hit right after the start by Firman, and Nick could not do better than 10th place."

The Sauber Petronas drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will start tomorrow's German Grand Prix in 15th and 14th places respectively after the second qualifying session.

Nick Heidfeld:
"I am not happy with my lap time. The warm-up went pretty well and things looked promising. I had problems finding a good balance this morning, but after trying scrubbed tyres in practice we were confident that would help for qualifying. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. This afternoon I had really bad understeer again, particularly in the first corner and the first sector in general, which ruined the handling."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen:
"I am quite happy with my qualifying result. In contrast to yesterday I did a good lap without any mistakes. The first sector especially was good, and overall it was a good lap."

Peter Sauber:
"This is the result that we expected after this morning's practice sessions. The weather forecast for the race tomorrow says that it's going to be very hot again, with an ambient temperature up to 34 degrees Celsius, and track temperature up to 50, so tyre performance will undoubtedly play a deciding role."

Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished 14th and 13th fastest respectively after today's first qualifying session for the German Grand Prix, and will therefore start tomorrow's qualifying session in seventh and eighth positions.

Nick Heidfeld:
"I think my lap was okay. I didn't get the best out of the car because in the free practice this morning I destroyed the floor when I ran wide in the first corner, and also I didn't run with a low fuel load so I didn't really know what to expect from the car this afternoon. Beside this, the front tyres began graining from the middle of the lap, generating understeer."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen:
"Today I made my first mistake of the season in qualifying. In the first turn I went off track and lost quite a lot of time. The rest of my lap was fantastic! I think this track suits us, because without that mistake we'd have been close to the top 10."

Peter Sauber (Team Principal):
"At the moment we are measuring ourselves against BAR, who made a lot of progress this season and run with the same tyre brand. Despite Heinz-Harald's mistake in the first corner the gap between us and BAR has become a lot smaller, which is encouraging."

Peter Sauber revealed here Friday that his team will scrap their test team and take part in the private Friday morning testing sessions next season.

The Swiss team, one of only three non manufacturer-backed outfits on the grid, insisted the move is not a cost-cutting measure, but a tactical one aimed at improving their performance.

Four of the ten Grand Prix teams - Renault, Jaguar, Jordan and Minardi - currently run in the two-hour private testing sessions before each Grand Prix and it has proven to give them an advantage in setting up their cars.

Sauber, who are instead allowed unlimited testing along with the other six teams on the grid throughout the season, will give that up in favour of two hours at each circuit and 20 days of testing per year.

The Grand Prix circus will visit two new tracks, in China and Bahrain, next season and team principal Sauber said: "Two additional hours of testing will be a huge bonus at those circuits."

"That is one reason why we consider it an advantage. In addition, not all of the testing we have done over this year has produced the results we expected to get."

"And we are also building a new wind tunnel which allows full scale running so we will then have the opportunity to do some of the track testing that we currently do in the tunnel itself."

The sport's governing body, the FIA, have not set a deadline for teams to sign up to the testing scheme, but Sauber have decided to announce their decision now to allow them to restructure.

Sauber explained: "If we do not test as we do now then we don't need a test team so we can make structural changes and by announcing now we have time to do it."

The team Sauber Petronas drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz- Harald Frentzen finished 17th and 12th respectively in today's British Grand Prix.

Nick Heidfeld:
"The race was very disappointing, even though I made a good start that won me some positions. When the safety car came out the second time because of the spectator on the track we decided that I should come into the pits earlier than scheduled. Then I had a flat right front tyre and had to pit again, so Fisichella passed me. That time the team filled the tank to the brim, which had enabled me to make it to the end. But it also made the car's balance difficult, and at the same time I was told to save fuel so I couldn't drive at maximum speed. Then the engineers warned me that the front right tyre pressure was too low, so I was forced to make a third stop."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen:
"I cannot say what happened at the start. All I know is that luckily I could stagger off the line. We need to analyse the data. Later I was able to make up some places and I wanted to come into the pits during the first safety car period, but we decided I should stay out. When the safety car was deployed the second time I came into the pits right behind Nick, and lost time. This race was definitely packed with excitement, with the spectator running on to track, Fisichella going off the road right in front of me, and finally Panis nearly hitting me as he came out of the pits."

Peter Sauber:
"I believe that we could have retrieved something from our difficult initial situation. The cars performed well, particularly Heinz-Harald's. The strategies were optimal as well, but the race was packed with incidents for both drivers. Heinz-Harald was not able to start well, most probably due to a problem in the launch system which must await analysis. He then had to chase up from the back. But he was able to attack Panis in the last third of the race. Nick was able to gain some positions before he had to come into the pits because of a flat right front tyre, and after this extra stop he had no further influence on the race result."

The Sauber Petronas drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will start tomorrow's British Grand Prix in 16th and 14th places respectively after the second qualifying session.

Nick Heidfeld :
"I'm not quite happy with my lap. It was my most difficult qualifying of the year! I didn't get the balance of the car right and was struggling a lot. It was also very windy on the track which put things topsy-turvy. But we will see how it goes tomorrow."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen :
"I think I had a good lap although I must admit that I made a mistake braking into Abbey, which is why I didn't hit the apex there. I already had a good warm-up and could improve my lap time thanks to a well balanced car. Today we had sunny weather, but I must confess that I'm hoping and counting on rain for tomorrow."

Peter Sauber:
"We cannot be satisfied with the starting positions 14 and 16, but this is what we had to expect. In recent years Silverstone has had some turbulent races and this could make the Grand Prix tomorrow particularly interesting and the result difficult to predict."

The team Sauber Petronas drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished 13th and 12th respectively in today's French Grand Prix.

Nick Heidfeld :
"I had an average start - I neither won nor lost positions. We decided upon a two-stop strategy, but now I am not sure whether this was the right step. My biggest difficulty today was an electronic problem selecting the lower gears, and at my second pit stop there was a problem with the right front wheelnut."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen :
"I was on a three-stop strategy and I think that was a good decision. The car was well-balanced, but I had to look in the mirrors a lot as I was lapped quite a few times. At my last pit stop there was a misunderstanding and that's why I left the pits too early, before my crew had finished the refuelling. Fortunately no-one got hurt. I apologise for this incident."

Peter Sauber :
"We could not expect more than this result, although you're always hoping to score a point. But we are happy that we have regained our mechanical reliability, which was our strength at the beginning of this season. Negative was that Jaguar overtook us. The three-stop strategy with Heinz-Harald was a good decision, but I have to say now that the two-stop strategy chosen for Nick was wrong."

The Sauber Petronas drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will start tomorrow's French Grand Prix in 15th and 16th places respectively after the second qualifying session.

Nick Heidfeld:
"I think I had a good run but nevertheless I am not happy with my result. I am now hoping for a problem-free race, such as I had at the Nürburgring a week ago which proved that we can perform well under good conditions. But we have to wait and see how it will be tomorrow."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen:
"I had a good lap, but it was impossible to achieve more today. My car suffered from understeer and some tyre graining, but we expected that."

Peter Sauber (Team Principal):
"We are not happy with these positions, that's for sure. But from a factual point of view we had to expect them. We were hoping to get closer to the BAR cars. But the clear difference to the first half of the table is a matter of tyres, rather than the performance of the car itself."

Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished fourth and ninth fastest respectively after today's first qualifying session for the French Grand Prix, and will therefore start tomorrow's qualifying session in 17th and 12th positions.

Nick Heidfeld :
"I am happy about my fourth place today, although you have to take into consideration that the weather conditions basically decided the finishing order. I was one of the last drivers going out on intermediate tyres, and think I had a good run."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen :
"I think my lap was all right under those circumstances. In the morning there was heavy rain and the track was very wet. Later it started to clear up and so we had fairly dry track conditions while qualifying. It would have been nice if it was the starting grid!"

Peter Sauber (Team Principal) :
"The ranking today is quite interesting. This is actually what Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley wanted to see, and if the spectators like it too, then it's even better for Formula One. However, we probably will not be able to exploit today's gained knowledge tomorrow because if it is dry then we will all have to start again from zero."

The team Sauber Petronas drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished eighth and ninth respectively in today's European Grand Prix as the team scored one point.

Nick Heidfeld :
"After I didn't get a timed qualifying lap yesterday I decided to start the race from the pit lane. At the beginning it was not easy to pass both Minardi drivers and I also got stuck behind Villeneuve. But after that the car was going well. I am just very happy about my result!"

Heinz-Harald Frentzen :
"My congratulations to Nick! I am happy for him and for the whole team! We have scored one point and also both cars were undamaged today and we were both able to finish the race. Normally, this shouldn't be unusual, but after yesterday's qualifying session our results today are a surprise to me. At the beginning I was fighting with Firman, but then I was able to get on with my own race and I'm happy to finish in the top 9."

Peter Sauber :
" To score one point after starting the race from the pit lane is a fantastic achievement, particularly considering our current situation! The fact that both Nick and Heinz-Harald finished in the top 9 clearly shows the good performance of our team and, of course, the drivers. In comparison with our competitors the improvement in the performance of the car was also clearly visible."

"Unfortunately we couldn't make more out of it from our starting positions. Thank you to the whole team. This weekend for us was like sitting a really tough exam, which we have passed."

Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will start tomorrow's European Grand Prix in 20th and 15th places respectively after the second qualifying session.

Nick Heidfeld: "I have to say a big 'thank you' to my crew after they changed the engine in very little time just before the qualifying session. That was a fantastic achievement! Unfortunately, I then suffered from a technical problem with the downshift while braking for the first corner, so I didn't have a chance to make it."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen: "I had to change to the T-car just before the qualifying. We didn't have the chance to set it up properly and I had quite a lot of understeer. But with my result we are not far away from our target for tomorrow. It's a shame for Nick. I wish we had two T-cars available!"

Peter Sauber (Team Principal): "Today required strong nerves! After two engine problems in the warm-up, the causes of which we are still analysing, Nick's car needed an engine change and Heinz-Harald had to switch to the T-car. Due to the new regulations it's not allowed anymore to do an installation lap with the T-car. Under those circumstance Heinz-Harald's result is gratifying. In Nick's case we had to achieve the impossible task of changing the engine in 32 minutes. Already after 25 minutes we were able to fire it, and after 28 Nick was ready to go. This was fantastic, and a very impressive achievement. My sincere compliments to our mechanics - if only everything would go that well! Unfortunately Nick wasn't able to exploit this excellent work as an as-yet undefined hydraulic downshift problem was responsible for his spin in the first corner."

Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished 13th and 10th fastest respectively after today's first qualifying session for the European Grand Prix, and will therefore start tomorrow's qualifying session in 8th and 11th positions.

Nick Heidfeld:
"Because of the heavy rain which started after the first half of the qualifying session, I had to go out on extreme wet weather tyres but still had to struggle like several other drivers before and after me with serious aquaplaning on the track. Nevertheless, I think I made the most of it under those very difficult conditions. Having finished 13th is quite a good result given those circumstances, given that this was quickest in the rainy conditions."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen:
"On the whole it was a good lap until the final sector. The two previous sectors were good, but by the third it had begun to rain and the last chicane was quite slippery already and therefore difficult. I probably lost four tenths of a second in that sector."

Peter Sauber (Team Principal):
"If we consider only this qualifying session then I am quite satisfied with the results. Although it started to drizzle in the final sector Heinz-Harald still performed well. Nick had to go out in the extreme wet yet still finished quickest in the conditions."

It definitely wasn’t the Canadian Grand Prix Sauber Petronas had hoped for when both drivers, Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, were forced to retire before the finish of the race.

Heinz-Harald suffered from a failure of the main electronic control and the German is extremely disappointed with the result. He lost several places at the start of the race and was busy fighting his way back when he was forced to abandon all hope of seeing the chequered flag.

"At the start I lost some places but I was just about fighting to come up again when the automatic gear system failed and the revs suddenly soared", he explained. "There was an electronic problem between the engine and the gearbox, but the cause still needs analysing. Of course I am very disappointed, and it is also a shame for Nick. I think in better circumstances we should have been able to score points today."

Teammate Nick Heidfeld lasted a little longer, however he too was forced to abandon the 70 lap event, his Sauber C22 suffering with yet another engine problem. Nick makes no bones about the fact that he has suffered this problem too many times this season already and he is feeling very frustrated as a result.

"In my opinion we have suffered from too many engine failures this season already! Apart from this the main problem I had today was the launch control", he said. "Usually I have good starts, but today it simply didn't work out. As a consequence I lost some places on the first lap and got stuck behind Villeneuve, which cost me time. Later on I was able to make up two places but the fact that I had to retire once again due to an engine problem leaves me feeling very frustrated."

"Apart from the subsequent technical problems our chances of points had gone already after the start", added team boss Peter Sauber. "Both drivers lost places and got stuck behind Villeneuve as the rest of the field got bottled up behind him. Heinz-Harald had to retire due to a defect in the electronics, and Nick suffered an engine failure."

Sauber Petronas drivers Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld will start tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix in 10th and 12th places respectively after the second qualifying session held here at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this afternoon. Frentzen, the quicker of the two, bounced back after earlier problems and is quite happy to finish up on row five.

"I am happy with my result considering the hectic circumstances during the warm-up", he explained. "In the morning the team was quite busy due to my crash and then the engine failure we suffered, but luckily they were able to fix the car just in time. Thanks to my team for their good job!"

Meanwhile, teammate Nick Heidfeld is a little disappointed, especially after starting from fourth last. The young German had a really strong run in the wet here yesterday, however realistically, he didn’t expect the same outcome this afternoon.

"Of course, my qualifying lap wasn't as good as the one yesterday, but in the changed circumstances we didn't expect it to be", he admitted. "Nevertheless we have finished quite well compared to other Bridgestone runners and I didn't make any real mistakes."

"The 10th and 12th positions give us a good basis for the race tomorrow", added team boss Peter Sauber. "Both drivers have shown once again that they can stand the immense mental pressure of the single qualifying lap. Looking at our strategy, they gave a solid performance."

Sauber Petronas driver Nick Heidfeld finished Sunday afternoon’s Monaco Grand Prix in eleventh place after a rather uneventful race. The German driver managed to make up to positions on the first lap, however later in the race he was suffering with poor grip from his Bridgestone tyres, making a top eight finish out of the question.

"I had a good run to the first corner and won two positions. Things went okay until after my first pit stop, when I got stuck behind Verstappen which cost me a lot of time", Nick said. "Then on my third set of tyres it took quite a long while to find a good balance and I suffered from understeer. But in general the car was good. However, all the top teams finished strongly so for me it was quite impossible to get into the points."

Meanwhile, Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s Monaco weekend came to a dismal end when he was forced to retire after crashing into a barrier on lap one. This was the culmination of a bad weekend that started with an engine failure on Thursday.

"I simply made a mistake and went too fast into the new chicane. The car's undertray touched the kerb and the front tyres didn't have enough grip, so I went into the barrier", HHF explained. "It is a shame that I had to finish the race in this way, because we were on a one-stop strategy. I live here and until the next Monaco Grand Prix I will be annoyed with myself every time I pass this place!"

"Heinz-Harald had to retire very early. That was a real shame, because he had quite a lot of fuel on board and it would certainly have been interesting to see how his strategy paid off", added Peter Sauber. "Nick drove a rather discreet race, but I think the strategy we chose for him was right. After his first pit stop he came out behind Verstappen and unfortunately lost contact with Fisichella and da Matta, whom he had been keeping up with very easily until then."

On Sunday it was an Austrian Grand Prix to forget for the Sauber Petronas team after both drivers failed to finish what originally looked to be a potential podium event. Nick Heidfeld started from fourth on the grid but was forced to retire with an engine problem after 46 laps.

"I am very disappointed, of course. I came into the pits later than many people expected and other drivers did their first pit stop at a similar time", he said. "So it looked quite good for us and I was sure we would have been able to score points today. Then the engine began to lose power and I began to drop back. It is particularly frustrating for me as I have been forced to retire in three races already this season!"

Meanwhile, after two aborted starts, teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen stalled on the formation lap and despite running back for the spare C22, the birthday boy was unable to start today's Austrian Grand Prix due to a clutch problem.

"Just before the second restart I realised that I had a clutch problem and was not able to start the engine. What exactly happened must await analysis", Heinz-Harald said. "I tried to switch to the T-car, but it was set up for Nick and we ran out of time so I was not able to start the race. That's life."

"We went into this race convinced that we could score points. Unfortunately Heinz-Harald experienced a clutch problem before the eventual start and could not participate", added Peter Sauber. "Nick proved by his fourth-place starting position how well he can perform, and drove strongly until the first pit stop. Unfortunately, however, the engine had begun to lose power after 20 laps and got progressively worse until he had to retire on lap 46. Once again a good performance went unrewarded."

It was a day of celebration in the Sauber Petronas garage after Nick Heidfeld finished this afternoon’s final qualifying session in a fantastic fourth place. The German driver will line up on the A1- Ring alongside the BMW Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya and he couldn't be happier, especially after a few minor hiccups threatened his day!

"I am very happy with the result, particularly under such circumstances!",” he explained. "During the warm-up I experienced a problem with my race car and therefore had to change to the spare. Thank you to my team for the good work, because it was exactly the same car, but quicker!"

Meanwhile, teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen didn’t have as good an afternoon, the ender German finishing up down in 15th place overall. He is still unhappy with the way his C22 is performing, hence the differing decision on race strategy.

"My position is what I have expected after the practice sessions this morning", he said. "We were still not happy with the car's balance and therefore chose a rather conservative approach to qualifying and the race."

"I am very happy about Nick's fourth place, for two reasons. First he had to change to the T-car, which the regulations prohibited us from running prior to that point", added Peter Sauber. "Then it also requires a lot of trust in the team and the equipment to give everything under such circumstances, over a single all-out lap. Congratulations to Nick for the quick lap and his strong nerves! We opted for a different strategy for Heinz-Harald, which didn't allow him the chance to
achieve a similar result."

Nick Heidfeld finished the opening day of the Austrian Grand Prix in twelfth place, the German driver three places ahead of his more experienced teammate, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Heidfeld’s Sauber Petronas C22 was 1.5 seconds off the blistering pace set by Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2003-GA and will start the final qualifying session in ninth place.

"In the morning I was struggling with oversteer and the car didn't feel good", Nick explained. "We made some changes for the qualifying which improved the balance of the car a bit. I am not satisfied with my position, but I'm a bit happier than I was in Barcelona."

Teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished in 15th place and will therefore be the fifth river on track tomorrow afternoon. The older German was suffering with low grip levels and is hoping that with further adjustments, tomorrow will see a much stronger performance.

"As I did this morning, this afternoon I had problems with the very low level of grip on the track and the car was very nervous", Heinz-Harald said. "I wasn't able to attack. Now we need to analyse the data and find the reasons for this. I'm sure there is room for improvements."

"We could only partly transfer our positive results of the morning to qualifying", added team boss Peter Sauber. "Now we must analyse the results from the data, particularly from Heinz-Harald's car, to find out why he was unable to match expectations."

Team Sauber continued its three-day test at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet yesterday. Heinz-Harald Frentzen covered 98 laps in chassis 05 to set a best time of 1:14.376. Nick Heidfeld will take over the driving tomorrow.

Jacky Eeckelaert, head of vehicle engineering at Sauber, was satisfied with the work done by his team, even if a mechanical problem caused an unwanted delay at the end of the afternoon. "In the morning we have done front wing optimisations for Monaco and have particularly adjusted it to this slow speed track and the high downforce level required for this grand prix", said Eeckelaert.

"We further tested several mechanical set-ups for Monaco. The schedule for the afternoon focused on tyre tests for the next race in Spielberg. Unfortunately we experienced a mechanical problem with the gearbox just before the end of the test day. Although we nearly completed our programme for today by then we will have to continue the tyre tests tomorrow with Nick Heidfeld", concluded Eeckelaert

Paul Ricard : testing session May 7th

M. Gene Williams 1:11.919 101 laps
A. Wurz McLaren 1:12.317 106 laps
C. Da Matta Toyota 1:12.939 87 laps
D. Coulthard McLaren 1:12.997 99 laps
J. Button BAR 1:13.769 89 laps
A. Davidson BAR 1:14.041 72 laps
M. Webber Jaguar 1:14.122 110 laps
J. Trulli Renault 1:14.297 113 laps
H.H. Frentzen Sauber 1:14.376 98 laps
R. Zonta Toyota 1:14.767 84 laps

This afternoon's Spanish Grand Prix didn't hold out a lot of hope for the Sauber Petronas team with only one C22 making it to the finish, two laps down on eventual winner, Ferrari champion Michael Schumacher.

Nick Heidfeld finished the event in tenth place after he was forced to come in for a drive through penalty, the stewards penalizing the German driver for not moving out of the way according to the waved blue flags. It was a disappointing result, but there is little more they can do apart from look ahead to round six in Austria.

"Towards the end of the race I was fighting in a group with Button and Firman and da Matta. I got Button in the pit stop and then saw da Matta coming out of the pit exit as I went by", said Heidfeld. "There weren't any blue flags for four laps, so what could I do? I was fighting in the same group for four laps. Then the team told me on the radio that da Matta was a lap ahead, so of course I moved over, but the next lap I got a drive-through penalty. It was really frustrating. It was a tough race for me because in the first stint the car was really oversteering; the tyres were massively better in the second stint, but then the last set was difficult again. Altogether, a hard weekend for me."

Meanwhile, teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen failed to finish the event, the German driver suffering with suspension failure after 38 laps. Naturally he is disappointed with the outcome but is already looking ahead to the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix.

"Unfortunately at the start I was on the side of the track where Coulthard and Trulli collided and lost a lot of time as a result", he explained. "Then the safety car came out immediately so we decided to make my first pit stop at the end of the opening lap. After my second, on lap 30, the car felt really great and I could make up quite a bit of time. But then the left front suspension pushrod broke just as I went over a kerb and that was the end of the race for me."

"The first-lap accidents and the deployment of the safety car obliged us to change our strategy straight away, but despite the fact that Heinz-Harald was right at the back as a result at the end of the opening lap, it would still have been possible to score the final point and he was on schedule to do that when he had to retire", added Peter Sauber.

The Sauber Petronas team will start tomorrows Spanish Grand Prix, round five of the 2002 season, from tenth and fourteenth places on the grid. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, the quicker of the two, was 1.6 seconds away from the pole time recorded by Michael Schumacher's new Ferrari F2003-GA and is pleased with the position.

"I'm pleased that my optimism for the effect of the changes we made this morning has proved justified", he said. "The car felt better and the balance was pretty good. I had a little problem with a brake vibration during the pre- qualifying warm-up, but everything was okay for my run and I'm happy with 10th place."

Teammate Nick Heidfeld lost a small amount of time through the second sector, however the younger German is happier with the overall performance of his C22, especially after all the problems he had here yesterday.

"The car was much better than this morning, for sure!", he said. "The balance was the best that it has been all weekend. I lost a little bit of time in the middle sector, but otherwise it was a good run and I'm happier than I was yesterday."

"Considering our performance during practice yesterday and this morning, and the strategy we have chosen for the race, we are satisfied with 10th and 14th places on the grid", added Peter Sauber. "Both drivers had a hard time, so thank you to them for their sterling efforts."

The Sauber Petronas duo of Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld finished this afternoon's first qualifying session in 16th and 17th places respectively and will therefore start tomorrow's qualifying session in fifth and fourth positions. Frentzen was 1.7 seconds off the leading pace set be Ferrari champion Michael Schumacher, however the German driver is not too concerned about the overall outcome.

"It's not as bad as it looks", he explained. "We made a small step with the car this afternoon. Unfortunately it was in the wrong direction, and I had too much oversteer. I'm sure we can do better tomorrow."

Nick Heidfeld was close to his teammates pace, just over a tenth behind, however he wasn't happy with the way his C22 was handling. He is far from happy with his overall position but is hoping they can improve the situation for tomorrows final qualifying session.

"I was struggling with oversteer this morning and we made some changes for the afternoon", he said. "They improved the car's balance for qualifying but obviously not enough. I am not happy with my position but we think we have a direction to go for tomorrow."

"Our Friday qualifying result is disappointing", added team boss peter Sauber. "We obviously moved into the wrong direction when setting up the cars for the afternoon session. Now we must analyse the results and what we have learnt today, in order to improve our performance for second qualifying and the race."

Team Sauber started its three-day test at Mugello yesterday. Heinz- Harald Frentzen covered 57 laps in chassis 05 to set a best time of 1:24.267. He will continue the driving today before Nick Heidfeld will take over on Thursday.

Jacky Eeckelaert, head of vehicle engineering at Sauber, was satisfied with the session but was a little bit disappointed by the mechanical problems encountered today. "Our test schedule for today basically comprised testing new aerodynamic parts and working on tyre data", said Eeckelaert. "The new aerodynamic parts, which have mainly been tested at the wind tunnel needed further data verification. We have also done aerodynamic tests on the downforce level required for the next race. In preparation for Barcelona we have checked the Bridgestone data in order to confirm our previous tyre selection. Overall, we were not able to complete our programme as planned. The engine failure in the morning threw us back and we could only continue by noon. However, we will work hard to catch up tomorrow."

Mugello: fastest lap times for 22 April

K. Räikkönen McLaren 1:22.805 (71 laps)
L. Badoer Ferrari 1:22.994 (82 laps)
O. Panis Toyota 1:23.142 (93 laps)
A. Wurz McLaren 1:23.886 (47 laps)
R. Zonta Toyota 1:23.945 (65 laps)
H.-H. Frentzen Sauber 1:24.267 (57 laps)

Both Sauber Petronas drivers made it to the chequered flag in this afternoon's San Marino Grand Prix, however unfortunately they failed to secure world championship points. Nick Heidfeld finished in tenth place a lap down on eventual winner, Michael Schumacher, after engaging a three stop strategy. All in all a very disappointing day.

"It's never enjoyable to finish a race but not to score points", he said. "I made a good start but then I got pushed on to the grass by one of the BARs and lost a couple of places. After that I had the choice for a two or a three-stop strategy and we chose the three, although we know the chances of getting blocked were higher. Unfortunately I did get blocked quite a lot, so that was it."

Teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen was one place behind in eleventh and believes that they managed to get the best possible from the C22. Reliability is a plus for the Swiss based squad, however all the front runners could boast the same thing with both Ferrari's both Williams and both McLarens all finishing the event.

"We did our best today and I think we got the best out of the car, but too many of the front-runners were reliable. Our situation is a bit clearer now", he said. "The car is very reliable, but we need the things we have in the pipeline to improve it further."

"We are not surprised by the result of this race, but obviously we cannot be satisfied with it", added Peter Sauber. "It was the first regular race of the season, and it showed the limitations of the SAUBER PETRONAS C22."

The Sauber Petronas duo of Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will start tomorrow's fourth round of the 2003 season, the San Marino Grand Prix, in eleventh and fourteenth places respectively. Nick, who was 1.3 seconds behind Michael Schumacher's pole time, was using the spare car and was pleasantly pleased by the way it performed.

"I had been struggling to find a good balance on my race car all weekend, and just before this afternoon's pre-qualifying warm-up I took the decision to switch to the T-car", he explained. "We weren't able to make all the necessary changes in time for the warm-up, but were able to make more for qualifying. That meant that for the second day in a row I went into qualifying in a car that was not fully familiar, but I enjoyed the best balance I have had all weekend and I think we are moving in the right direction again."

Teammate Heinz-harald Frentzen suffered an engine failure in earlier practice, losing the German driver a lot of very valuable track time ahead of this afternoon's session. However, he too was happy with the way his C22 was working and is confident of a good result in tomorrow's race.

"It was unfortunate that I lost a lot of time with an engine failure this morning, but my crew did a great job to change the unit in time for me to do an installation lap at the end of the session", Heinz said. "There was a knock-on effect this afternoon, but taking that into account I am happy. The balance was good and Nick was able to do further good work this morning which helped to stand us in good stead for qualifying and the race tomorrow."

"From the three races held so far this year we know that performance on the one hand depends on the combination of driver and car, but strategy is also a key element", added Peter Sauber. "In the circumstances Heinz-Harald is about where we had anticipated he would be, while Nick did well after difficulty finding a balance yesterday and this morning and was able to deliver what we had expected of him, too."

Team Sauber Petronas completed its exclusive two-day test at Monza on Wednesday. Nick Heidfeld covered 81 laps in chassis 05 to set a best time of 1:23.373.

"Over the last two days we were able to conduct our test programme as scheduled - thanks to good weather and track conditions", mentioned race engineer Remi Decorzent. "We basically focused on the Bridgestone tyres and have done a lot of aerodynamic tests. The new aerodynamic parts needed further checks and we believe that we have found some directions to make them work efficiently under race conditions. Our programme also comprised the set-up for three downforce levels as they will be required in Imola, Montreal and Monza. Those tests give us a lot of valuable data which should enable us to prepare ourselves to the optimum, although the results of our work will only be evident at the races. Overall we are happy with what we could achieve those days and look forward to Imola next week."

The Sauber team was working solo on Tuesday at Monza and will be there on Wednesday also. Nick Heidfeld will be driving on both days. The German driver did 79 laps on Tuesday, with a best time of 1'23"605.

"Our test programme for today basically comprised of work on tyre data and testing new aerodynamic parts", said Remi Decorzent, race engineer at Sauber. "We have covered a lot of laps to gain comprehensive test results. The new aerodynamic parts, which have been used in Sao Paulo last weekend needed further checks. Therefore, we focus these days also particularly on an improvement of the aerodynamic of the car. Being in Monza it suggested itself to do the race configuration of Monza too. The track is very fast and consequently requires very low downforce. Tomorrow we plan to conduct tyre and aerodynamic tests regarding the Montreal race, which we are hoping will give us valuable data for a best possible preparation. Overall we are happy with what we have done today and confident that this test will further improve our performance."

Formula One engine supplier Mercedes-Benz is in talks with the Swiss based Sauber team concerning a potential deal for the 2004 season, according to Auto Motor und Sport.

Sauber used Mercedes engines in 1995 but is currently supplied by Ferrari, although the units are re-badged by commercial partner Petronas. Mercedes is understood to be offering the engines at a price of 10million Euros per season – 20 million Euros less than the Ferrari deal is believed to cost.

However it is unclear which way Peter Sauber is likely to go, especially as the deal with Ferrari includes tech support from the world championship winning outfit's technicians.

Sauber Petronas driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished this afternoon's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix in fifth place to score another valuable four world championship points for the Swiss based squad. The German driver kept out of trouble as all the drama unfolded around him, keeping his C22 on the wet track to successfully finish the incident packed event.

"Just before the start we changed our strategy and decided to use the T-car because it was set up fully for wet conditions", Heinz-Harald explained. "At the end of the day it turned out to be the right decision. It was not easy to run with a full tank and I had a lot of aquaplaning which made me spin once. But we finished fifth and scored four points, so I am very happy about this result."

Unfortunately, teammate Nick Heidfeld was forced to retire his C22 on the ninth lap. The younger German wasn't a victim of the horrendous conditions experienced at the Brazilian circuit however, instead his Sauber was forced to retire with an oil system problem.

"I made a good start and was able to overtake Jenson Button, but then the engineers radioed me that we had an oil problem and because of this the engine cut out", he explained. "I pulled off the racing line just to make sure I didn't put any oil down. I hope that Fernando is well after his big accident at the end of the race."

"A spectacular and dramatic race!", added team boss Peter Sauber. "In the end for us it was a happy one; we have two undamaged cars and, more importantly, two undamaged drivers. On top of that we were able to score four more points."

Sauber Petronas drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will begin tomorrow's Brazilian Grand Prix, round three of the 2003 championship season, from 12th and 15th places respectively. Nick was happy with the way his C22 was performing and is anticipating a good race here tomorrow afternoon.

"The car was fine", he said. "I think I lost out a little bit because I had to run so early in the session, but compared to the rest of the weekend I was quite happy with the way the C22 performed today."

Teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen was also happy enough with the outcome, despite being so far down the grid. The more experienced German driver is confident that despite the threat of rain tomorrow, his C22 will adapt easily and should provide a strong race finish.

"It was a good lap, as good as the one I was on this morning until I spun", he said. "I'm pretty happy, and all day the car has been consistent. We didn't make so many compromises with it, and we have a good set-up whatever happens with the weather tomorrow. I had a good, driveable car today."

"We know that we are a bit too slow here and we will work hard on that for the future", added Peter Sauber, team boss. "We are confident that Bridgestone will do the same."

Rain played havoc at the Interlagos circuit today as drivers attempted to complete the first day of action in Brazil. The predicted rain hit the circuit during the morning's free testing session and continued through first practice and qualifying. Sauber Petronas driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished the day in 10th place overall, and as a result will be the 11th driver out on track in tomorrow's final qualifying hour.

"Generally I'd say things this morning were okay, given the conditions and the spin I had", Frentzen explained. "The track was better this afternoon, but worse for my run than it was for some of those who ran before me. That's life. The balance was quite good and overall I'm happy with what we achieved today."

Teammate Nick Heidfeld finished 16th overall and will therefore start tomorrow's qualifying session from fifth. The younger German failed to get in a lot of running time due to problems and is hoping for a better day tomorrow.

"This morning I had a problem when my car suffered an hydraulic failure, so I didn't get much running time", he explained. "This afternoon the car felt a lot better in the slightly improved conditions, but I was quite cautious, especially in the last long left-hander to the start/finish line."

"The conditions didn't do us any favours today", added team boss Peter Sauber. 2First of all it began to rain more just before Heinz- Harald went out, then later it dried so that some rivals were able to go quicker."

The Sauber Petronas team completed the first of a scheduled three-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona today where regular driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen took to the wheel of chassis 05.

Joining several of his colleagues at the Spanish track, the German driver, fresh from the Malaysian Grand Prix last Sunday, completed a total of 89 laps to record a best overall time of 1:19.069. The Swiss team's test program today comprised working on tyre data and testing new aerodynamic parts with Bridgestone tyre choice for Brazil chosen in Sepang last week.

"Today we made the final check with regard to achieved lap times and wear. While the race team was in Malaysia our engineers back home were making further aerodynamic tests in the wind tunnel", explained Jacky Eeckelaert, Head of Vehicle Engineering. "Based on the data gathered they developed new parts which we are hoping will bring improvements for us. We started to test those under real race conditions. However, the changing track conditions today had an influence on the test results and we therefore must carefully analyse the data with respect to this. Still we are hoping to make use of the improvements in the aerodynamic set-ups in Brazil already."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen will continue testing here tomorrow before handing the car over to teammate Nick Heidfeld on Friday.

Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished this afternoon's Malaysian Grand Prix in eighth and ninth places respectively, the result earning Nick and the Sauber Petronas squad another valuable world championship point. While they were hoping for a lot more here this weekend, and it looked as if it may happen with Heidfeld running as high as third, problematic pit-stops ruined any chance they had.

"I made up one position at the start, and then several cars came together in Turn Two. I reacted quickly and was lucky that I was able to go down the inside of Schumacher and Trulli and avoid everything", Nick said. "For a while I was running third. Unfortunately, when I selected first gear during my first pit stop (on lap 13) the engine stalled, which cost me a lot of time. When I made my second one (on lap 34) I wasn't sure if the problem had been fixed, so I opted to make a manual start. Overall, the car was reasonable today, and at least I scored a point."

Meanwhile, Frentzen had problems from the start of the race, the older German also experiencing gearbox related problems. He also had problems in pitlane, making him lose valuable track time and although disappointed the Sauber driver was pleased to pass young Ralph Firman as the race came to a close.

"Right from the start I had a problem when I couldn't get first gear on the grid, so I was very slow away. At least I avoided the second corner melee", he explained. "Then I lost more time when the engine cut out during my first pit stop (on lap 17), and after that I was just trying to catch up. It was not an easy race for us today, and we didn't get the best from the car. But I did pass Ralph Firman in Turn Three on the last lap."

"Honestly, we had expected more points today, especially here in front of our partner PETRONAS and our loyal Malaysian fans", added Peter Sauber. "Unfortunately the race started with Heinz-Harald's problem, and then both engines cut out in the first stops due to fuel evaporation. Luckily we were able to solve that for the second stops and to secure eighth and ninth places and another championship point. Congratulations to our former driver Kimi Raikkonen, on his first Grand Prix victory."

Sauber Petronas drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will start tomorrows Malaysian Grand Prix from sixth and thirteenth places respectively. Nick finished the session behind the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello but ahead of third placed runner in the Australian GP, McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen and is now looking forward to a strong finish in Sunday's race.

"This morning there were a couple of things about the car's set-up that I wasn't happy with, but though my lap this afternoon wasn't as smooth as yesterday's qualifying lap, I'm quite happy", Nick said. "We improved the balance, particularly in the third sector, and I'm confident that we can do something good tomorrow starting from sixth place on the grid."

Teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen, ran a different strategy this afternoon, and despite his lower position, was pleased with the overall outcome. Obviously he was running higher fuel loads and to him, this was the best way possible to get into a points scoring position here tomorrow. "Obviously I was running a different strategy to Nick, and I was pleased with my lap", he said. "I was pretty much on the limit, the balance of the car was good, and I am on target for the strategy I was running."

"In Melbourne running two different strategies in qualifying paid off for us in the race, and I believe that the situation is the same here in Sepang", added Peter Sauber. "Congratulations to Nick for his third row position, and thanks to Heinz-Harald for a strong performance."

It was a good start to the Sauber Petronas Formula One squad's home event today when drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished the first qualifying session in seventh and eighth places respectively. Nick was happy with some changes made before the session and is now optimistic of a strong result here on Saturday.

"We made some key changes to the car after I experienced a ride height problem in my last two outings this morning that destroyed the balance", Heidfeld said. "This afternoon the car was transformed and we were able to make some huge progress. I'm satisfied with what we achieved, and optimistic for what we can do with the car tomorrow."

Teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen will start tomorrows final session fourteenth, one place ahead of Nick and the older German is more than pleased with the way things stand at the moment. After failing to get as much track time as he wanted, eight overall was a pleasing result.

"This morning I did one flying lap and then my car stopped because of a minor electrical problem", he explained. "Under the new rules the marshals may return the car to the pits, so I was able to continue at the end of the session. Bearing the loss of track time in mind I'm delighted with eighth place this afternoon. It's better than I expected. The car was well balanced, and I think we have a good direction for tomorrow."

"This is a fantastic result at this beautiful and challenging track, especially after the problems we had this morning", added team boss Peter Sauber. "Thanks to both drivers and to the team for this gift for our partner PETRONAS on its home ground."

Kuala Lumpur is the commercial, cultural and political focus of Malaysia and the city combines an elegant Colonial past, typified by 19th century British architecture with the 1,453 ft Petronas Towers, one of the highest buildings of the world, reflecting the Asian tiger spirit of modern Malaysia. This year the Sepang circuit is hosting a Grand Prix for the fifth time on the purpose-built facility that is located to the south of Kuala Lumpur, a 30 minute car drive from the city.

Its inaugural race back in 1999, saw the teams come to the country with the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships wide open, assuring that it was going to be a race of excitement and high tension. Four drivers were still in with a chance of taking the elusive driver's crown with only 14 points between first and fourth. It was the penultimate round of the 1999 season, although Malaysia was no novice when it came to Motorsports. They first held a Grand Prix in 1991, at Shah Alam, for Motorcycles, and the new circuit has also played host to other major events since its inception

The 5.542 km (3.443 mile) Sepang circuit is situated close to the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport and has been widely hailed as the most up to date racing complex in the world and it just happens to be the home event for the title sponsor of the Sauber Petronas team.

After his sixth placed finish in the season opening Australian Grand Prix, Heinz-Harald Frentzen is looking to improve even further, securing even more valuable points to his world championship tally. The German driver qualified a superb fourth at Albert Park and with all the home town support for the team, he may even improve on that position next Saturday.

"The Sepang track is a mixture of Nurburgring and Jerez. The surface is very smooth, there are lots of corners and plenty of straights", he explained. "It's a good challenge for us. Malaysia is an interesting country and I'd like to visit some of the resorts after the Grand Prix. I am very much looking forward to our 'home' race because the Malaysian people are so enthusiastic about the team and always give Team SAUBER PETRONAS an extremely warm welcome."

Teammate Nick Heidfeld knows how important this event is to the entire team and like Heinz-Harald, will spend the coming week taking part in sponsor commitments. The younger German really loves the country, despite it's humidity and is looking forward to a much stronger weekend than the one experienced down under.

"I really like Malaysia, and of course the Malaysian GP is a very important one for Team SAUBER PETRONAS. Last year the Australian GP didn't last very long for me. I was eliminated in the accident at the first corner on the opening lap", he explained. "This year I only managed 21 laps. But in 2002 I went on to score points in Malaysia and we know from Melbourne that the SAUBER PETRONAS C22 is a very competitive and reliable car. I am really looking forward to scoring the first World Championship points of my 2003 season in front of our friends at PETRONAS and the Malaysian fans. The new regulations will be more familiar and we know better what to expect. I think we will be in good shape."

"The Malaysian Grand Prix is naturally a very important event for us, since it is the home race for our main partner and engine supplier PETRONAS. Following our performance in Melbourne and Heinz Harald's sixth place finish, we will be seeking to score more points with both cars. The Sepang circuit has its two distinctive long straights, which of course offer overtaking opportunities", added Willy Rampf, Technical Director. "The track also offers turns in a very wide speed range, from one first gear turn at 70 km/h to a demanding high speed turn at 240 km/h. You also need good traction here because of the tricky uphill hairpin left-hander at Turn Nine and good car balance for the high speed sweeps. Single-lap qualifying is going to be challenging here. Due to the very hot climatic conditions, sufficient engine cooling is one of the key factors to finish the race. We know that the SAUBER PETRONAS C22 is an improvement over the C21, which proved very well suited to the track last year, so we are optimistic as we head 'home'."

Unlike some of their rival teams, the Sauber Petronas squad opted not to test between the Australian and Malaysian Grand Prix with both Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen travelling to Malaysia with a stop over in a health and fitness training camp with team trainer Josef Leberer.

Prior to the coming race weekend both men, together with other members of the Swiss based squad, including Team Principal Peter Sauber, will attend a PR program organised by title sponsor Petronas starting today, the 15th of March in Alor Setar, the capital of the state of Kedah, one of the oldest states in Malaysia and the city where Malaysia's Prime Minister Dato Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was born.

The drivers will join the students of the school "MRSM-PDRM" and will show them what Formula 1 is like with F1 driving and pit stop demonstration by Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen in front of 20,000 expected spectators. His Majesty Tuanku AlHaj Abdul Halim Mu'adwam Shah, the Sultan of Kedah and Minister of Youth and Sports, Dato' Hishammudin Tun Hussein will be present at the demonstration.

Then, on Sunday, Nick and Heinz-Harald will visit the PETRONAS Fertilizer Plant. This plant was completed and started operations in May 1999. The Drivers will see the Paddy Fields (rice fields) where they will drive tractors along with the locals to go in the fields.

On Monday afternoon they will return to Kuala Lumpur and continue the program until Thursday morning. The programme will comprise the following main events:

Monday, 17 March, Alor Setar
* Team SAUBER PETRONAS will discover the well restored and traditional wooden house where Malaysia's Prime Minister Dato Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was born.

Tuesday, 18 March, Kuala Lumpur
* Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will visit the school SMK Sri Bintang and join the students in various activities.
* In the early afternoon there will be an autograph-signing session at the Suria KLCC shopping centre.
* At Planet Hollywood the SAUBER PETRONAS drivers will officially launch the newly founded PETRONAS Motorsports Fan Club.

Wednesday, 19 March, Kuala Lumpur
* The drivers will attend the launch of a new product by PETRONAS DAGANGAN BHD at Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS Foyer at the PETRONAS Twin Towers.
* Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen will be handed over their official cars by Proton at Proton Edar Showroom in Jalan Ampang.

Thursday, 20 March, Kuala Lumpur

* The SAUBER PETRONAS drivers and Team Principal Peter Sauber will attend the opening of the PETRONAS Motorsports Technical Centre in Bangi.

Although the majority of the Sauber Petronas race team remained in either Australia or made their way to Malaysia ahead of round two, technical director Willy Rampf flew back to Hinwil on a mission, making the C22 quicker!

Prior to the opening round in Melbourne, Rampf was reasonable happy with the aerodynamic performance and speed coming from the C22, but the first race of the season made something abundantly clear, they are desperately lacking when it comes to rivals at Renault and BAR.

Despite the new rules and the mixed weather conditions at Albert Park, the race showed that the C22 is at least 3 tenths of a second slower per lap than its rivals for fourth place in this years constructors championship. Frentzen finished sixth, between the two Renault drivers and while both BAR men were out of the points, it was only because of driver errors, not machinery.

At the present moment, Renault are running with 830 HP to Sauber's 850 Ferrari engine but if reports are correct, the French manufacturer is planning a new super light ten cylinder engine with an additional 70 HP for their home event at the Magny-Cours circuit in July. Apparently Sir Frank Williams has also heard of the new engine and is making his own enquiries ... interesting, especially as there is no firm deal with BMW as yet.

However, for Sauber the problem now is to accumulate as many points as possible before Renault's new wonder engine comes into play, starting with their home event at Sepang next weekend. Lets hope Rampf has come up with a solution that will see Frentzen and Heidfeld leaving their rivals in the dust.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen opened both his and team Sauber Petronas' scorecard today when he crossed the line at Albert Park to take sixth place in the Australian Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship. The German driver's tremendous race was rewarded with three points after the revamp of the points system this season, and he is very happy with the result.

"It was pretty tight out there in the early laps!", Heinz said. "But then it dried out very quickly and I had to come in and change to grooved tyres. After that the car was very consistent all through the race and my only problem was trying to get by Trulli, who blocked one way, then the other. But it was all fair stuff, and in the circumstances I'm happy to finish sixth and keep Alonso behind me."

Unfortunately, teammate Nick Heidfeld was unable to add to the points tally after he was forced to retire on the 21st lap. The younger German's C22 sustained suspension damage after a collision earlier in the race. He veered out of control on the racetrack, narrowly avoiding a massive collision with Ralf Schumacher.

"The opening laps were really good fun, but my wet tyres quickly lost efficiency", he explained. "If I had started further back I would have opted for grooved tyres, but since I was starting well up the grid I took the safe option. Once I had changed them the car did not feel normal because in the heavy traffic somebody had moved over and hit my right front wheel. Later on the suspension broke as a result of that, and I was really lucky not to hit Ralf (Schumacher) when the car veered out of control."

"It was impossible for us to start on grooved tyres, and then after the drivers had changed from wets the safety car came out", added Peter Sauber. "Considering all these problems so early on, to finish sixth and score three points is fantastic. Thank you Heinz-Harald for a successful return to the team. And thank you to the team for keeping its head in trying circumstances. It was unfortunate that Nick was hit by another car early on, but we are delighted to start the new season so strongly."

The new qualifying format may not have done much to change the pecking order of the top three drivers, in fact the three men that finished the 2002 season in 1st 2nd and 3rd, finished in that exact order this afternoon.

However, for the rest of the field after third place, there was a significant change, one for the better as far as Sauber Petronas is concerned anyway as Heinz Harald Frentzen crossed the line to secure fourth place, second row of the grid. He will line-up for tomorrows first race of the year alongside Montoya and in a prime position to secure points for the Swiss based squad.

"My car was better balanced today, and overall I'm pretty happy", Heinz-Harald said. "I couldn't get the second chicane quite right, but everywhere else the car felt really good. I won't know just how good though, until after the race!"

Teammate Nick Heidfeld will start the race from the fourth row of the grid alongside the BAR of Jenson Button. Nick managed to secure seventh place overall.

"I pushed the car to the limit without going off. It was a good lap, not perfect, but I am reasonably happy taking into account the track time that we've lost so far this weekend", Nick said. "The balance of the car was good and I got the most out of it."

"Both Heinz Harald and Nick did a good job today and both were satisfied with the performance of the C22", added team boss Peter Sauber. "As this is the first time that the new mode of qualifying has been used it will be exciting to see whether we have made the right decisions for the race. On today's result, we are satisfied that our strategy is working well."

Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished the first day of action at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit in 12th and 13th places respectively. The day featured a two-hour testing session, of which Sauber Petronas did not take part, a one-hour practice session and the first of the new one lap qualifying format. Due to his effort today, Nick will start tomorrow's grid qualifying session in ninth right after his teammate.

"I lost some time this morning with a few electronic problems, including a false alarm with the dashboard, and with things the way they are now any loss of time is going to hurt you", Nick said. "Taking that into account, I was pretty happy with the way things went this afternoon. I made a couple of little mistakes, but the balance of the car was better and overall I really enjoyed the single-lap qualifying."

After sitting out the end of last season due to financial problems with the Orange Arrows outfit, Heinz-Harald was thrilled to be kicking off a new year with the Swiss team. Heinz was actually running in the spare car this afternoon and unfortunately, this cost him some very valuable time.

"When we warmed the cars up this morning the team discovered an electronic problem on my initial chassis, C22-02, so I switched to the spare car 03", he explained. "This afternoon that car was a little bit oversteery and that was why I had that wobble at the end of the first sector. For sure it cost me a little bit of time. But qualifying was okay for me. It's important to put on a good show for the people, and I think we did that."

"The new qualifying mode gave us all a very positive experience today. It ran smoothly, gave the crowd a good show, and was good for Formula One", added team boss Peter Sauber. "We all now appreciate just how little time it leaves for preparation however, and we have learned now how best to organise ourselves for the future."

The Swiss based Sauber Petronas team completed theirs final three- day pre-season testing at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola today. Regular driver Nick Heidfeld covered 82 laps, more than 400 kilometres, in chassis 01 to record a best overall time of 1:21.749.

"It has been a good test day today", the young German said. "I covered altogether more than 400 kilometres. We have gathered quite a lot more valuable data on Bridgestone to ensure the right tyre choice at Albert Park. The evaluation of different aerodynamic set-ups also showed an improvement. I am really looking forward to Melbourne."

Meanwhile, teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen was running in chassis 02 where he completed a total of 74 laps with a fastest time of 1:22.117. The older German is pleased with how the car is behaving and is now looking forward to a strong start to the 2003 season.

"Basically we completed our work with Bridgestone and further improved the aerodynamics", he explained. "I am happy with what we have done today and I have no doubt that we will have a good start to the season."

"Thanks to good weather and track conditions we have been able to complete our final test as scheduled. We have done many laps today and could get the maximum out of the test day", added Jacky Eeckelaert, Head of Vehicle Engineering. "The program basically comprised again the collection of important aerodynamic and tyre data. We have run with new wings and floors at both chassis in order to evaluate different component set-ups. The test results only confirmed the high reliability of the car and make us feel prepared to the optimum. We are now heading towards Melbourne and are very confident with regard to the new season."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is eagerly awaiting the start of the new season, the German ace looking forward to his return with the Swiss based Sauber team. Sauber, who launched their new 2003 contender the C22, a week ago, gave Frentzen his break in the series back in 1994 and decided to re-sign their former driver, who now has enormous experience in the series, rather than opt for fresh blood as they have in recent years.

Coming home, Frentzen has noticed the many changes at his former team and the German driver is impressed by what he sees. A bigger and better team with many new faces, the Swiss based squad are constant in their attempts to challenge the best of them, despite increased pressure due to the economic down turn that has seen the demise of two teams in just 12 months.

The C22 holds the hopes and dreams of everyone at Hinwil and the air is full of confidence for the rapidly approaching season. Frentzen has been greatly impressed by the new car and is looking forward to contesting his 142nd Grand Prix start with Ferrari power and hopefully adding to his current tally of 161 points.

"The team has developed a lot since I was here before and I feel very confident for the season ahead", Heinz- Harald said. "The extra power is good and the car itself feels much more stable. It has a lot of technical changes on it and that is good."

The new C22 is a completely new car and not an evolution of its predecessor, the new Sauber challenger being a radical departure from last year's C21 design. The C22 hit the road on January 13th at the Barcelona race track for the first time and proved since then to be – already – reliable.

Peter Sauber and his team decided to take a huge aerodynamic step forward and are looking to challenge consistently for points in 2003. Therefore they have changed almost everything to create the C22.

The new team's in-house windtunnel was not operational at the time the car was designed and built but the Swiss-based team counts on it to make major improvements in the near future.

Technical data
Official designation : Sauber Petronas C22
Chassis : Carbon fibre monocoque
Engine : Petronas 03A
Suspension : Upper and lower wishbones (front and rear), inboard springs and dampers, actuated by pushrods (Sachs Race Engineering)
Brakes : Six piston calipers (front and rear), carbon pads and discs (Brembo)
Transmission : Longitudinally mounted, seven-speed transmission (Sauber), carbon clutch (Sachs Race Engineering)
Chassis Electronics : Magneti Marelli
Tyres : Bridgestone 265/55R13 front, 325/45R13 rear
Wheels OZ : 12J-13 front, 13.7J-13 rear

Dimensions :
Length 4470 mm
Width 1800 mm
Height 1000 mm
Front track 1470 mm
Rear track 1410 mm
Wheel base 3100 mm
Weight 600 kg (Driveable car including driver, tank empty)

The Petronas Engine

The 03a engine is using Petronas lubricant and fuel Team Sauber Petronas is continuing its six-year co-operation with Ferrari. In Maranello, approximately 40 new engines will be built for Sauber Petronas throughout the season. The new engine in the Sauber Petronas C22 is more powerful and lighter than its predecessor. Furthermore, it has a lower gravity centre.

The Petronas 03A is based on the Ferrari works engine (to its development stage in mid-September 2002), which allowed Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello to totally dominate the Formula One World Championship in the past year.

Osamu Goto, Head of Sauber Petronas engine department:
"The PETRONAS 03A is a very competitive engine and well integrated into the C22."
Already by the end of the 1990s, Petronas, the national oil and gas corporation of Malaysia, had developed its own lubricant which was further developed to suit the Formula One engine and has been used by the team since 2000 as "Syntium". In 2003, the fuel that Petronas has developed in co-operation with engineers of Sauber Petronas Engineering (SPE) will be used in Formula One.
"We are confident that our new fuel will be as successful as our lubricant Syntium", maintains Dr. Hamzah Abdul Hamid, General Manager Special Projects, Corporate Planning and Development of Petronas.

Technical Data
Official designation : PETRONAS 03A
Number of cylinders : V10
Cubic capacity : 2997 cc
Cylinder block : Aluminium
Number of main bearings : 6
Number of camshafts : 4 OHC
Camshaft drive interlocked
Number of valves : 40
Valve mechanism : pneumatic
Ignition system : Magneti Marelli
Injection system : Magneti Marelli

The Sauber Petronas C22 is the third car that has been constructed under the technical direction of Willy Rampf, so it holds special meaning to him.
"The step from C20 to C21 was a consistent further development of an existing concept and we were aware of the limits we would sooner or later come up against. So for the C22 we opted for a totally different construction concept, redefining the entire car from top to bottom."

With the Sauber Petronas C22 everything from the nose to the rear wing is new, and although the car's dimensions were only slightly changed, its proportions are totally different.
Specifications for the new car were defined as early as in May 2002. At the same time, the first tests were run in the wind tunnel, laying down the general direction.
"Compared to its predecessor, the C22's basic potential is much greater, so that we will be able to improve the car continuously throughout the season", Rampf explains.

Aerodynamics play an important role. "Our objective was not merely to make the C22 more efficient, but most of all to ensure that it will react less sensitively from an aerodynamic point of view. That is just as important at the final count." Rampf continues.

Further development goals included improved rigidity of parts and a more compact and lighter build. Therefore even more ballast may be placed in the Sauber Petronas C22 in order to lower its centre of gravity, and there is more range to adjust the car to the various race tracks.

Accommodating the drivers turned out to be no problem at all. While Frentzen, with his 1.78 metre frame, encountered considerable difficulties in finding a comfortable position in the C21's cockpit, the C22 suits him perfectly as Willy Rampf said.
"We were able to integrate Frentzen's height early into the construction phase, so that it did not present any problems."

The Petronas engine also facilitated that process: compared to the unit powering the C21, it is lighter and has a lower centre of gravity. In order to make the most of this advantage, the transmission was redesigned.
All in all, quite an aggressive approach, in which Rampf's team played an important role.
"We have become a harmonious team with group leaders placing a great deal of trust in their teams and their individual specialities. This gives both designers and fabricators a cutting edge to go even closer to the limit of physics and feasibility."

Due to the new points scale taking effect in the forthcoming season, reliability will also be crucial, since cars finishing seventh and eighth will be awarded championship points. A subsequent effort was thus put into transmitting the C21's reliability to the C22 despite the aggressive design.
"We went through comprehensive stability calculations and thorough simulations", Rampf explains.

The rear wing, for example, has already ridden out more strain on the test rig than the bumpiest of all Formula One race tracks will ever put it through. Moreover, many parts have already been tested on the C21 regarding their durability.

The roll-out in Barcelona in mid-January proved the effectiveness of these measures: in three days, Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen did not encounter any technical problems while completing 1000 test kilometres.
So Sauber has reason to start the new season optimistically. But Rampf's prognosis nevertheless remains careful: "Melbourne will show us where we are really at. The only decisive yardstick is our opposition."

Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen are an ambitious, talented and experienced duo that is well capable of bringing out the best of the Sauber Petronas C22. Even though they both grew up in Mönchengladbach, they hardly knew each other during their youth due to their difference in age.
On 10 May 2003, Nick will be 26 years old, while 10 days later Heinz- Harald will celebrate his 36th birthday.

Heidfeld will be driving with number 9 while Frentzen has number 10. Within the team, however, they are both equal.
"Nick has proven himself as a driver with a constantly high performance potential", says Peter Sauber. "In his third Formula One season with us - his fourth overall - he should be in a position to finish within the first half at any time. Apart from his undoubted speed, his strengths include an always fruitful co-operation with the entire team."

No need to elaborate on Peter Sauber's feelings regarding Frentzen's comeback in the Hinwil-based squad ...
"We are very pleased about Heinz-Harald's return to the team. He was one of our junior drivers in the sportscar era and was with us in our Formula One debut. After his departure at the end of the 1996 season we stayed in contact. We can undoubtedly expect many valuable contributions to the development of the car from him. He has kept his natural speed even during difficult years with Jordan, Prost and Arrows."

After taking fourth place in the Constructors' World Championship in 2001 and fifth place in 2002, Team Sauber Petronas has set itself high goals for the 2003 season. Team Principal Peter Sauber stated it is his goal to play a key role in the vanguard of teams chasing the top three, toe-to-toe with Renault.

Considering that the Formula One field comprises no fewer than seven manufacturers with works teams, this is a high hurdle.
"Every one of these manufacturers must have the goal of winning a World Championship", Sauber said.
"The efforts that are subsequently being made nowadays are tremendous."

New Regulations:
At the beginning of the 2003 season new regulations will take effect with repercussions that are difficult to predict just yet. The most important modifications concern qualifying, tyres, testing and the points scheme.

Qualifying rules:
Concerning the new qualifying rules, Heinz-Harald Frentzen expects some surprising results. "The new Qualifying mode might lead to unusual grid positions, particularly in changeable weather and with technical or driver-related incidents."

Tyres Regulations:
The new regulations regarding tyres leave the teams more freedom than before. Previously, Bridgestone and Michelin were only allowed to supply the same two types of dry tyres for a Grand Prix. As of now, teams may choose two different types of dry tyres from a wider range. A brand new challenge?
"We will yet have to see if this new system gives one supplier or the other an advantage", said Nick Heidfeld.

Testing:
Between the two possible options for testing, Sauber Petronas has gone for the previous scheme - the so-called Suzuka Agreement. "With the construction of our own cutting-edge wind tunnel, we have chosen a forward strategy", Peter Sauber explains.
"This includes the possibility to continue intensive testing. It is the only way for us to develop our car optimally."

The other option, which only a minority of teams have chosen, allows them to carry out tests during two hours on Friday mornings before Grands Prix. Those teams are only allowed 10 additional test days during the season.

Points Scheme:
In the 2003 season points will be awarded according to a new scale (10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 instead of 10-6-4-3-2-1), so that the struggle for the title will remain open longer than last year. For a different reason, a change in the point system had been an important issue with the pursuing teams. Previously, apart from an exceptional performance, a good deal of luck at the right time was necessary to profit from the bad luck of one of the top teams. Peter Sauber is pleased about the new points scheme:
"We have been pleading for a new system for years. At long last, reliability of the material and consistency of the drivers will be rewarded.
The entire team is highly motivated. We want to prove to ourselves and to our partners that we are capable of an extraordinary performance. Naturally, it has to be the aim of every Formula One team to win a Grand Prix one day. For the time being, we are not aiming quite that high, but we want to play an important role among the pursuing teams and to compete at a high level with the works teams."

Sauber Petronas unveiled yesterday their C22 racer for the 2003 Formula 1 season, along with presenting a new sponsor, Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), to international media representatives in Zurich. Team Principal Peter Sauber as well as drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz- Harald Frentzen are looking towards the new season with great confidence.

"It is our goal to play a key role in the vanguard of teams chasing the top three", Peter Sauber said.
"In view of seven competing works teams this is an ambitious goal, but I'm confident that we'll be able to reach it."

In the previous two seasons, Sauber Petronas had achieved fourth and fifth place respectively in the Constructors' Championship.
The Sauber Petronas C22 is an entirely new car. Technical Director Willy Rampf said:
"We've used a completely new design approach in creating this vehicle. Compared to its predecessor, we're expecting it to offer a significantly higher potential that we'll be able to exploit throughout the season."

The C22 is powered by a new Petronas engine, which develops even higher levels of power and has a lower centre of gravity than last year's unit.

Sauber Petronas's drivers are optimistic as well. Nick Heidfeld who, in his third season with the team, also had his third opportunity of performing the roll-out of the new car, was particularly impressed by its remarkable reliability.
"Although the C22 is new in practically every detail, the car has been running with absolute perfection right from the start. That's the right basis for scoring points regularly."

Having returned to Sauber Petronas for the 2003 season, Heinz-Harald Frentzen is particularly pleased with the handling of the new car…
"The C22 has an excellent balance, responding to any changes in the setup exactly the way I expect as a driver. I'm convinced that this car has a very high potential."

In addition to presenting the new car, Peter Sauber was able to announce another new sponsor: the Russian mobile telephone provider Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), with whom the team had just signed an agreement for the period of several years.

Team Sauber Petronas concluded testing Valencia (Spain) Saturday, February 1st, with two of the new C22 driven by both Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. On a day when weather conditions proved frustrating Nick Heidfeld in chassis 01 covered 13 laps Heinz-Harald Frentzen in chassis 02 covered 60 laps.

"Our initial plan today was to test on an artificially wet track but unfortunately the weather frustrated that plan and it was decided not to continue to dampen the track in the afternoon", said Jacky Eeckelaert, Head of Vehicle Engineering. "This morning, the wind was far too high and the temperature far too cold to allow us to generate decent tire temperatures so we were unable to carry out our plan of tire testing. We mainly switched our focus to pit stop practice and some system checks. The wet track testing was done on a different configuration of the track so that our lap times were not directly comparable with the previous tests today. Next week one part of the test team will go to Lurcy-Levis and the other part will start testing in Barcelona on Monday."

Nick Heidfeld:
"I did not do many laps today because the weather conditions were so unfavorable with low temperatures and very gusty winds. This is frustrating because we all know how important testing mileage is."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen:
"The weather conditions made it impossible to do useful tire testing during these three days. This afternoon we concentrated on pit stop and system checks. I am looking forward to going to Barcelona next week where conditions should be better."

Valencia - 31/01/2003:

M. Schumacher - Ferrari - 1'12"897 - 53 laps
H.H. Frentzen - Sauber-Petronas - 1'14"201 - 55 laps
J. Villeneuve - BAR-Honda - 1'15"315 - 25 laps
N. Heidfeld - Sauber-Petronas - 14 laps (no time)

The Sauber Petronas team joined several of their rivals at Thursday January 30th to begin their third Spanish test of the new season in Valencia on Wednesday with both drivers Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Each driver had one of the new Sauber Petronas C22's at their disposal in sunny, but rather gusty conditions.

Nick Heidfeld completed a total of 59 laps in chassis 01 to record a best time of covered 59 laps with a best time of 1:13:134, twelfth quickest overall. Unfortunately, the German driver was unable to complete the scheduled program of aerodynamic testing because of a minor problem and he was called him back into the pits to change the engine.

We are making reasonable progress", Nick said. "But it is not easy with weather like this, because you really need consistent conditions and the wind has denied us them today."

Meanwhile, Heinz-Harald Frentzen was in control of chassis 02 and covered 81 laps with a best time of 1:12.855. He focused on mechanical set-up work in the morning and continued in the afternoon with a program of dampers and tyre testing.

"Between us, Nick and I, arrived at good settings, both mechanically and aerodynamically, which has enabled us to get the car ready for tomorrow", Heinz said.

Since the roll out of their new C22, the Sauber Petronas team have spent six days testing the un-liveried car in Spain, three days at Barcelona and three days at Valencia, clocking up almost 2000 kilometres of testing mileage.

Throughout these sessions, the new 2003 contender has shown very solid reliability, an issue extremely pleasing to Peter Sauber. With the new points system in play that will see the top eight drivers score valuable world championship points, reliability will be a key factor to ensure they make it to the finish line.

The strong reliability isn't the only thing pleasing for Peter Sauber however, the Swiss team boss happy that the new car is easy to tune, reacts immediately to any changes made and is very neutral to drive, key points that are very much appreciated by both drivers, Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. However, is Sauber happy with the lap times his drivers are clocking up?

"Not necessarily. In a new car, the most important point is aerodynamics", he explained to Blick. "Its aerodynamics that are responsible for the lap times. This is where we have to improve, work is the word. But we are on the right track!"

As one of Bridgestone's contracted teams, Sauber have been working hard on testing the Japanese rubber as well as they plan to go into another season ahead of French competition at Michelin. At this stage Bridgestone has only four contracted teams, BAR, Jordan Ferrari and Sauber, with the strong possibility of Minardi joining the ranks in the coming days. So, does Peter Sauber think Michelin has caught up compared to Bridgestone?

"A very difficult question. Bridgestone's development depends almost exclusively on Ferrari. Being number two with the Japanese company, we can't do anything but wait."

The Sauber Petronas team completed a successful first test with their new C22 at the Barcelona circuit today. The new car has generated a great deal of data that will be processed in Hinwil in readiness for further tests at Valencia later this month.

For day three, Heinz-Harald Frentzen finally had his first taste of the new car after Nick Heidfeld completed the first two sessions. Frentzen continued the aerodynamic validation that his teammate had been working on and he was thrilled to finally experience the C22 for the first time.

"I was very excited to get my hands on the C22 for the first time today, after the way Nick spoke about it yesterday", Heinz-Harald said. "I have to say he was right. The car feels more stable than the C21 and easier to drive. It's going to be good."

Meanwhile, Nick Heidfeld was behind the wheel of the C21 and after two days in the new car, the switch back really enforced the differences ...

"It was interesting getting back in the C21 today for its last test with the Team", he said. "It confirmed all my deep-feelings about the improvements we have made with the C22."

During the afternoon session both drivers also completed a tyre test program on behalf of Bridgestone. Overall the Swiss based squad are satisfied with the performance of the C22 in its first test and also with its on-going reliability.

The Swiss based Sauber Petronas team continued its first test of the year in Barcelona with regular Nick Heidfeld once again concentrating on the newly rolled out C22. The young German, like the rest of the team, continues to be impressed by their 2003 challenger and managed to clock up a total of 81 laps on day two. Nick's best time of 1:16.688 placed him third on the timesheets as the new car ran reliably throughout the day.

"This has been another very good day for me", he said. "The car ran like clockwork. I am really enjoying myself adapting to its characteristics which are different to the C21's."

Meanwhile, new teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen continued component testing work with the C21. He completed a total of 68 laps with a best-recorded time of 1:17.909. On Wednesday Heinz will try the new car for the first time and after listening to Nick's rave reviews, the older German can't wait!

"Today I continued running in the C21 carrying on the component testing that we started yesterday and also working on the launch control", he explained. "I will have my first drive in the C22 tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it. Nick already says it is a better car than last year."

"Once again we were fortunate to have cold but dry weather today which enabled us to maintain consistency in this important first test of the C22", added Willy Rampf, Technical Director. "We are pleased the way the new car went again today when Nick did more laps than any one else today and the car proved completely reliable. Having completed all of our preliminary checks and evaluations yesterday our focus today was on aerodynamic work. In the afternoon we completed a tire test program on behalf of Bridgestone."

Sauber's new 2003 challenger, the C22, was prevented from undertaking its first roll out on Thursday due to snow falling on the Fiorano circuit, the Swiss based outfit is extremely excited by the potential of their new blue 'rocket'. Team boss Peter Sauber fully believes that the new car is the best charger to ever come from their Hinwil factory, especially after more than 1200 hours in the wind tunnel.

Over a period of almost 130 days, the new aerodynamically slimmer C22 was checked, tested and rechecked. Powered by the 850 HP Monza issue Ferrari engine, Technical Director Willy Rampf told Blick that it is a car with the least amount of compromises that the Swiss squad has ever built.

Most cars are named after the team, the F(Ferrari) 2002, the PS (Paul Stoddart) 02 and so on, but why the C in the C22? The answer is simple, Peter Sauber dedicated the name of his cars to wife of 37 years, Christiane.

"With the C I just wanted to thank my wife", he explained to Blick. "Together we have weathered all the turbulences of racing."

Saubers new pride and joy will hit the race track for the first time next week when the team conduct a three day test session at the Barcelona track with both drivers, Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

An interview with Heinz-Harald

German Formula One driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen is about to embark on his tenth season in Formula One and during that time, the three-time GP winner has come full circle. Heinz made his F1 debut in 1994 with Sauber, and his best finish was a fourth in the French Grand Prix. In 1995, he drove a superb race, coming third in Monza, in a car that was well below the competition and unfortunately, 1996 proved fruitless for him.

Taking over from the reigning world champion at the time, Damon Hill, Heinz joined the Williams squad where he partnered Jacques Villeneuve. It was here that victory first came his way when he won the fourth race of the season, at Imola. Sadly, this was the German driver's one and only victory for Williams as he was constantly plagued with mechanical failures and a fast teammate.

Signing with Jordan for the 99 season appeared to be the key to his success. Initially fitting into the team with ease, Heinz-Harald flourished, giving the team and himself, a second win, in France. This win was extraordinary in the fact that he drove and won while suffering fractured knees from an accident in Canada two weeks earlier. He continued to score consistent points and even another win and with only three races left in the season, he was in contention for the title. Although he didn't win the illustrious crown, he came third and at the same time gave Eddie Jordan third in the Constructors championship.

The last two years have been turbulent to say the least starting with a heavy shunt in 2001 that saw him sit out the Canadian Grand Prix followed by a shock sacking right before his home Grand Prix at Hockenheim in July. Sitting the race out, he was soon contracted to Prost for the remaining five races, his highlight being a fourth place qualifying position at the Belgian GP. Unfortunately Prost fell into the hands of the receivers and Heinz moved on to the Orange Arrows outfit to partner Enrique Bernoldi for 2002.

Once again his season was thrown into turmoil after financial problems plagued the Walkinshaw run outfit and he eventually walked away from the team after they continued to sit out the scheduled races. A off on appearance in the American Grand Prix after Sauber Petronas' regular driver Felipe Massa was to be penalized for an incident at the Italian Grand Prix, led to a position with the Swiss based squad in 2003.

Now, the new car has been fired up and will run for the first time at Fiorano later today and although it will be Nick Heidfeld behind the wheel, Heinz-Harald is ready and eager to get the year underway. We recently asked Heinz-Harald a few questions, on what it's like to be 'home', his goals for the new season and several other issues including the new rules for the upcoming championship.

Coming back to Sauber Petronas after such a long time. How good does it feel to be home?
Feels good of course! Many things have changed since I last was with Sauber Ford (at the time), in 1995 and 1996. Over these two years I have scored 27 World Championship points for this Team and my best result there was a podium and third place at the Italian Grand Prix.

Sauber Petronas has always been a Swiss-based international Formula One team. They finished fourth in the 2001 FIA World Championship of Constructors and fifth in the 2002 FIA World Championship of Constructors. Peter Sauber has been building high tech racecars for the Formula One World Championships since 1993. He has always been fascinated by the application of high technology to motor racing. Today, 300 people of 19 different nationalities work for the success of the team at Sauber Petronas 's top-of-the-line F1 centre in Hinwil, near Zurich.
There is a modern and new wind tunnel right near the building of the factory. It is in the process of being built and will be in operation at the end of the year. It is the most modern in the world. This and many other key investments confirms that the Team has grown a lot since I have been driving for the Sauber Ford F1 Team in 1995 and 1996.

After sitting out most of the second half of 2002 due to all the problems at Arrows, are you eager to get back behind the wheel to prepare for 2003?
Yes, it has been nice to have a break after Hockenheim Grand Prix although I drove for Sauber Petronas in Indianapolis and during a few testing sessions. This break gave me the opportunity to think about the situation and my career of course. For the first time in my racing career I had a nice summer with the family, my wife Tanja and my daughter, in Monaco where I have my residence.

What are your goals, for 2003 and beyond?
I want to really give a new push to the Team Sauber Petronas and help them regain fourth position in the Championship. Willy Rampf is a key figure at Sauber Petronas. He is a man of experience and the key person on which I will rely for next year.

Eddie Jordan has lost Deutsche Post, possibly because he doesn't have a German driver anymore. It was well known that they were unhappy with your sacking from the team, do you think this is as an in-direct response?
Never look behind you! This is the past.

Tell us about the Indy GP?
I raced in the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis on 29 September for Team Sauber Petronas alongside fellow countryman Nick Heidfeld. The decision was made following a thorough analysis of the Silverstone test the week before. I have really enjoyed driving at Indianapolis although I was not quite familiar enough with the car. I think my inexperience with the C21 got the better of me, because the set-up in the race on Sunday afternoon gave me so much oversteer that I quickly destroyed my rear tyres. But I did bring the car in 13th position, which showed in any case the strong reliability of the Sauber Petronas C21 because both cars finished the race.

As you were a spectator for most of the second half of last season, what were your thoughts, as a viewer and not a competitor of the series?
It is really a good opportunity to have a look on TV and to watch the show on the screen. Unfortunately for most of the spectators, the World Championship result for the year 2002 was already decided. But it was not so important for me as my focus was on the Sauber Petronas Team and I was looking at their achievement on TV.

You have had a hectic time since leaving Jordan, are you looking forward to the stability that being with Sauber Petronas will bring?
Honestly, "stability" is not a word that belongs to the vocabulary of a F1 driver. In this job, we are always looking for competition and to achieve a competitive season.

You have competed on both Michelin and Bridgestone tyres, in your opinion, are there any major differences between the two?
I had a rare opportunity over the two last seasons, that most of the drivers have not shared. My car was on Michelin tyres in 2001 and on Bridgestone tyres in 2002. To evaluate different tyres is like sharing a different philosophy of life. Globally, the concept is the same. A tyre is round and black most of the time. At the end, the competition challenge is left solely to the drivers. It is up to the drivers using different tires to see what they can do with their tires. It is unfair to say which brand is the best. Before driving a car I know what the tyres are capable to do. It is down to my ability of racer to get the best out of a set of tyres.

Team orders have now been banned, but that has never been an issue at Sauber Petronas, do you think fans may see some more interesting battles on the track as a result?
I am like the fans, and just hope that we have a good show for the FIA Championship next season in 2003 starting in Melbourne, Australia, on March 9.

Drivers can give some very interesting suggestions to make a track spectacular, for both themselves and the fan. Taking this into consideration, should circuit designers refer to the drivers when designing a new track?
I believe that the Team Principals and the FIA are giving a lot of thought this year on this. Possibly, the most interesting quote came from Frank Williams who said that in the past the airspace looked "bigger" than now. But it is not quite the case. It is just larger planes and planes flying more frequently. These days the tracks are similar. They give opportunity to give space to the new F1 cars for overtaking manoeuvres. It is what spectators want to see. May be it is the way to go. The GPDA, Grand Prix Driver's Association is discussing frequently this question. Michael Schumacher's opinion is regarded highly by circuit designers.

What are your thoughts on the new qualifying format? Do you think experienced drivers like yourself will benefit?
Overall it has become necessary to increase the quality of the show for the spectators. This measure may help doing so. Some drivers are quick on one lap only. Some drivers need a lot of laps to find their rhythm. It is a question of driving style. This will be quite a challenge for some of us. But I like the idea.

There are talks that traction control and other driver aids may be banned once again, putting the focus back on drivers. Are you in favour of this?
Fine with me. If everyone is equal ... and if it improves the show for the spectators.

German Formula One driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen is too sensitive to succeed in the sport his former boss Frank Williams said on Monday. The 35-year-old was let go by Williams after winning just once in his two years at the English team in 1997 and 1998.

He looked to have rebuilt his reputation when he went on to Jordan and won two Grand Prix finishing third in 1999, but then fell out with team leader Eddie Jordan in 2001 with whom he recently settled for compensation on his contract after he was sacked midway through the season.

Things got little better for him as he joined up with Prost which went bust last year. He fared little better at Arrows, who endured similar financial problems but has now returned to another of his former teams Sauber. However while Williams praised Frentzen for his handling of the car he said he was too sensitive for the hardness of the sport.

"I don't know of any other driver who has such a fantastic feeling for the car he drives as Frentzen does", Williams told the BBC. "But Heinz-Harald is a very sensitive character and not hard enough for this business."

Despite crashing on the final lap of his first day behind the wheel of a Sauber C21, Peter Sauber was very impressed with Heinz-Harald Frentzen's return to the cockpit at Silverstone on Thursday. The German driver recorded the quickest time of the day at the English circuit after 71 laps before smashing into the tyre barrier as the session came to a close.

Thankfully he was uninjured in the shunt, despite the fact that the car was basically a write off and a decision on his participation at the upcoming Indianapolis Grand Prix is expected in the coming days.

"This was in fact a very impressive come back to the Sauber Petronas Team for Heinz-Harald Frentzen. He completed 71 laps and set the fastest time of the day, and he achieved this in a seating position which is only a compromise for him", praised Peter Sauber. "Unfortunately, Heinz-Harald Frentzen went off into the tyre barrier on his very last lap which caused considerable damage to the car. Heinz-Harald Frentzen got out of the car himself and went to the medical centre at the race track for a first check, which didn't reveal any signs of an injury at this point in time. An additional routine check will be done at the Oxford hospital later today. Heinz-Harald Frentzen will decide later about his potential participation in the Indy race."

"In the morning, we continued our set-up preparation work for Indianapolis, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen could familiarise himself with the control systems of the C21", explained Willy Rampf. "In the afternoon, we completed a quite successful tyre test program with Bridgestone, also in view of the Indy race."

Thursday at Silverstone

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is in pole position to take part in next weekend's American Grand Prix after a very positive day of testing for the Sauber team at England's Silverstone circuit on Thursday. The German driver was spending his first day behind the wheel of the C21 to evaluate the possibility of standing in for regular driver Felipe Massa at the upcoming penultimate round of the season.

Frentzen completed the day to record a best time of 1:21.648, and while Nick Heidfeld's time yesterday was a few tenths faster with a 1:21.452, the ex-Arrows driver was a almost a second quicker than Felipe's best time of 1:22.421 here on Tuesday, despite a crash toward the end of the day.

Giancarlo Fisichella continued the Jordan outfit's pre Indy test with the second best time of 1:21.890, while the two Renault drivers, Fernando Alonso and Oliver Gavin finished third and fourth. Gavin was standing in for Jenson Button who fell ill at the English track yesterday.

Thursdays times from Silverstone:
1. Heinz-Harald Frentzen – Sauber – 1:21. 648 - 87 laps
2. Giancarlo Fisichella – Jordan – 1:21.890 - 68 laps
3. Fernando Alonso – Renault – 1:23.249 - 107 laps
4. Oliver Gavin – Renault – 1:24.781 - 24 laps

Thursday is going to be a very important day in Heinz-Harald Frentzen's life as he undergoes his first test in the Sauber C21. A lot is hinging on the German's performance at the English track and how he adjusts to the newly made seat at his disposal.

Being larger than the team's current drivers, Felipe Massa and Nick Heidfeld, the plan was to wait until season's end before jumping in the car, but due to an incident with Felipe Massa and Pedro de la Rosa at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix, team boss Peter Sauber had to rethink the situation in his quest for fourth spot in the constructors championship.

With their rivals for the position, Renault, adding five more points to their tally in the Italian Grand Prix while they finished pointless, Sauber is now nine points behind with only two races left in the season. Therefore when the Italian stewards decided to penalize young Felipe in the USGP by demoting him ten places on the grid, team boss Peter Sauber knew he must bring his plans forward.

Massa is the first driver to handed the penalty that was brought into force after a world council meeting on the twentieth of March this year.

"In addition to their existing powers, the stewards have been given the power to move a driver involved in an incident 10 places back from his qualifying position for the grid at the next event."

Therefore, while the driver is penalized, the car is not, so by switching drivers the team can be assured of the best grid positions possible from both cars. Heinz welcomes the chance to help the team in their quest, especially after being forced to sit out the last few events.

"I will test the Sauber-Petronas C21 for the first time in Silverstone this coming Thursday. In case the results of this test will be satisfying, I could possibly drive the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis on 29 September alongside Nick Heidfeld", Heinz said on his official website. "I visited the Hinwil factory on Tuesday for a seat fitting. Now the test in Silverstone will finally show whether I will be able to drive competitively in this seating position."

The Sauber Petronas team began a three-day test at Silverstone on Tuesday in preparation for next week's US Grand Prix at Indianapolis. Felipe Massa was at the wheel of the C21 and covered 64 laps to set the fastest time of 1:22.409. The Brazilian's teammate Nick Heidfeld will continue the test on Wednesday, while on Thursday September 19, Heinz-Harald Frentzen will drive the car for the first time.

The Swiss based team's main purpose on day one was to try different aerodynamic configurations, particularly in the low to medium downforce range, in readiness for the race at Indianapolis, which requires low downforce on the main straight section, but higher levels of downforce on the infield.

"It feels good to be back in the car again so soon after Monza, and we had a trouble free day which allowed as to gather a lot of data which I hope will be very useful for our program next week in America", Felipe said, despite the fact that his drive may be in jeopardy.

"Our program ran without a hitch as the C21 proved completely reliable, and we are satisfied with the results", said Jacky Eeckelaert Head of Vehicle Engineering. "We will continue the work with Nick when we are also scheduled to do some tyre development work with Bridgestone."

Sauber Petronas announced today that 2003 contracted driver, Heinz- Harald Frentzen will be behind the wheel of the Sauber C21 for the first time in Silverstone this coming Thursday. If all goes according to plan at the English track, the German driver could possibly replace Felipe Massa to drive in the upcoming US Grand Prix on 29 September.

According to the team, the reason behind the move is due to Felipe's penalty incurred at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix when he had a coming together with the Jaguar of Pedro de la Rosa. Stewards of the course later determined that the young rookie was responsible and demoted him ten places on the USGP grid.

"The decision of the Stewards of the Meeting in Monza to relegate Felipe by ten grid positions at the Indy race forced us to think about alternatives", explained team boss Peter Sauber. "This verdict would be a major setback in our quest to defend our position in the Constructors' Championship. Only the test in Silverstone will finally show, whether Heinz-Harald will be able to drive competitively in this seating position. All further decisions will depend on the outcome of the test drive."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen was surprised by this call on short notice and visited the Hinwil factory today for a seat fitting.

"Peter Sauber phoned on Monday and informed me about the new situation", Heinz said. "I would be very happy if I could already drive for Sauber Petronas in Indianapolis."

German driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen made an emotional return to his Formula One racing roots at Hinwil today, for his first official engagement as a Team Sauber Petronas driver for the 2003 season. The thirty-five year old German was meeting the Press and the team at their Swiss headquarters, renewing old acquaintances with team members. Heinz-Harald signed on to drive for the team in the 2003 season, marking a return to the team with whom he began his Formula One career back in 1994.

During his three years with the fledgling Sauber Formula One team from 1994-1996, Heinz scored 29 World Championship points for the team, an individual total that has still to be beaten by any other driver. After driving for Williams, Jordan, Prost and Arrows in the interim, Heinz is delighted to be returning to the team that launched his Formula One career, looking forward to adding to his Sauber points tally in 2003.

"Ever since I left Sauber to go to Williams in 1997 Peter has been trying to get me to return to the team. Even when I left, I said to them that I will be coming back one day. Now the timing is right", Heinz said. "It did not take me very long after we talked to make up my mind that Sauber was where I wanted to be for the coming season. They have done a great job over the past few years and are now one of the most respected teams in the paddock. They have shown they have what it takes to take on the top teams and with the experience we have both gained over the past six years, I am sure we can make our "old team" even more effective in 2003 than it was when I last drove for them."

During his visit to Hinwil, Peter Sauber gave him a tour of the team's impressive facility including the new 100 percent scale wind tunnel that is being built alongside the main factory. Peter Sauber is a very happy man right about now, equally content to have Heinz back in the Sauber family.

"He is not only one of the fastest drivers in Formula One, he also knows how to move a team forward", commented Sauber. "Furthermore, he has proven the past year that he is still highly motivated. His performance this season impressed us deeply."

During his visit, Frentzen was officially presented to all the members of the Sauber-Petronas team, many of whom needed no introduction having worked with him in the past.

"Things have certainly changed a lot since I was last at Hinwil. As well as my passion for driving the cars I love developing them as well, so I cannot wait for the new wind tunnel to be finished as I have lots of ideas for them to try out", smiled Heinz, who gained a reputation for his interest in aerodynamics when he was with the team before. "Normally it takes a while before you feel at home in a new team, but coming to Sauber is like coming home for me and I cannot wait to start working on next year's car."

After the formalities of the morning, Heinz's afternoon was engaged in long talks with Technical Director Willy Rampf, along with other members of the design staff, as they discussed the various design features of next year's car. Willy, who worked closely with Heinz in the past, is looking forward to working with him in the future.

"We expect that he will bring a lot of experience to help us, especially in the set-up of the car", Rampf smiled.

Meanwhile, Frentzen is expected to test the current Sauber-Petronas soon after the end of the season to familiarize himself with the various control systems that form a major part of modern grand prix cars.

"The team will have to make considerable modifications to one of their cars to get me to fit, as I am quite a bit taller than the current drivers, so I will probably not drive before December," he explained.

When it happens, it will be a moment that many team members as well as Team Sauber fans have been waiting for a long time, six years, exactly.

Although it looks as if the OrangeArrows team will partake in this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, mystery continues to surround the squad in regard to the new owner. While the deal won't be made final until later today, it appears as if the man who has been vying for ownership for some time now, ex-BAR boss Craig Pollock, is not the Leafield based outfit's saviour after all.

Pollock has denied any involvement in this latest move of the ongoing saga with the team that began prior to the British Grand Prix in early July. It was heavily speculated that Pollock, together with Energy drink, Red Bull, were the main investors bidding for the team and when Arrows announced on Wednesday that they had signed with an American investor, everyone naturally looked to Red Bull.

"Absolutely not, it's nothing to do with me", Pollock said. "My interest in Arrows is officially finished. That's it."

While close to making the deal come off, Pollock added that he obviously wasn't close enough as at the very last minute it appears as if someone else moved in, someone Pollock says he is unfamiliar with.

"If Tom signed with a group of American investors, I do not have anything to do with it. They are perhaps American investors but not those with which I was involved with."

So just who is it? Even though Pollock is not involved, doesn't mean he doesn't know the potential new owner. The BBC is stating that 'Carl Smith' an elderly American billionaire is the force behind the move, however nothing is confirmed so we are left waiting for official news sometime later today.

The two cars went through the scrutineering process on Thursday and the team have listed Heinz-Harald Frentzen as their number two driver, however at this stage the German isn't anywhere to be seen in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock. When quizzed about it, even Enrique Bernoldi stated that he didn't know whom his partner would be so even though Frentzen is listed, they may opt to run just one car in this weekend's event.

Renault test driver Fernando Alonso was thought to be signed and sealed for the drive but it now appears as if there is some controversy in regard to the tyre war and running on Bridgestone rubber with Arrows when officially contracted to a Michelin team. Another engine payment was due to Cosworth on Wednesday however Walkinshaw insists there are no problems in respect to his Ford deal.

In this weekend's Belgian GP?

Race organizers for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix announced today that Heinz-Harald Frentzen looks set to be back behind the wheel of an Arrows car for Sunday's race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Frentzen's name appeared on the official entry list released by the sport's governing body, the FIA, issued here late Thursday afternoon.

Prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix two weeks ago, Frentzen said he had enough of Arrows' financial difficulties - he coyly skirted the issue whether he had been paid or not at the German Grand Prix - and left before the team pulled out of the race. Arrows had been surviving on a race-by-race basis and missed the Hungarian Grand Prix outright.

In July, the company was declared insolvent by a judge at London's High Court and it was reported that the team owed large amounts of money to their Cosworth engine suppliers. Earlier this week they announced they had found an American investor - thus allowing the team to compete in Belgium, however it has yet to be formally announced just who the new owner of the Leafield squad is.

Although he won't be taking part in the remaining four races of the current season, newly signed Sauber driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen is confident of a strong performance in the 2003 season. Officially announcing his new role at the Swiss based outfit yesterday, the three time Grand prix winner squashed the rumours that Peter Sauber would be ousting young Felipe Massa from the team before the end of the season.

Heinz-Harald confirmed on his personal website that he has always harboured plans to one day return to the team that gave him his start in the series and he is overjoyed with the prospect of celebrating his tenth year in the pinnacle of Motorsports together with a lot of old friends.

"When I left Sauber in 1996, I always clearly said that at some time or other I would like to come back to this team", Frentzen said. "I am very happy that this has worked out now and that I will compete in my 10-year anniversary in Formula One. I am convinced that together we can be successful. The renewed cooperation with a lot of old friends will be an additional motivation for me."

Massa has been somewhat erratic in his debut season, however the young Brazilian has proven his speed, the highest scorer of all this years rookies with a total of four points, the same amount secured by Renault driver Jarno Trulli. While offered a testing role by the Petronas squad for '03, Felipe has yet to accept as surely he will have other interesting offers for a full time drive elsewhere.

The Sauber Petronas team confirmed their 2003 driver line-up today, just hours after the news of Heinz-Harald Frentzen's signing became public, the Swiss based outfit confirming their all German line up of Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld, exercising the option on Heidfeld's current contract.

Frentzen announced to the German press that he had signed a one-year deal with his former team, something Peter Sauber has now confirmed. Meanwhile, the man he is replacing, Brazilian rookie Felipe Massa, has been offered an opportunity to be a test and substitute driver for the team, however he has still not confirmed any acceptance of the new role.

"The extension of Nick's contract was a formality. He has done an excellent job for our team and feels at home with us. The decision to replace Felipe Massa was not easy for me", team boss Peter Sauber explained. "Finally, the decisive factor was Heinz-Harald Frentzen's performance this year, which impressed us deeply. He is not only one of the fastest drivers in Formula One, he also knows how to move a team forward. Furthermore, he has proven that he is still highly motivated. I hope that Felipe Massa will accept our offer as test and substitute driver. We continue to be very interested in his development."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen has been one of the most successful drivers that the Sauber team has ever had. From 1994 to 1996, he earned 29 Championship points. His Formula One record includes two pole positions, three wins and the Vice Champion's title in 1997.

"I have a very special relationship with Peter Sauber. He brought me into Formula One and paved the way for my career", Heinz said. "The performance of Team Sauber Petronas has impressed me tremendously over the years and I am convinced that together we will achieve a lot."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen has confirmed that he will drive for the Sauber Petronas team in the 2003 Formula One world championship, the move marking a return to the team with whom he made his debut in 1994. The 35-year-old, who has been without a drive after splitting with the financially-troubled Arrows outfit during the three week summer break, will be paid 2.8 million dollars by the Swiss-based team, according to a report in the Bild am Sonntag.

"We have agreed on a contract for a year", Frentzen confirmed. "I am looking forward enormously to returning to Sauber. Peter Sauber gave me my Formula One start in 1994 and since then we've had a special relationship. They also had the best technical package from all the teams in question."

Heinz-Harald graduated from karts with the title to move to Formula Ford 2000 in 1985, but was promoted to Formula Opel in 1988, winning the German title before entering the GM Euroseries late in the season. He was runner up in the 1989 German Formula Three series, then he moved into sports cars with the Mercedes junior team, while at the same time driving in Formula 3000 for Eddie Jordan Racing.

He then made his debut in Formula One in 1994 with the Sauber team, his best finish being a fourth in the French Grand Prix. The following season he drove a superb Italian Grand Prix, coming third on the Monza track in a car that was well below the competition. However, his final year in 1996 proved fruitless for him, and he was signed by the Williams team to replace Damon Hill for the 97 season. One win and two years later, he went to Jordan, claiming a further two victories.

A shock dismissal in the middle of the 2001 season saw him join Prost for the rest of the year, then Arrows this season after Prost went into liquidation. Now he has come full circle for 2003 by heading back to the team that gave him his chance eight years ago.

The report in the Bild am Sonntag added that team chief Peter Sauber will, as expected, take up an option on Nick Heidfeld's contract to remain with the team for another season.

"It's probably less likely to happen."

Following the termination of his contract with Arrows at the end of last week it now appears as if Heinz-Harald Frentzen will not be lining up on the grid in Hungary. According to the German's manager, Monte Field, although Frentzen is in discussions with a few teams, as yet nothing has been signed, and it is very unlikely that any deal will have been sorted out in time for the next race on the 18th of August.

Frentzen has been linked with Sauber, Jordan and Toyota in the recent past, however nothing has been signed and sealed yet, and only time will reveal who the German will drive for in the future. However Field has said that they are working at securing a drive for Frentzen.

"It's probably less likely to happen", Field told Sky Sports when asked whether Frentzen will race in Budapest. "Something came up for us and it was just best that we ended our association with Arrows. I cannot say what at the moment, but we do intend to do everything we can to ensure he will drive at some time."

Says the Sauber driver's manager ...

Now that Heinz-Harald Frentzen has been released from his contract with Arrows rumours are doing the rounds as to who might snap up the experienced German driver. Frentzen, a past Grand Prix winner, is known for his experience and speed, two assets, which according to some appeal to Sauber boss Peter Sauber, and have led to reports that he is interested in signing Frentzen for the remaining five races of the 2002 season.

With the team fighting with Renault for fourth place in the Constructors' Championship the Sauber boss is reported to be unhappy with his rookie driver Felipe Massa. Despite the Brazilian's talent some say that Sauber is finding the youngster a bit too impetuous for his liking and is keen to replace him with Frentzen.

However these reports have been rubbished by Massa's manager, Riccardo Tedeschi, who states that Sauber was misquoted by some magazines in an interview. According to Tedeschi Sauber has no intentions of signing Frentzen.

He said: "This is false, and comes from the magazine Motorsport Aktuell, relayed then by several internet sites. They did not translate the entirety of the remarks Peter Sauber told the journalist. Mr. Sauber explained that the possibility of signing of Frentzen would create a difficult situation within the team. He actually denied the rumours."

Formula One driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who split with his financially-troubled Arrows team yesterday, is on the hunt for a new drive in the pinnacle of Motorsports. The 35-year-old, who joined Arrows from the now defunct Prost team at the start of the current season, is now looking to secure his future after competing in eleven (after sitting out France) events for Arrows and claiming two points.

"I am looking to secure my Formula One future", Frenzten confirmed in a statement. "Due to the unfortunate difficulties which the Arrows team is facing I've decided that the best thing is to end our association so that each party can concentrate on his future."

The crisis-hit Formula 1 outfit run by Tom Walkinshaw was declared insolvent by a British High Court judge last month and can now only compete if Walkinshaw finds the money to pay engine suppliers Cosworth on a race-by-race basis. The Arrows boss, commenting on his number one driver's decision explained that due to the circumstances he didn't want to stand in Heinz's way.

"I'm in the process of fixing up my future in Formula 1", Frentzen confirmed. "My passion and enthusiasm for Formula 1 are just as strong as ever."

For its second season in Grand Prix racing Toyota are said to be looking for successor to Scot Allan McNish but as to whether Frentzen, who is taking legal action against Eddie Jordan over his 2001 dismissal, will find a new job before the end of the season that is uncertain.

"It's an interesting team with nice people. I could imagine driving for them", he said while manager, Monte Field added, "A decision will be made in the next few weeks. Everything is possible."

The OrangeArrows Formula One outfit announced today that together with team driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, they have agreed to bring their contractual relationship to an end due to the fact that the future at the Leafield squad is so uncertain.

"I'd like to thank the team for the 12 races I have had with them", Heinz-Harald said. "The team definitely has real potential so I hope they can sort their problems out and realise their goals. I wish every one of them all the best for the future."

At this stage it is unclear as to the German driver's future, however there have been reports that former team Sauber are interested in re-hiring his services. As for who will take the German drivers place to partner Enrique Bernoldi from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards will be announced in due course.

"Heinz told us that due to the uncertainty at Arrows, he wished to stand down and we did not want to stand in his way", added Tom Walkinshaw. "I'd like to wish him all the best and thank him for the hard work he put in at Arrows."

Although there is strong speculation that the OrangeArrows team has found new investors, hence the reason behind the complete turn around at the German Grand Prix last weekend in comparison with the French GP a week earlier, it is thought that their number one driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen may be about to leave.

While no official announcement has been made in regard to the team's future, Frentzen has admitted that he doesn't intend to be without a drive in the series and at this stage he is waiting to see what the Leafield based squad's future holds in store before making any decisions.

The team's saviour has been linked to Ex-BAR boss Craig Pollock, along with energy drink giant, Red Bull, however there is thought to be another investor interested in getting his hands on the team, but has yet to be officially named. Due to this, Frentzen's future is left up in the air and prior to the German Grand Prix the three time race winner stated that things should hopefully be cleared up one way or the other before the Hungarian Grand Prix later this month.

Ex-boss Eddie Jordan, attempted to put Frentzen into the EJ12 in France after regular driver Giancarlo Fisichella was forced to sit out the event, an offer Frentzen denied. Since then the German was also linked to a Toyota drive last month, something vehemently denied by the team, however there is one other team boss out there that has admitted interest in Heinz-Harald's services, none other than another ex-boss, Peter Sauber.

Frentzen competed for Sauber back from 1994 to 1996, before switching to Williams where he replaced Damon Hill, and Peter Sauber has reportedly stated that he would be more than willing to re-hire his ex-driver to place him in the car instead of Brazilian rookie Felipe Massa. Stay tuned!

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is an important player in the F1 driver market at the moment because of a number of good showings this year with the Arrows team. Frentzen joined Arrows late in the day but has done well despite all the troubles which have surrounded the team. Now he is a man in demand again and, ironically, was in demand from Jordan (which fired him a year ago) at the recent French GP. There are doubts about the future in F1 of both Deutsche Post and Benson & Hedges but big name drivers from the right markets might make a difference. Deutsche Post is reported to be keen on a German driver - and Frentzen is the only one available.

But in order for that to happen a legal settlement must be found over the contract for this year.

Frentzen is being mentioned as a possible Toyota driver, and also as a potential driver at Sauber and there are also suggestions that Jaguar Racing want him. Germany is a big market for Jaguar and sales have been slow to date.

One way or another Frentzen does not have to worry too much about the future.

The OrangeArrows team didn't have a very good afternoon in Germany with their woes starting from the get go when Heinz-Harald Frentzen failed to get away from the grid. It was then restarted by Arrows mechanics in the pitlane and he returned to the circuit three laps down. However, his woes didn't end there and the German was finally forced to retire from his home race with a hydraulic leak.

"I don't know what happened at the start", he explained. "The engine just died and that was really the end of my race. I was having difficulties selecting gears when I came in for my pit-stop and the team told me I had a hydraulic leak and took the decision to retire the car. It's pretty disappointing that this should happen at my home Grand Prix but problems like this can strike anywhere."

Meanwhile teammate Enrique Bernoldi had a good start to his race and was part of a very tight midfield group of cars but unfortunately his car suffered an engine failure in the closing stages on lap 48. Now with a three week break, the Brazilian driver is looking to return stronger than ever in Hungary.

"I was having a good race today as there was a big group of us out there together. I was running with low wing so, although I could catch them, it was hard to get past through the corner", he said. "It's a real shame as we have so much potential but we'll keep working hard, have a small break, and will be back fighting-fit in Hungary."

"Following an unfortunate stall at the start of the race, Heinz was running at a reasonable pace but, being three laps down, was handicapped by the leaders catching him", added Graham Taylor, Chief Race Engineer. "Enrique was running well but we were overworking the tyres with a low downforce strategy. This allowed him to catch the cars in front but he was struggling at the end of his stints. He then suffered an engine failure. Overall, a very disappointing result for us."

OrangeArrows driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen has hinted at a possible return to the team that forced him to miss the German Grand Prix last season, Jordan. While currently contracted to Arrows, the team's financial difficulties are ongoing, despite their seemingly return to normal here this weekend, and Heinz is eager to secure a solid future in the sport, one he is sill not sure will be with Arrows. But, one thing he is sure of is that retirement is out of the question.

"I need a decision for the future here within the team really and that will happen in August, I am quite sure about that", he said. "I am talking to a couple of teams and I am thinking of the future, but if it is with Arrows I can't tell you at the moment. I am certainly not thinking of stopping, otherwise it would have been a good moment here in Hockenheim to say I am retiring."

Speaking at Hockenheim, Heinz revealed that Jordan's sponsors, Deutsche Post are keen to have a German driver back on board, and that it was in fact them behind the proposal to stand in for the injured Giancarlo Fisichella last weekend in France. However, team boss Eddie Jordan dismissed Heinz's services after last year's British Grand Prix and the two are still locked in a legal battle as a consequence.

"I have to say, Deutsche Post is quite keen to have a German driver, but I think to go back to Eddie's team there has to be something sorted which is quite important, I didn't sack Eddie, he sacked me", he said, adding that the team had a few people on board he wouldn't mind teaming up with again. "There are two people who I really think are good for the team, I have great faith in them. Gary (Anderson) was basically the father of the 1999 Jordan, and Henri (Durand) I knew from Prost and he was a pretty good guy to work with. It would be nice to work with them again."

Giancarlo Fisichella, who qualified sixth for this afternoon's event is solidly contracted to Jordan for next season and while current teammate Takuma Sato also holds a valid contract, but strong speculation continues to cloud the Japanese rookies future, especially if they lose engine supplier Honda.

OrangeArrows drivers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi, qualified in 15th and 18th positions for tomorrow's German Grand Prix. The team has been in a financial crisis for the past few events, accumulating with a no show in last weekend's French race at the Magny-Cours circuit. However, they are back on track and Frentzen for one is looking forward to racing in front of his home fans tomorrow despite the difficulties encountered today.

"I had to work pretty hard for that position today", the German driver admitted. "We didn't have the pace we thought we should have this morning but did make improvements before qualifying. As always though, the car will be better in race trim so I'm looking forward to a good home Grand Prix tomorrow."

Enrique Bernoldi is disappointed with 18th place, especially after some strong runs throughout the course of the weekend. However despite being three places behind his teammate, there is only a tenth between them and he too is looking forward to racing here tomorrow.

"I'm a bit disappointed with my position after that session. I am only a tenth off my team-mate's time but three positions behind him as it's so close", he said. "We made good improvements to the car since this morning's practice sessions and the balance was definitely much better so I'll look forward to tomorrow now and hope for a good result in the race."

"We've had a very difficult Saturday as we've had trouble with balance all day and struggled to get the best out of the tyres", added Graham Taylor, Chief Race Engineer. "Having said that the grid is very very tight in our group. There is some consolation in the fact that Heinz beat both the Jaguars and Toyotas but we're ultimately disappointed as we really should be higher up the order. It would have been good for Heinz, with this being his home Grand Prix."

After missing the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours last weekend, the OrangeArrows team was back on track at the Hockenheimring in Germany today. The track has been heavily revised since last year's race and while the exceedingly fast straights that became Hockenheim's trademark have been dropped, the 'Ring' is still home to an extremely enthusiastic crowd of F1 supporters.

Today's two one hour free practice sessions were the driver's first opportunity to try out the new circuit at speed and Heinz-Harald Frentzen didn't disappoint his home fans finishing the day in a superb tenth place. The German driver had a very positive day and is now hoping to carry that over to tomorrow's qualifying session.

"We had a very good Friday today with no trouble", he confirmed. "It's good to make Friday Practice as it's an important time for collecting data. We went through our usual program with the addition of having a new circuit to learn and I think we made good progress."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi was close behind with an eleventh placed finish the Brazilian driver recording 39 timed laps of the German track. Unlike several of his colleagues, Bernoldi wasn't too keen on the new layout, much preferring the old track to the heavily revised version. He was happy enough with progress made throughout the day and is hoping for added improvements tomorrow.

"We've had a lot of work to do today, as with the changes to the circuit, we've had to work hard on getting a good balance here. The circuit is not bad at all but I do still prefer the old one", he said. "I think there is still room for improvement tomorrow but I'm happy with the progress we made today."

"We got through a great deal of work today", added Graham Taylor. "The drivers are both competitive and very closely matched. We did a good tyre comparison but have a few balance issues to sort out before tomorrow. The opposition seemed to have a few problems whilst we had very few but we fully expect our group to be as competitive as ever. It was nice to run on the Friday and hopefully the data we gathered can be converted into performance tomorrow."

It appears as if the OrangeArrows team will be competing here this weekend after not taking part in practice in France by deliberately not qualifying for the race in order to save money with team principal Ton Walkinshaw trying to keep his outfit alive.

Walkinshaw is in talks with three potential investors but there is little conversation with Morgan Grenfell, who own half the Leafield based squad and have had court injunctions served on the Scot to prevent him selling more of the team. It was for that reason that Walkinshaw decided that, to concur with legal advice and not invoke big expenses that could affect the team, that both drivers would do one installation lap each in practice and then one flying lap in qualifying.

The FIA then launched an investigation and as a result Arrows' actions at Hockenheim on Saturday will come under close scrutiny. However, Walkinshaw says he will do everything he can to allow Frentzen to take part in his home race, one he missed out on here last year after being dismissed from Jordan, but should a similar incident occur the team could find themselves a subject of a report by race director Charlie Whiting.

Article 151c of the International Sporting Code, which covers actions prejudicial to the spirit of competition, might be invoked, the punishment for breaking the regulation being wide-ranging, including either a fine, a race ban or even expulsion from the World Championship itself.

Last weekend's French Grand Prix was a no go for the OrangeArrows outfit as they continued to experience financial difficulties, leaving many to speculate on their participation in Germany this weekend. After almost missing the British GP three weeks ago, the Leafield based squad left it late arriving at Magny-Cours before proceeding to sit out the opening day of practice.

Saturday morning rolled around and both cars continued to sit in the garage and with only ten minutes left in the second forty-five minute session, the drivers came out together to complete one solitary lap to allow them to participate in qualifying. No sooner had pit lane opened for qualifying when once again both drivers emerged. They then proceeded to do one qualifying run, consisting of three laps, only to back off in the final sector, ensuring the times posted would fail to fall inside the 107% range.

Exiting the cars and changing from their racesuits, it was obvious that their French GP was over and they packed up and left the circuit. Now, five days later, the find themselves faced with round twelve, still trying to secure much needed investment to continue in the series, but if they think they are going to get away with the same thing twice, they may be sadly mistaken. A noted effort to participate here this weekend is needed or else they may risk sanction from the FIA, with penalties as harsh as being banned from the series.

Once again faced with a Wednesday deadline to pay for the Cosworth V10 engines, it is unclear at his stage whether the money has changed hands, however team driver Enrique Bernoldi is confident that they will be taking part here this weekend, stating that just like his colleagues he is looking forward to the event while the team continue to work overtime to secure their continued participation.

"After a difficult and frustrating race weekend in Magny Cours - where both Heinz and I were unable to race - I am looking forward to this weekend's Grand Prix in Germany. The new layout of the Hockenheim track looks interesting and will present fresh challenges for us to learn the circuit", he said on his official website. "The team are working flat-out behind the scenes concerning our future participation in the Championship - and I look forward to be able to getting back in the racecar and going racing! I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my supporters who have sent kind messages of support - and I hope I can repay this support as soon as I get in the car!!"

Despite speculation that current BAR driver Olivier Panis is in talks with the Panasonic Toyota Racing outfit in regards to a drive for the 2003 season, British tabloid, the Sun, is reporting that the Cologne based team has made an offer to Orange Arrows driver, Heinz- Harald Frentzen, to take over from regular driver, Allan McNish after the German Grand Prix this weekend.

According to the report, Toyota were hopeful of securing Jenson Button's services but after they were rejected in favour of British American Racing, they turned to three time race winner, Frentzen with an offer of two and a half million pounds. It is unknown what the term's of Frentzen's Arrows contract are, but with the team's future still up in the air after dramas at Silverstone and then failing to race in France, the German star could be open to a new deal.

So what about Panis? If Frentzen takes the Toyota drive, that doesn't leave a lot of options, however BAR boss Dave Richards hinted that there may be a way to keep Panis with the team, joining Villeneuve and Button in a unique set of circumstances yet to unfold.

Arrows driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen might not have spent a great deal of time in a Formula One car of late as the team sets about sorting out their financial situation, but the German driver could be spending a bit of time in a rally car in the near future. According to Autosport Frentzen has approached Ford boss Martin Whitaker with regards to opportunity to drive a rally car at some stage, after German media channel RTL made the suggestion to him.

Frentzen is not the only F1 driver who has been linked with rallying in the recent past, however he appears to be the only one who is keen to try it. Five-time world champion Michael Schumacher was recently issued a challenge by Ford's star Colin McRae to see who the best of the best was by racing in a F1 car, and then a rally car, however Schumacher declined the offer.

But while Schumacher may not be interested in trying his luck, Frentzen would love the opportunity to test drive a rally car and take it through it's pace as it would be a new experience for the Arrows driver. But only time will tell if the opportunity arises and Frentzen for once gets to slide a car around without losing time.

Frentzen said: "The idea was first mentioned to me by RTL who thought it might be nice for their coverage. There was talk about doing something before Hockenheim but I'd quite like to have a proper go. When I thought about it, the logical thing is to do something with Ford, because there would be no clash of interest. I've spoken to Martin Whitaker at Ford and they have some proper facilities in Wales, so I'm hopeful that we can do something, although I'm not sure when."

According to reports coming out of France, Arrows driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen won't be replacing Giancarlo Fisichella in today's French Grand Prix, despite approval from the FIA, after encountering legal difficulties with the situation.

More than five hours after the finish of Saturday's qualifying the FIA said they had approved a request from Jordan to allow Frentzen to replace the injured Fisichella, assuming there were no contractual difficulties and all teams agreed by Sunday morning.

Fisichella was hurt after crashing at more than 200 kph in the morning's final free practice session and taken to hospital in nearby Nevers for a medical examination which revealed no damage, according to the Jordan team, but a FIA medical delegate advised Fisichella to rest.

The stewards of the French race said that Fisichella's accident was enough of an exceptional circumstance to allow him to be substituted by Frentzen who competed for the team between 1999 and 2001 and won two races for them, including the 1999 French Grand Prix.

Even though the FIA have agreed to allow Arrows driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen to step in for injured Jordan man Giancarlo Fisichella for this afternoon's French Grand Prix, it is not yet definite that the German driver will agree. In a surprise move late Saturday, Eddie Jordan approached the FIA about the possibility of his former driver replacing the injured Italian, and surprisingly enough, they agreed.

However, the situation seems a little preposterous, no matter how you look at it. It is almost 12 months to the day that Eddie Jordan turned his back on the driver that secured two wins, one ironically enough at Magny-Cours, and almost single-handedly took the team to third place in the constructor's championship back in 1999. The season was undoubtedly a brilliant one for Heinz and he was even in with a shot of winning the drivers title up until the last few events.

But in his wisdom, Jordan decided in 2001 that he no longer needed Frentzen's services and instead of telling him face to face, sent his driver a fax after last years British Grand Prix dismissing him from the squad. What made the situation worse was the fact that he was forced to sit out his home race days later as a consequence, a seemingly unforgivable offence no matter how you look at it.

Yesterday's news came as a shock to the Formula One world in general. Currently embroiled in a legal battle over this unfair dismissal from the team, Frentzen received the call on his way home from France, after failing to qualify the Arrows, due to ongoing financial concerns plaguing the team, telling him that Eddie wanted him to return for a one off drive, albeit starting from the back of the grid.

But, will he do it, will it be a legal nightmare in regard to his pending lawsuit against the team? Will his lawyers advise him not to? Will Tom Walkinshaw object? Will other teams object? They have until 9:15 Sunday morning to decide and knowing Frentzen, a true racer at heart, he would give anything to be on the grid in France. The thrill of racing is what matters to him the most and everyone knows it, including Eddie Jordan. Obviously disappointed with the situation currently facing his OrangeArrows squad, this could be a chance he can't afford to pass up.

Rest assured, there will be a lot of discussions going on behind the scenes and we will know the final outcome before the 19, or maybe 20 drivers, take to the French track for this morning's warm-up.

Arrows driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen will replace Giancarlo Fisichella of Jordan in Sunday's French Formula 1 Grand Prix after all the teams agreed, the International Automobile Fedestration (FIA) has announced. More than five hours after the finish of Saturday's qualifying the FIA said they had approved a request from Jordan to allow Frentzen to replace the injured Fisichella, assuming there were no contractual difficulties and all teams agreed by Sunday morning.

Fisichella was hurt after crashing at more than 200 kph in the morning's final free practice session. The Italian was taken to a hospital in nearby Nevers for a medical examination which revealed no damage, according to the Jordan team, but a FIA medical delegate advised Fisichella to rest.

The stewards of the French race said that Fisichella's accident was enough of an exceptional circumstance to allow him to be substituted by Frentzen.

Arrows, meanwhile, involved in a financial crisis, made just one attempt to post a qualifying time with Frentzen and teammate Enrique Bernodli finishing outside the 107 percent limit of the leader, Juan Pablo Montoya of Williams. Therefore the Arrows drivers did not officially qualify for the race but its participation kept it eligible for financial benefits of FIA.

Frentzen clocked 1:18.497 while Fisichella's morning practice time was good enough for 15th in that session at 1:14.949.

Frentzen drove for the Jordan team between 1999 and 2001 and won two Grand Prix races for them, including the 1999 French Grand Prix. However he was fired by the team just before the 2001 German Grand Prix and finished 2001 with the Prost team, which went out of business earlier this year.

After putting in one solitary practice lap each in the final ten minutes of this afternoon's final free practice session, their only time on the Magny-Cours circuit this weekend prior to qualifying, both drivers failed to qualify for tomorrow's French Grand prix.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi put in one slow lap after pitlane opened for qualifying, ensuring that their times would be outside the 107% cut off time. The team will now pack up and head back to England while negotiations concerning the team's future will continue next week along with preparations for the German Grand Prix.

"Unfortunately we were unable to qualify either car today", Tom Walkinshaw said. "Our priority has to be to get this team back on its feet and in a position where we can build a positive future. It's sad but we'll go home and prepare for Hockenheim."

The Orange Arrows of Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi failed to leave pit lane today and although there is no legal impediment to stop the cars running, a spokesman for the Leafiled squad confimed that they had opted not to run until various legal issues were sorted.

Two weeks ago in a court decision in England, the team was refused permission to enter into commercial deals to raise cash. Frentzen was frustrated by the situation but knows the future of the team is at stake.

"It is very frustrating to be sitting out the session today, but there is a problem that Tom has to sort out with Morgan Grenfell to secure the future of the team", Frentzen said. "I hope everybody is doing everything they can to get us back on the track as soon as possible."

The two cars passed official inspection yesterday, allowing them to be on the entry list for this weekend, but being on the entry list does not require them to race, it does however allow them to be eligible for financial rewards by the FIA.

Added to their current woes was the fact that Enrique Bernoldi's cars' acceptance was delayed until late Friday morning because a fine for speeding in the pit lane at the Canadian Grand Prix a month ago was left unpaid to the FIA.

While many wondered about their absence, Tom Walkinshaw explained in the press conference that he was advised not to participate today but both cars would definitely be in action tomorrow.

"The cars will be running on Saturday, but we are taking things one day at a time at the moment", he said. "There's not really a lot to say. If I told you we didn't run because the drivers went so well at Silverstone after they had Friday off you wouldn't believe me, would you, so I won't tell you that. Basically, as we speak, there are still negotiations going on in London with investors and the team, and we were advised the best thing is to do very little today so that the consequences of anything happening on the track wouldn't interfere with the negotiations. It's as simple as that really."

The OrangeArrows team is continuing in the Formula One championship by the skin of their teeth when after just escaping a deadline set first by Ford and then by the FIA's times at the British Grand Prix, the squad left it late again to get going for this weekend's French Grand Prix.

A dispute between Team Principal Tom Walkinshaw and his main shareholders, Morgan Grenfell, saw the bankers win a High Court case in London before the Silverstone race, which halted his attempts to sell a portion of Arrows to Red Bull USA. That limited Walkinshaw's funding process and Ford demanded 3.2 million pounds for their Cosworth engines, which Arrows use, insisting the Leafield based squad were late with three of their payments.

Long negotiations, which meant the team missed practice on Friday, ended with the cash being paid and the team making qualifying which they had to do to avoid ruinous fines. This week, the cars and transporters did not arrive until Wednesday, later than most teams, while Walkinshaw continued complicated negotiations about the future funding of the team.

Cosworth received their 1 million pounds for the engine to be used at Magny Cours in time to meet this weeks deadline but it is still uncertain as to whether they will race or not on Sunday. Walkinshaw is not due to arrive at the circuit until later today, just before the opening practice hour and must attend the FIA press conference this afternoon, after missing the one at Silverstone.

"The situation now is dependant on one of our shareholders with whom we are still in talks", said spokesman Lyndsey Morle. "We don't know yet what will happen this weekend."

Now with back-to-back races, Walkinshaw will have more money within a week to be on the grid in Germany. The good news is that he then has three weeks to sort everything out, if he fails to do so beforehand, before round thirteen at the Hungaroring on August 18th.

Yesterday the OrangeArrows team has arrived in France where they will go through the scrutineering process later to ensure their participation in this weekend's French Grand Prix, however it is still unclear as to whether or not they will be on the grid come Sunday as confusion over the situation continues to grow.

This time two weeks ago the Leafield squad missed the scrutineering cut off time and were granted an extension by the FIA, something that was highly unlikely to happen again, however the team have now revealed that the problems currently facing them are not the same as those of a fortnight ago.

The fight at Silverstone involved the payment of monies owed to Cosworth before the engine giant would allow the team to use their V10 engines in the race. Team boss Tom Walkinshaw finally paid the outstanding amount out of his own pocket and after missing the opening day's practice were back in action on the Saturday, but apparently this is not the case for Magny-Cours.

According to a statement released by the team, the issue halting proceedings this time around is not associated with Cosworth, instead it is to do with the shareholders in the Company and efforts are continuing to resolve the situation so that both cars will be in action for the entire weekend.

"Arrows would like to clarify that, contrary to press reports, our participation in the French Grand Prix has nothing to do with engine supply", the statement read. "All payments to Cosworth Racing are up to date and, as stated before, the terms of the agreement are confidential. The issues we have are nothing to do with Cosworth, they are to do with one of our shareholders. We are still in discussions and, as we said yesterday, will do all in our power to compete this weekend."

Walkinshaw is attempting to sell the teams assets, with several interested parties putting their hands up, but Morgan Grenfell, who own 70% of the team, are putting a halt to the deal. However this shouldn't stop Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi participating in Sunday's French GP.

With the French GP due to get underway in just a few short days, the OrangeArrows team are still at their Leafield factory as they await the outcome of discussions with shareholders and future investors that will determine their future.

After almost missing the British Grand Prix due to financial problems, the team had hoped to have everything sorted by the time Magny-Cours rolled away but with another engine payment due to Cosworth on Wednesday, precious time is running out.

Cars must undergo official scrutineering checks at the central France circuit by 1500 GMT Thursday and on Tuesday Arrows principal Tom Walkinshaw gave the go-ahead for the team's cars to leave their base in Leafield, southern England. The size of Arrows' task is underlined by the fact that fellow British teams Williams and Jordan both sent their cars and equipment from England to France on Monday.

They are now involved in a desperate race against time in order to be ready for the stewards' inspection. They gained a scrutineering extension to Friday at Silverstone but it is highly unlikely that the rules will be bent twice in succession.

"We have new investors waiting to step in and secure our future, but we still have to come to agreement with existing shareholders", commented Team Principal, Tom Walkinshaw. "Negotiations are detailed and complex but we don't intend to give up. We need more time. We want to do a deal that will satisfy everyone concerned. We are still in discussions with all parties and are now moving into the time-consuming due diligence process with some of the potential investors. I have instructed the team to dispatch the cars and transporters to Magny Cours this evening and we will do all in our power to compete at the weekend. We'll keep on trying and hope that common sense and responsibility prevail."

Arrows were declared insolvent by a judge at London's High Court earlier this month and can now only compete if Walkinshaw finds the money to pay engine suppliers Cosworth on a race by race basis. It has been reported that they have to pay Cosworth somewhere in the region of 1.5 million dollars if they are to race at Magny Cours.

It has been reported earlier this week that ex-BAR boss, Craig Pollock was one of the very interested parties connected with purchasing the financially troubled Arrows team, enabling them to stay in active competition for 2002 and beyond. Pollock was forced to leave BAR the day before the launch of their 2002 contender last December but has remained active in the paddock alongside Jacques Villeneuve, whom he manages.

When confronted with the rumours, Pollock didn't admit or deny the possibility of a takeover and speculation continues to mount that he could be in cahoots with another BAR shareholder, American racing tycoon, Jerry Forsythe, especially after flying to the US last week.

"I've seen and heard the stories myself", he told BBC online. "I'm off to America right now, and I don't really know what to say about it. I can't say anything."

With the French Grand Prix due to get underway in less than a week, many are wondering if we will see a repeat of Silverstone as Tom Walkinshaw stated that he paid Cosworth for the engines to compete at the British GP only. Rumour has it that the finalization of the deal to sell the team will come before the end of the week and we will see new management at Magny-Cours and both cars participating in the race.

While everyone wants to see the team survive, including Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One guru doesn't seem to think they will be missed if things fail to reach a successful conclusion and the outfit is forced off the grid.

"Tom is a survivor and the sort of guy we need in the sport. It's a case of him having got his finances a bit wrong", he said. "But I don't think it will make any difference to Formula One if Arrows went when you think of all the teams that have come and gone over the years. These things happen."

Meanwhile the team didn't appear too financially strapped this week when Heinz-Harald Frentzen began testing the A23 at Valencia on Wednesday. On Thursday Sebastien Bourdais joined the German driver and concluded work on Friday with the second best time of the day.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished at the top of the timesheets on Thursday afternoon as testing at the Valencia circuit in Spain continued. The German driver completed a total of 41 laps to record a best time two tenths of a second quicker than the Honda powered Jordan of Giancarlo Fisichella.

Renault's Fernando Alonso was third quickest overall followed by the Sauber of Felipe Massa, who amassed a total of 104 laps. However, BMW Williams tester, Marc Gene went one better to clock up a total of 106 laps around his home track, finishing fifth overall.

There was a surprise visitor on the track in the form of Sebastian Bourdais, the current leader of the F3000 series, as he climbed behind the wheel of the Arrows during the afternoon session.

Thursday's times from Valencia:

1. Heinz-Harald Frentzen - Arrows - 1:12.505 - 41 laps
2. Giancarlo Fisichella - Jordan - 1:12.795 - 92 laps
3. Fernando Alonso - Renault - 1:13.260 - 75 laps
4. Felipe Massa - Sauber - 1:13.715 - 104 laps
5. Marc Gene - Williams - 1:14.065 - 106 laps
6. Sebastian Bourdais - Arrows - 1:15.719 - 25 laps

The 2002 British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone was hard work for the OrangeArrows team. On an overcast circuit in qualifying, most of the teams played the waiting game until the final minutes to put in their fastest laps. OrangeArrows drivers Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi worked hard to improve on each run, but as time quickly ran out, they ended the session 16th and 18th respectively.

Heavy clouds descended over the circuit on Sunday morning, although the track remained dry while the cars lined up on the grid. As the cars got away on the formation lap, Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari remained stationary. Finally able to get away, he had forfeited his second position and joined at the back of the grid. The five lights went out to signal the start of the race, but Heinz struggled to get away and lost two places into the first corner. Enrique, meanwhile, shot up five places to 12th. His excellent start placed him just behind the BAR of Panis as both drivers tussled for position. Clearly faster than the BAR, Enrique had passed him by lap five. His next target was Heidfeld in the Sauber.

By lap seven, Heinz had made up the time initially lost, and had overtaken the two Jordans as well as Irvine's spinning Jaguar for 14th. By now, the light drizzle that had started to fall over the circuit had become heavier and cars began to struggle on the damp track. Quick thinking from Heinz brought him into the pits to change his grooved tyres for intermediates and, one lap later, his teammate followed suit. Reacting quickly, the advantage was maximised as they emerged from the gaggle of stops ninth and 12th.

Enrique maintained his storming pace and gained another two positions to move him back up to ninth. Heinz was also enjoying the excellent pace and was in seventh place with both Ralf Schumacher's Williams and World Championship points in sight. Making up ground on the Williams, he continued to push, but on lap 20, the promise of points was agonisingly taken away as he pulled of the track. An engine failure forced Heinz into retirement.

Almost a sure-thing for a points-scoring finish, Heinz-Harald Frentzen was disappointed, but buoyed by the car's performance and remained hopeful of more opportunities to come... "That was a real disappointment as it was the most fun we have had this weekend! We were definitely in for a lot of points today so to have something break at such a key moment is a huge shame for us. I didn't have a very good start but we made up for that by making the right choice on tyres, choosing the intermediates, and I have to say that the cars in front were easy meat and I was able to easily overtake. The car was perfect and, after a weekend like the one we've just had, a points finish would have been fantastic reward for the OrangeArrows team."

By this point, Enrique had shot up another three places, past the Renaults into sixth. Another World Championship point was potentially on the cards. The indecisive weather began brighten and as the track started to dry out, Enrique pitted for grooved tyres. Unfortunately though, no sooner had Enrique returned to the track, but the heavens opened again and the circuit was drenched. Forced to pit for a second time in as many laps, it was sadly all to no avail as just one lap later, he went out with a broken driveshaft.

Despite disappointment that his race for points had ended so suddenly, Enrique Bernoldi thoroughly enjoyed his race. "I had a great start again today and was up to 12th by the end of the first lap. I was able to push hard and was thoroughly enjoying the race. I started from pretty much the back so to be in a position to score points by the halfway point was great. We made the right choice on tyres for the first stop (intermediates) but not the second time because as soon as we put on the dry weather tyres it began to rain more heavily so I had to pit again. In the end it didn't matter as I stopped for good soon after that. It is a shame to lose such a good opportunity as they don't come along very often."

Such promising performances from both drivers sadly earned no rewards, but excellent drives and the car's quick pace brought a more positive end to a tough weekend for the team. Michael Schumacher won the race from Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello in second with Juan Pablo Montoya taking third place.

The British GP weekend started off very dismally for the OrangeArrows team after they were grounded for the opening day of practice due to mounting debts. Tom Walkinshaw was refused permission by the High Court to enter into commercial deals to raise money for new engines so they could take part in round ten at Silverstone.

The judge said Arrows Grand Prix International Ltd wanted to enter into agreements with drinks firm Red Bull North America involving selling the racing team's Concorde Agreement in a bid to raise much needed funds. However the deal could not be made after Morgan Grenfell, the bankers which have invested millions of pounds in the team, stopped the team selling their major asset - its entitlement to payments from World Championship races.

Walkinshaw spent Friday locked behind closed doors in heavy discussions with Cosworth that eventuated in the team boss paying the necessary funds to allow the engine manufacturer to release the V10 engines needed to participate in Britain, however the next race at Magny-Cours is still under a cloud.

Reports are emerging that several entities are interested in purchasing the team, solving the problems once and for all and something Walkinshaw admitted may be the only way to save the Leafield based squad.

"We have to agree to do whatever we need to do, and as I said if an offer comes in for the right value and you have to sell everything then we are obliged to do so because that is the terms of the shareholder agreement that there was initially with Morgan Grenfell", Walkinshaw explained. "We probably had about 10 inquiries, of which we whittled down to three people with real substance behind it."

We have it on very good authority that one of the interested parties is none other than ex-BAR boss, Craig Pollock. The rumours began in the paddock this weekend that Pollock was interested in taking over the team and after speaking to someone close to the situation, it was confirmed that the possibility of Pollock taking the helm in the very near future was "more fact than fiction".

The OrangeArrows team had a heartbreaking end to its British Grand Prix at Silverstone this afternoon when after Heinz-Harald Frentzen had worked his A23 up into a points challenging position by the halfway point of the race, the German was forced to retire with a blown Cosworth engine. Heinz was extremely disappointed with the outcome as a points scoring finish was definitely on the cards here today.

"That was a real disappointment as it was the most fun we have had this weekend! We were definitely in for a lot of points today so to have something break at such a key moment is a huge shame for us", he said. "I didn't have a very good start but we made up for that by making the right choice on tyres, choosing the intermediates, and I have to say that the cars in front were easy meat and I was able to easily overtake. The car was perfect and, after a weekend like the one we've just had, a points finish would have been fantastic reward for the OrangeArrows team."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi was also running comfortably in a points- scoring position only to have his day come to an abrupt end when his A23 suffered with a broken driveshaft. He too was extremely disappointed as it could have been his first ever points finish, however all he can do now is look to the future and hope to get another good opportunity.

"I had a great start again today and was up to 12th by the end of the first lap. I was able to push hard and was thoroughly enjoying the race. I started from pretty much the back so to be in a position to score points by the halfway point was great", he said. "We made the right choice on tyres for the first stop (intermediates) but not the second time because as soon as we put on the dry weather tyres it began to rain more heavily so I had to pit again. In the end it didn't matter as I stopped for good soon after that. It is a shame to lose such a good opportunity as they don't come along very often."

"Heinz was the first of all the runners to react to the rain today which gained us a huge advantage. It was a quick call and I must pay tribute to the pit crew who did a fantastic job throughout. Enrique also benefited from a quick switch to intermediates and we were able to take full effect of the advantage that Bridgestone tyres gave us in the wet", added Graham Taylor, Chief Race Engineer. "It was certainly good to see our cars swarming all over some of the more significant Michelin runners. Heinz was comfortably faster than Villeneuve who finished fourth so I think we could have had a healthy crop of points today. In retrospect we made the wrong call with Enrique's second stop as the rain got heavier just as he entered the Pitlane. To have neither car finish is a huge shame for the team that has worked hard all season and especially during this very difficult weekend."

Three-time GP winner, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, hasn't had a lot of luck when it comes to the British Grand Prix. Twelve months ago he discovered that what he thought was a good working relationship with team boss Eddie Jordan wasn't what he thought it was and subsequently found himself without a drive a week later, the team boss breaking his drivers contract by sending a fax to his home.

Arriving at the circuit a year later, competing this time for the Orange Arrows outfit, Heinz almost found himself on the sidelines once again as the team fought to find the funds needed to keep the Leafield based squad in active competition. However, the loyal German has pledged his support to team boss Tom Walkinshaw, vowing to do whatever he can to help the situation and is definitely not thinking about abandoning ship.

"I will do everything that is in my power to help the team", he vowed. "I am supporting them as much as I can. I am not the kind of guy who really does not do a complete job here, even if it is difficult. There is a time when I have to think about what I am going to do in the future, this is quite normal. But right now, I am still married to Arrows and I don't speak about another marriage to that marriage. And even though it is difficult, it is still a very challenging situation. When the going gets tough the tough get going."

Walkinshaw paid for the use of the Cosworth engines needed to compete here this weekend out of his own personal funds however he is looking at securing added funds over the coming weeks to fully secure the ongoing future of his team and ensure their presence in the paddock at Magny-Cours in two weeks time.

"We are negotiating now with three different parties who are interested in maybe acquiring the team as a whole or in making a partial investment in the team and that will continue over the next couple of weeks", Walkinshaw confirmed. "We had confirmation from two of them (on Friday) that they still want to continue with the negotiations and hopefully that will be sorted before Magny-Cours."

After a week of difficulties and frustration, the OrangeArrows team was delighted to announce early today that it will race in tomorrow's 2002 British Grand Prix. At a press briefing at Silverstone, Team Principal, Tom Walkinshaw, thanked the team's sponsors for their support this week and also the team itself for staying focused in a difficult environment.

Special thanks also went to the many fans at Silverstone who have voiced their support for the team over the last few days and straight after the briefing, the OrangeArrows team was back on track and Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi were fourth and eighth fastest respectively by the end of the first free practice session. This was followed by an incident-free qualifying session that will see Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi line up in 16th and 18th positions respectively.

"We tried very hard today but unfortunately on my last run I caught traffic. It was a very tight session so just one tenth of a second can make a difference of three or four places", Frentzen explained. "You have to get everything together for the last run, as that is the one that counts. I had three clear runs and then on the one that mattered I had traffic."

Despite missing the entire opening day, teammate Enrique Bernoldi did his best to make up for lost time in the earlier practice sessions, completing a total of 29 laps. Although the Brazilian driver struggled during qualifying he was happy with improvements made and is now looking forward to a strong race here tomorrow.

"I'm pleased that we were able to improve the car with each run today", he said. "We are still struggling slightly for optimum balance in qualifying trim but I am hopeful for a good race tomorrow."

"Well first of all it's good to be part of the action again!" added Graham Taylor, Chief Race Engineer. "Enrique managed to improve throughout the session but Heinz had a few problems with understeer. In the last sector on his final run he was four tenths slower than previously as he came across one of the Williams cars. As the grid is so tight that four tenths would have meant a top ten result for us but that's life. We're pleased we didn't have any technical problems after missing out on practice yesterday but a little disappointed as our positions don't reflect our pace. I'd like to say well done to the team for staying focused throughout the weekend."

The Arrows Formula One team are set to contest the British Grand Prix on Sunday after a last-minute deal arranged by team director Tom Walkinshaw. Walkinshaw said he paid his own money due for the use of the Cosworth engines for the British event to allow the team to run. The team has been in financial trouble since the start of the season and if it were to fall it would make them the second team to go out of business this year following the collapse of Prost.

"I paid for the engines myself", Walkinshaw said. "I tell you 100 percent this company has never traded fraudulently and has never been insolvent but I can understand the judge getting to where he did get to because he did not have all the information in front of the court."

Arrows' crisis arose when Walkinshaw lost a court ruling on Thursday allowing him to raise money to pay creditors and the Ford special performance division, which leases the engines to the company, did not release the electrical control units - essentially the brains of the engine - on Friday preventing it from running in the practice sessions. Niki Lauda, the head of the Ford division and also the Jaguar team chief, said he wanted money due to them by Friday morning.

Walkinshaw's munificence permitted the Arrows to compete in Saturday morning's practice session. Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi were fourth and eighth respectively after the first 45- minute session. Frentzen's time on the 5.141km circuit was 1.7 seconds behind the leader, four-time world champion Michael Schumacher's Ferrari.

On the track the Arrows team is having difficulty too with only a pair of sixth places by Frentzen this season. Their tally is double the amount from last year when Jos Verstappen recorded a sixth at the Austrian Grand Prix. The Dutch driver was released by the team this year and is also in court against Arrows concerning payments to him.

It appears as if there will be eleven teams on the grid this weekend after all with reports beginning to filter through that Tom Walkinshaw has successfully secured a deal with Cosworth that will allow the OrangeArrows drivers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi to participate in Saturday's qualifying session.

While the team were grounded throughout the entire two hours of opening practice here on Friday, Walkinshaw was locked in discussions with engine giant Cosworth in order to work out a compromise that would help to keep his team alive. Although no actual details of the discussion have been released, it is thought that the results were positive after Walkinshaw finally returned and held a brief meeting with team members.

Mechanics and the crew instantly got to work on the A23's, confirming the positive result and with a degree of optimism in the garage, it appears as if both drivers should be action after all. However, while it looks as if there is good news for this weekend's event, (there is still no official confirmation at this stage) the one thing that isn't known is the future of the situation. With debts continuing to rise, the team need urgent funds and is this last minute reprieve going to give Walkinshaw enough time to sort out a permanent fix to the solution before the next round in France?

One has to spare a thought for Heinz-Harald Frentzen in this situation. Last year's British GP was his final race for the Jordan team before a surprise sacking saw him sit out his home race in Germany. From there he joined forces with Prost GP and while some solid performances came his way in the French outfit, including a fourth qualifying spot at Spa, the team was forced to fold earlier this year, hence his move to Arrows.

Now the German driver sees himself in a similar position, sitting idly by and waiting to see what his future in the sport may hold. However he was there ready and eager to take to the wet British track, just in case a solution was found in time.

"The weekend in Silverstone started with waiting", he said on his personal website. "We couldn't take part in first practice. But I am here and ready to get into the race weekend. At the moment I don't know how it will go on, I have to wait for the information of the team. So I can't say anything. I have to wait until things are sorted out."

While speculation in the Silverstone paddock continues to suggest that OrangeArrows team boss Tom Walkinshaw has failed to secure a deal to keep his team in active competition, a spokesperson from the outfit has confirmed that all hope is not yet lost and the actual deadline is tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.

After missing both practice sessions here today due to the fact that Walkinshaw has failed to pay for the teams current supply of engines from Cosworth, the team boss has been locked in meetings trying to resolve the issue and find the desperately needed funds to prolong his squads life. Drivers Frentzen and Bernoldi stood helplessly by watching the on track action from pitlane, their cars grounded in the garage.

Under the current Concorde Agreement, they actually have until tomorrow afternoon's qualifying session before it's officially over, something they are frantically trying to prevent.

"We are still waiting", Lindsey Morle, Press officer for Arrows told Patrick Wedes. "Tom has been in meetings all day and will continue on. We are all hoping and waiting. As you know the cars never made first practice and within the rules we have until qualifying at 1 p.m. tomorrow to be there. Thankyou for your support, we are all hoping."

Everyone up and down pitlane waited throughout the entire first hour of practice to see if the OrangeArrows cars of Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi would venture onto the wet Silverstone circuit. However, movement in their respective garages was restricted to the mechanics going about their business while both drivers remained grounded from the opening proceedings.

Both cars passed scrutineering checks and waited patiently in the garage while team boss Tom Walkinshaw continued discussions with Cosworth in the hope they could resolve the situation. Also seen talking with Bernie Ecclestone, Walkinshaw knows that he must resolve this issue today in order to participate in tomorrows qualifying hour.

"We had found an agreement with Cosworth ,Thursday, at the end of the afternoon", explained Daniele Audetto head of marketing at Arrows. "But, Friday morning when arriving at the circuit, Niki Lauda called it into question and we must find another solution."

According to our sources at Silverstone, the team have failed to make the necessary deal to keep them in the sport and Tom Walkinshaw is currently on his way to speak to the anxiously awaiting press. More news on the situation as it comes to hand.

The Orange Arrows team passed the official FIA scrutineering this morning at the Silverstone circuit, and with only thirty minutes before the opening practice session of the weekend, the cars are in their respective garages.

According to our sources at Silverstone, at this stage it appears as if a solution has still not been found to their financial problems, but both drivers are readying themselves for the opening hour. This could all be in vain if a deal hasn't been struck with engine giant Cosworth, who demanded to be paid almost 5 million US before allowing the team to compete here this weekend.

Even if they have somehow managed to sort out this problem there is still the matter of an impending court case with ex-driver Jos Verstappen, scheduled for sometime today.

Time is running out for the Orange Arrows squad after they were given a stay of execution by the FIA on Thursday. The team were meant to present their cars for scrutinizing along with their rivals here at the Silverstone circuit yesterday to allow them to take part in Sunday's British Grand Prix, however due to dire financial concerns, they were given an extension until 10 am this morning.

If the cars failed to appear, the team could have faced fines up to 300,000 pounds per entry, something their current financial situation could not withstand. It now appears as if the cars have finally appeared at the circuit, however the major hold up in regard to this weekend's event is the fact that they have no engines to race with!

Walkinshaw had until the 30th of June to pay monies owing to Cosworth, thought to be around five million US dollars and apparently the engine giant has removed the electronic control units that power the V10 until the money is received. Walkinshaw had hoped to raise the funds by selling certain rights to soft drink giant, Red Bull, something current investor, banking conglomerate Morgan Grenfell halted by taking out an injunction in the high court.

Tom's absence was noted from the official press conference, the team boss currently in talks with Morgan Grenfell trying to sort the situation out in time to make the scrutineering deadline. However, what happens with the engine side of things is still to be determined after Niki Lauda confirmed that payment was already two months overdue and no further extensions could be made, money must be forthcoming before this morning's opening practice session ... or else ...

"I have done whatever I could within my responsibility to help", Lauda said. "He has missed three payments and there can be no compromise. We need the money this time, its 4.7 million US dollars. I was expecting something today but nothing has arrived. There is a deadline but we are flexible. As long as the payment is made before first practice he can race. I want him to race. He is a fighter, but he is quite close this time."

Formula One racing team Arrows are doomed short of a miracle and look set to miss Sunday's British Grand Prix, the company's lawyers told the High Court here today. The gloomy statement came after British team Arrows were refused permission by Mr Justice Lightman to enter into commercial deals to raise money for new engines so they could take part at Silverstone on Sunday.

The judge said Arrows Grand Prix International Ltd (AGPI) wanted to enter into agreements with drinks firm Red Bull North America involving selling the racing team's Concorde Agreement. Under the terms of the agreement Formula One Administration gives it payments as a competitor. If the deal could not be made, Arrows entitlement to participate in the Championship and consequent payments would terminate immediately.

"AGPI is and has long been insolvent and will be unable to participate in the Silverstone Grand Prix due to take place on Sunday if its supplier of new engines, Cosworth, insists on payment up front of 3.2 million pounds (4.7million dollars) as the purchase price for new engines for its cars, unless AGPI can raise the sum elsewhere", Mr Justice Lightman said, adding that Arrows attempts to restructure the team were "underhand and improper, indeed downright dishonest".

Arrows chiefs were reported to be trying to arrange a last minute- deal to save the company after Morgan Grenfell, the bankers which have invested millions of pounds in the team, stopped the team selling their major asset - its entitlement to payments from World Championship races.

"We do not have our cars at Silverstone", an Arrows spokesman told the Press Association. "They won't be here until the outstanding issues with Morgan Grenfell have been sorted out. There are discussions going on at the moment and there will be a statement later on today."

"I have known Tom a long time and he is a fighter", said Eddie Jordan of the situation. "He is a miracle worker and he will be here tomorrow (Friday)."

Arrows based at Leafield, Oxfordshire, southern England, were founded in 1977 as a splinter grooup from the now defunct Shadow's team. They have competed in 363 races but have yet to record their first win. The closest they came was in Hungary in 1997 when then world champion Damon Hill led for much of the race before technical problems struck shortly before the finish.

They have two points this season, placing them equal eighth in the constructors' championship. If they do fold they will be the second Formula One team to go out of business in seven months after the collapse of Prost which was wound up in January due to debts of approximately 20 million pounds (29.4m dollars).

Marking the halfway point in the 2002 World Championship season, the European Grand Prix is held at the Nürburgring in Germany. The Nürburgring has been the favoured nomination to host the European Grand Prix in recent years but the track is perhaps most famous for it's predecessor, the perilous 14 mile 'Nordschleife'.

This year, the circuit celebrates 75 years of racing history and it was one of the original venues for Formula One racing, hosting it's first Grand Prix in 1951, but after Nikki Lauda's horrific accident there in 1976, the circuit was dropped from the calendar and forced to under-go major changes to improve safety. Now, the current track appears to lie in the shadows of its former days but is still renowned for providing some of the most memorable races in Grand Prix history.

Hidden away in the Eifel mountains, the present Nurburgring is a modern circuit, with modern facilities to match. Revised again for this year's race, it benefits from changes to increase overtaking opportunities and most noticeably, changes to the tight first corner into a three-turn complex make the new layout safer. Built up of long straights linked with tight corners betwixt several hairpins, the track's combination works well and demands a good set up in order for the cars to run at their optimum.

The OrangeArrows team's test developments progressed last week as its program continued in the UK. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was on hand to carry out aerodynamic tests on the A23 and the team was pleased with the progression. He is now looking forward to another of his 'home events' and experiencing the new changes to the track layout.

"The European Grand Prix is almost another home race for me, as with Hockenheim and Monaco, I have several of them!" he said. "I know the track well and there are always a lot of supporters at the race so you usually get a nice atmosphere here. I have already seen the new track layout on television and the changes to the first corner should be safer and that is good. They should also make overtaking easier which should be interesting, but I will wait to see it for myself."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi was forced to retire from last years race here and is looking forward to finishing round nine of the 2002 season in a strong position. High levels of downforce are needed to get speed on the straights, while a good suspension set up is also important, as it is necessary to ride the kerbs here in order to get the best possible lap. The drivers welcome the smooth track, allowing the cars to run with softer tyre compounds and significantly improve tyre wear, but a flexible pit stop strategy could be crucial for the race as the weather in the mountains is unpredictable and rain can arrive with very little warning.

"The Nurburgring is a good track. It's quite an interesting one to drive as it has a nice selection of straights where you can get good speed, and some good corners, although most of them are quite tight. The new changes to the track should be interesting to see - as I know from my experience last year, it was very difficult to overtake on before", Enrique said. "I was enjoying my race here last time though as I managed to make up places at the start and my car was running well. Unfortunately, I had a problem with my suspension later on so had to retire. It's really important to me that I get a good result which reflects the car's potential."

"The Nurburgring has been modified since last year and we are yet to run on the new layout. Our simulations have shown that the circuit is still a high downforce track that requires cars to have a good set-up in order maximise the potential of the car. The A23 has run well on high downforce circuits, so it should suit our car", added Graham Taylor, Chief race engineer. "We will be keeping a close eye on the skies over the weekend, especially on Sunday, as the rain can come particularly quickly here so we will thus keep our strategy quite flexible. Heinz knows the track well which should allow us to use his knowledge to it's best advantage and Enrique gained a lot of experience in running here last year and also in F3000 so hopefully we will be able to enjoy a good performance."

The OrangeArrows Team had a tough time in Montreal a week ago with a difficult qualifying session followed by a troubled race. Enrique Bernoldi was forced to retire while teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen crossed the line in 13th place.

Since returning to Europe, most teams took to the Jerez circuit in Spain to prepare for the upcoming European Grand Prix, round nine on the 2002 calendar, however the Orange Arrows was one of the few teams who outfit opted not to carry out any circuit testing in the build up to the Nurburgring race.

However, one solitary A23 was out on Friday for aerodynamic straight- line tests at the RAF Kemble aerodrome, which is quite close to the Arrows base at Leafield. Heinz Harald Frentzen was in charge of the session that was hindered by changeable weather while the rest of the team was busy working flat out at base preparing the three cars for the European Grand Prix.

The OrangeArrows Team had a tough time in Montreal with a difficult qualifying session and a troubled race that resulted in a retirement for Enrique Bernoldi. The team could only take comfort in a 13th place finish for Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

17th and 19th positions were all that qualifying could afford for Enrique and Heinz. Although the team tried to improve the car's balance on each run, they were unable to overcome changing track conditions and rain as the session came to a close, and had to settle for low places. Both Heinz and Enrique hoped for a more successful race.

At the start of the 70 lap event, which often sees accidents as the cars race down the short straight to the first corner, the field managed to get away cleanly. While Enrique was unable to find a way past the cars ahead as the pack jostled for position, Heinz was occupied in keeping McNish's Toyota at bay. Struggling with his car's balance, he fought hard to defend his position, but he was unable to hold the Toyota off and he was forced to yield.

Enrique, meanwhile, was made excellent progress chasing and eventually winning the scrap for 13th place. Irvine's Jaguar was the first target of Enrique's attack and after easily passing the Jaguar, he determined on passing next in line - Panis in the BAR. Within two laps, he was ahead and chasing Massa's Sauber. Heinz, still having trouble with his car's set up, was down in 18th.

Both running on a two-stop strategy, Enrique was the first of the two OrangeArrows cars to come in to pit taking advantage of the safety car deployed to remove Villeneuve's stricken car. An orderly stop from the crew sent Enrique back out on track, but unhappy with a vibration felt at the rear right of the car, he returned to the pits. A thorough check on the rear suspension found no visible cause and he was once again sent out back into the race. Another lap of the circuit was enough for Enrique to determine to come in again and, unable to establish the source of the vibration, the team decided to retire him on safety grounds.

Completing both of his stops and despite a problem with his fuel-rig, Heinz retained his 15th position. Although he still suffered from an unbalanced car, he finished the grueling 70-lap race in 13th place. Now it's on to Europe for round nine where they hope to have a better weekend.

The OrangeArrows team had a difficult race in Montreal today resulting in 13th place for Heinz-Harald Frentzen and a retirement for Enrique Bernoldi. Heinz-Harald struggled with the balance of his A23 throughout the 70 lap event making it extremely difficult to push his competitors and gain valuable positions.

"I basically had an unbalanced car today so could not push", he explained. "The brakes didn't feel good so I did not have the confidence to really go for it. Along with more difficulties with the fuel rig, I just didn't get any breaks today."

Enrique, after a strong showing in morning warm-up, had a good start to his race and was able to easily pass Irvine's Jaguar and the BAR of Olivier Panis. When the safety car came out for the recovery of Villeneuve's stranded BAR, Enrique took the opportunity for an early pit-stop. Unfortunately that is where his problems began and after coming in for his third stop in succession, the Brazilian was forced to retire.

"I really am very disappointed", he said afterwards. "I was having a great race today as the car felt good and I was able to overtake. Straight after my pit-stop I felt there was a problem with the car and that was effectively the end of my race."

"One to write off I think!" added Graham Taylor, Chief Race Engineer. "Enrique was very promising at the start of the race and we took the opportunity of calling him in during the Safety Car period for his first pit-stop. Shortly after his stop he reported a problem with the right rear of the car so we called him in again, checked the car over, found nothing wrong, and sent him on his way. Enrique then said that he could still feel a vibration so we took the decision to retire him on safety grounds. Obviously we'll know more once we strip the car down. Heinz had a poor start and struggled from thereon in."

The OrangeArrows team will conduct aerodynamics testing in the UK next week with Heinz-Harald at the wheel of the A23.

The OrangeArrows team chalked up a disappointing qualifying result at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve today when Enrique Bernoldi and Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished the hour-long session in 17th and 19th places respectively. After a strong weekend that saw Heinz-Harald repeatedly in the top six, the qualifying hour didn't go as planned and the German driver is extremely disappointed with the end result.

"It wasn't our day today. We made a few changes after this morning's sessions to correct a little understeer but when I went out on my first run the car was unbalanced", he explained. "I then had a water leak which knocked me out of my rhythm. Once we were back on track the weather took a turn for the worse and I couldn't get any more time out of the car."

Although he finished two places higher on the grid, teammate Enrique Bernoldi was also disappointed with the end result. He is frustrated with ending the day behind the Jaguars of Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa after qualifying in front of them for the majority of the season.

"Although I could improve with each run we just couldn't get it together today. It is frustrating to be pipped for position by a Jaguar as they are our benchmark but that's the way it turned out", he said. "Historically we are always better in race trim so I'm hoping for a more successful day tomorrow."

"We were caught out by the change in the track conditions today. There was a big shift in balance from this morning to this afternoon and the changes we made to the car in between sessions were negated by the changes in track conditions. We discovered Heinz's car had a water leak after his first run and we lost a fair bit of time fixing that", added Graham Taylor, Chief Race Engineer. "We sent him out for his second run shortly after Sato went off to check the balance for the final runs. We couldn't improve much on that run because of the oil on the track. Unfortunately the rain began on his third run so that was the end of the day for him. Enrique did a good job, steadily improving his lap times but his progress was also stunted by the changes in conditions. All in all a disappointing day so now we will put all our efforts into having a good race tomorrow."

Free Practice for the 2002 Canadian Grand Prix took place in Montreal under sunny skies on Friday with the OrangeArrows team enjoying a relatively trouble-free day. German driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished the day in the top ten, his best time of 1:16.793 just over a second slower than the leading pace set by the McLaren of David Coulthard.

"I had a pretty productive day today, working on race balance throughout both sessions", Frentzen explained. "The car certainly feels good here in race set-up. I'm now looking forward to tomorrow when we will fine-tune the car for qualifying."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi had a minor problem with the hydraulics on his A23 in the first hour and was classified in 13th place at the end of 28 laps on the Canadian track. Overall he too is pleased with the cars performance and is looking forward to a positive qualifying session on Saturday.

"In general today was okay", the Brazilian said. "I lost a bit of time this morning with a hydraulic problem but still managed to get through the job list so I'm pleased about that. The brakes we have here take a bit of getting used to but overall the car feels good. I think the changes made to the circuit are positive ones."

"Well we ran through our program and had a constructive day. Enrique had a small hydraulic leak this morning that stopped him on the track and we also spent a bit of time in the garage changing gear ratios but that was well worth doing", added Graham Taylor, Chief Race Engineer. "Our balance was great on the circuit when it was 'green' but, as the rubber goes down and the temperatures go up, we start to lose the balance. We've got a fair bit of work to do tonight to get on top of that. Enrique is struggling with the brakes a little but he'll be fine once he gets used to them."

Orange Arrows driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen may not be claiming a world title any time soon but the German racer believes he is driving better now than any other time of his career. In 1999 he came the closest ever to taking the world championship, the possibility still existing with only a few races to go, however he ended up third in the series and from there on his career only went downhill.

Sacked from Jordan in the middle of the 2001 season, via fax, Frentzen found himself taking up the seat vacated by Jean Alesi at the Prost Acer outfit. Ironically enough it was the Frenchman who took over the role Heinz was forced to leave with Eddie Jordan. From there Heinz put his all into his new team, qualifying the underachieving AP04 in fourth place at Spa, well ahead of the EJ11 he was used to competing in.

However, with the demise of Prost at the end of the season, it was looking as if Frentzen may be forced to sit the new year out, but a last minute announcement by the Orange Arrows team saw him turn up in Melbourne ready and raring to go. Early problems in the A23 meant early retirements, however Heinz-Harald continued to fight and has become one of the revelations of the 2002 season, securing two very valuable world championship points to date.

Meanwhile, at his old Jordan outfit, the new man replacing Jean Alesi, Takuma Sato, has been having a hard time, however there are no nasty words from this mild mannered German over Eddie Jordan's decision to hire the young Japanese driver.

He did admit though that the shock over his sudden departure from the Silverstone outfit was very real, and he has had to fight back to regain his lost reputation, something he went a long way to accomplishing as he fended off the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello to claim sixth place in the Monaco GP.

"What happened at Jordan was a shock. My reputation suffered and I had to start again from zero to continue in Formula One. I'm not as good as ever, I'm better than ever", he declared in the Mirror. "I believe I have the experience and understanding of the car that makes me better now. I am also as motivated as ever. It helps when you have people who want to work with you and believe in you. I try to get the best out of myself and the team and I think I am achieving that. Our point in Monaco keeps the momentum going. Scoring points puts you under pressure to score more, but it is the right kind of pressure - a pressure I enjoy."

The OrangeArrows team fought hard to collect its second point of the season at the 2002 Monaco Grand Prix. In a race that never fails to bring exciting and close racing in the tight streets of Monte Carlo, Heinz-Harald Frentzen took sixth position and teammate, Enrique Bernoldi brought his car home in 12th place.

Qualifying saw most teams in a last minute dash to improve their positions at the close of the session, which brought much traffic out on track and few were able to get a clean run. Heinz ran into traffic on his last run and had to settle for 12th position, while Enrique qualified a creditable 15th.

After a change to the front suspension to improve the car's balance on Sunday morning, the signs looked good for the team as Heinz posted the fastest time of the session. With both cars set-up to run on one-stop strategies, the team was pleased with its pace.

Clean starts from both drivers allowed Heinz to pass Fisichella in the Jordan and as Button's Renault failed to get away from the grid, each gained another position. As Heinz chased the two Toyotas into the top ten, Enrique held pace behind Massa's Sauber in 13th place. Unable to pass on the notoriously tight and twisty track, Enrique remained close and continued to bide his time.

Heinz meanwhile, began to gain ground on the two Toyotas but McNish fell casualty to the armco and retired from the race. Heinz, gaining the ninth place, kept a good speed and continued to push hard to catch the second Toyota of Salo. Within just a few laps, Heinz had caught him and with good speed out of the tunnel, he passed the Toyota for 8th as the pair braked into the Nouvelle chicane.

With a clear track ahead, Heinz was able to stretch his pace significantly and on lap 20, posted the fastest lap of the race. Meanwhile, Enrique was also putting the pressure on as he continued to hurry Massa. After a number of attempts to get past, he convincingly overtook the Sauber along the straight, but as the two braked into the corner, Massa was unable to slow enough and pushed Enrique into the run-off area. Both cars were able to return to the track but Enrique had lost a six places and Massa was called in for a penalty.

Enrique's stop was a difficult one as the damage sustained to the rear end of his car slowed the refuelling and tyre change. Content, however, that he was able to continue racing, Enrique rejoined in 16th. The drama did not stop there for the OrangeArrows team though. Pitting from fifth place, Heinz's fuel-rig aborted the filling process during his stop and forced him to stop again just one lap later for a top-up. An unfortunate problem had lost valuable time on track and Heinz returned a position down in sixth. With the rest of the field completing their stops, Enrique emerged in 13th place and set about regaining some of the lost ground from the earlier incident. Caught behind Irvine's Jaguar and Button in the Renault, he was unable to get past. Unfortunately, a drive-thru penalty was later enforced on Enrique as he had missed a chicane.

The final few laps saw more excitement for the team as a charging Barrichello in the Ferrari caught up to Heinz. With much determination and the team's second point in his hands, Heinz would not be intimidated and retained his position to take sixth place for the OrangeArrows team. Teammate Enrique brought his car home in 12th.

The team was delighted with its second point of the season and, despite some misfortunes, it was another strong performance for the team.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen notched up the OrangeArrows team's second point of the season in Monte Carlo today. Both Heinz and his teammate, Enrique Bernoldi, got good starts to the race and were on one-stop strategies, but the Monaco Grand Prix always has a few surprises in store. Heinz's first stop seemed normal until the team realized his fuel rig had aborted so he had to come in on the next lap for a fuel top-up.

After battling with the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello in the final laps, Heinz managed to hang on to sixth place and both he and the team are delighted with the result after what is always a very tough weekend.

"I'm very happy with the result today", Heinz smiled. "Like I said in Spain, scoring one point puts pressure on us to score more, but it is the right kind of pressure. This point will keep the momentum going. We made a change to the front suspension this morning which made the car better here but I think you could see that from my position in Warm-Up (Heinz was 1st place in the morning warm-up session). I really enjoy racing here and I have to say that the battle with Rubens was very tight but there was no way I was going to let him past!"

Enrique Bernoldi's first stop was difficult as his A23 had suffered rear end damage after being hit by Felipe Massa's Sauber. The team had to physically lift the back of the car off the ground in order to complete the tyre change. Enrique was then forced into a second stop when he received a drive-thru penalty for missing the chicane. He was eventually classified as 12th and last but at least he made it to the finish line, another good sign for the team's reliability.

"I had a pretty normal start and really enjoyed the first part of the race. I was quicker than Massa but when I overtook him he missed the brakes and pushed me off. I rejoined and was behind Irvine and Button and, although I could catch them, I couldn't get past", he said. "There was a problem with my pit-stop as the rear of the car was damaged as a result of my crash with Massa. I then received a drive-thru penalty for cutting the chicane so had to come in again. All in all this was a race that gave me a lot of useful experience and I'm very pleased to finish at such a tough circuit."

"It was good to get both cars home today, especially as they were running very competitively. Heinz drove a great race, but unfortunately the FIA rig aborted during his stop so we had to call him in again, so we may have missed out on fifth place", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director, OrangeArrows. "The tyre performance was much better during the race so thank you to Bridgestone for that. It was really good to get Enrique home as he drove a really good race and was very unlucky."

The OrangeArrows team will test one A23 at Silverstone on Wednesday and Thursday. Enrique Bernoldi will drive on both days.

The traditional thirty-minute warm-up got underway with beautiful sunny conditions here in Monaco this morning. While there were a few clouds present, rain won't be a hindrance in this afternoon‘s prestigious event. Track temperature was sitting at a warm 29 degrees. Pit lane goes green and drivers stream onto the track for their installation laps. There was a bit of a traffic jam at the exit to pitlane, but that's a normal occurrence here unfortunately.

Michael Schumacher is once again the first man to reappear for his first serious run of the day, the German ace in his T car for the first time this weekend. He completes a two lap run but it's pole sitter Juan Pablo Montoya that sets the first time of the day with a 1:28.068. Teammate Ralf Schumacher goes over two seconds quicker on his first serious attempt, however it must be noted that times are not the main focus here this morning.

The session really begins to take shape now with ten minutes already gone. Drivers stream out in unison to undertake some serious running as they prepare their cars for this afternoon's event. The two McLarens are now at the top of the timesheets, Raikkonen leading at this stage of the session. Half way through and everything appears normal with no incidents, all 22 drivers keeping their respective cars well away from the barriers.

Fisichella slots into third, Michael Schumacher fourth, however the Ferrari ace completes another run and improves to second overall with a 1:23.394. David Coulthard is third ahead of Allan McNish, Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli. Rubens Barrichello is on a strong lap and the Brazilian driver knocks everyone down a spot as he goes to the top of the leaderboard. Mika Salo slots into fifth ahead of his rookie teammate.

Sato improves again, the Toyota driver now fourth with McNish following suit and going fifth. Coulthard on a fast lap and goes back to the top of the leaderboard. Mark Webber is on a strong lap and puts the Minardi into tenth place. Meanwhile teammate Alex Yoong has yet to return to the circuit after his installation lap. Webber goes around the track once again and jumps to seventh while Jenson Button goes fourth. Heinz Harald Frentzen crosses the line for P1.

Kimi Raikkonen is now second with only five minutes remaining but Barrichello quickly takes the place way. Frentzen betters his best time yet again. Fifth for Salo as Barrichello improves his time, but remains second. Michael Schumacher on a fast lap in the dying minutes and takes to the top of the leaderboard. David Coulthard slots in behind the Ferrari as Ralf slots into fourth. The chequered flag waves as Frentzen roars across the line to take top spot! Pedro de la Rosa spins the Jaguar as the session ends.

Top six: Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Jarno Trulli, Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello.

At a circuit where grid position is everything, qualifying times for the 2002 Monaco Grand Prix came down to a question of traffic today. As track temperatures increased throughout the session, the track got faster, resulting in congestion at the end as everyone went for their best lap times.

OrangeArrows driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, after running in the top ten for much of the session, had to settle for 12th spot after running into traffic on his last run when the track was at its best.

"I aborted my first run due to traffic but runs two and three were okay. Unfortunately on the lap that counted at the end of qualifying I hit traffic so was unable to improve", he said. "Monaco is for sure the most exciting race but it is always extremely busy and you have to search for the gaps in the traffic. We had a few bad breaks today. The top ten is very tight but with a little more balance and grip we could have made it up there. Nevertheless I'm looking forward to racing here tomorrow as this is always a great event."

Meanwhile, teammate, Enrique Bernoldi, qualified a creditable 15th the Brazilian driver happy enough with the end result. Enrique still remembers his race here last year where he managed to keep the McLaren of David Coulthard at bay for the majority of the event and is now looking forward to another exciting race tomorrow.

"I think the end result today was okay. Obviously I would like to be higher up the grid but, as I have been playing catch-up since losing time in Free Practice, I think the result is okay", he said. "I decided to go out early to get a good run out of the traffic and did manage to make big improvements with each run. I enjoy the race here much more than qualifying so tomorrow should be fun, especially the start which should be pretty exciting."

"All in all a little disappointed with the result today. We didn't really get any clear laps as it was bumper-to- bumper out there", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "We managed to achieve a good balance on the tyres. It would've been good to be the first Bridgestone team behind Ferrari, but Fisichella put in a great lap so well done to him. I think Heinz is a little disappointed as he has been very competitive all weekend. I'm pleased for Enrique as he has improved steadily throughout the weekend and I think he'll fare even better in the race."

Free Practice for the 2002 Monaco Grand Prix began today on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, the first hour beginning with a damp and slippery track which caught a few drivers out early on. The OrangeArrows team had a fairly uneventful day and made solid progress, concentrating on race set-up. Heinz-Harald Frentzen finished the practice sessions in 13th place after running in the T- Car in order to preserve his race car in the slippery conditions.

"I had a good, constructive day today", the German said. "We were focusing on balancing the car for the race and doing the usual tyre evaluation and we think we know which way to go there. We learnt more about the car at Paul Ricard last week and that will help us here. All in all a very normal Friday (or Thursday in this case) for me."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi finished a little further down the order in 21st place, the Brazilian driver opting to run with a heavy fuel load in the opening session. He then came to grief in the second hour when his A23 suffered a rare engine failure and he was forced to sit the rest of the day out.

"I was running with a heavy fuel load this morning so was not able to set a quick time", he explained. "During my first run on new tyres we had the engine problem so that was disappointing for me as we had been making good progress. We lost half of the second session so have a bit of catching up to do tomorrow."

"A fairly normal Friday for us", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "Enrique was unlucky not to be able to play with the tyres this afternoon. I'm pleased that we completed a lot of laps and got both cars home relatively unscathed."

The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix delivered a race filled with drama and controversy. The incident-packed race saw Jordan's Takuma Sato and Sauber's Nick Heidfeld involved in a big accident, and engine failures galore and the final result, a Schumacher victory, provided the controversy, articulated by jeers from the crowd at the A1- Ring.

However the OrangeArrows team had a tough race. After a promising warm-up session this morning the team was looking forward to a good afternoon. Unfortunately both drivers fell foul of the notoriously tight first corner at the A1-Ring and both Heinz and Enrique's races were effectively over.

"My race was spoiled at the very beginning", Frentzen said. "I got a push from behind from my teammate into the first corner which didn't hurt me too much but then at the next corner Villeneuve pushed me off. After that it was purely a case of playing catch-up and I was struggling with oversteer throughout the race. I'm glad to hear that Taku is okay. I didn't see the accident but I could tell by the aftermath that it was a big one."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi retired very early in the event after he lost his front wing after hitting his teammate. He was disappointed with the result as he felt the potential was there to have a good finish and the Brazilian is now looking ahead to Monaco in two weeks time.

"I had a good start but ran out of room at the first corner and touched the car in front which I think was my teammate", he said. "The track was pretty slippery at the start and, with such a tight corner and so many cars, I had nowhere to go. It's unfortunate as I could have had a great race today."

"Both drivers had good starts but unfortunately Enrique knocked into Heinz at the first corner. This damaged the diffuser on Heinz's car and resulted in ultimate retirement for Enrique with a broken wishbone", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "Heinz was then pushed off by Villeneuve at the second corner and we didn't stand a chance after that. We're going to go home and lick our wounds and look forward to a better weekend in Monaco."

The team will test at Paul Ricard on Thursday and Friday next week with Heinz-Harald Frentzen at the wheel. Also, Enrique Bernoldi will drive another A23 during aerodynamic tests in the UK.

An interrupted qualifying session at the A1-Ring this afternoon saw the two OrangeArrows cars finish in 11th and 12th positions. Heinz- Harald Frentzen suffered a high-speed spin after running over the oil from Jarno Trulli's retired Renault. When rejoining the session ten minutes later, still in his race car, Heinz managed to qualify his A23 just outside the top ten in 11th spot.

"I lost my rhythm slightly after the spin on Trulli's oil", he explained. "I got the car back to the pits and, after changing a few parts, could get on with the session. The car was definitely a lot better by the end of the session but like everybody else I had traffic trouble. Unfortunately I stopped Enrique on his last flying lap. My fault, and I have apologised. Looking forward to tomorrow now as, although we should have both been in the top ten today, our positions are no disgrace."

Meanwhile, teammate Enrique Bernoldi's 12th position is his highest qualifying result to date. The Brazilian driver spent a lot of time in the top six and even finished earlier practice in fifth place. He is not too disappointed with the result and is now looking forward to a competitive Austrian Grand Prix tomorrow.

"At the end of the day 12th place is a good result - my best yet", he said. "I'm still disappointed a bit though as we could have been in the top ten today. We improved the car a lot from this morning's sessions and I was pretty happy with the balance. I enjoy racing here so tomorrow should be fun."

"I'm disappointed as we should have had both cars in the top ten", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "Heinz was held up on what would have been a very good lap at the end of the session. To be fair though, traffic was a problem for everyone today. We're all looking forward to tomorrow though as we have good balance on fuel and old tyres. We also have the upgraded Cosworth engine for the race here as well as qualifying so it will be interesting to see how we get on."

Free Practice for the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix got underway at the A1- Ring today with a very slippery circuit to start with and the two hour-long sessions saw quite a few spinners out on the track. OrangeArrows drivers, Enrique Bernoldi and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, finished the day's running in 6th and 13th positions respectively continuing to show the improved form of the A23 package.

"I'm pleased with our results from Free Practice. Everything went okay for me apart from a puncture towards the end of the first session", Bernoldi said. "I sat out the last few minutes so we could save the tyres. The car certainly feels well balanced here so I'm happy about that."

Teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen spent a lot of time in the top six as well, however the German had an off in the second hour that saw damage done to his A23. Mechanics were forced to work feverishly on repairs, however it was to no avail for this afternoon's session with Heinz forced to sit most of the second hour out.

"It was basically a good day today. I had an 'off' at the last corner during the second session which unfortunately broke the floor", he explained. "The team did a good job replacing it and I was able to get out again before the end of practice but didn't have quite enough time for a flying lap. I'm feeling optimistic. We've still got a bit of work to do but I'm hopeful we'll have a good weekend."

"Fairly happy with today as we got all the work done and the times are pretty much what we expected. Heinz had a problem during the second session, which meant we had to change the floor of his A23 but otherwise he made steady progress", explained Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "Enrique did a good job today and he too made steady progress. We're looking forward to tomorrow and will spend the morning working on our qualifying set-up."

After a fantastic weekend of racing, the OrangeArrows team celebrated its first point of the 2002 season in Barcelona. Strong performances in Friday's practice sessions, where the team posted 2nd and 6th fastest times, and qualifying in 10th and 14th gave the team good cause for optimism. An excellent race for Heinz-Harald Frentzen saw him battle to sixth position to earn the team its first 2002 World Championship point. Both drivers got away cleanly from the start and while Enrique fended off Villeneuve, Heinz-Harald set his sights on Massa in the Sauber. By lap four, both Heinz-Harald, along with Massa, climbed a place as Raikkonen's McLaren slowed on the track into retirement. Running in 9th, and with the opportunity to gain more places, Heinz-Harald maintained a very competitive pace but he was soon trapped behind the Sauber driver as the battle heated up. Enrique was also making good progress through the field and had taken 11th place by lap 12, still keeping Villeneuve at bay.

With all of the teams running on two stop strategies, the first round of pit stops began on lap 23. Enrique stopped first from tenth position and a good stop from the team allowed him to rejoin the race in 12th. Just two laps later, Heinz-Harald came in to pit from an excellent 6th position and returned to the track in 10th. Despite Enrique's best efforts and managing to maintain a good pace ahead of Villeneuve, on lap 38, he was forced in to the pits with a problem. Although the team worked on the car and hoped to have solved the problem during the stop, just two laps after returning to the track, he was forced into retirement suffering from a hydraulic leak. Despite his retirement, he had a good race and was very pleased for the team.

Meanwhile, Heinz-Harald was enjoying a close battle with Panis ahead in the BAR as they came around for their second stops. As many of the cars began to stop, Heinz-Harald climbed to fifth position and emerged from his second stop in eighth. He quickly caught up with the battle between Massa's Sauber and Button's Renault and pushing both drivers hard, looked for the opportunity to overtake. As Button struggled with his Renault, he was forced to yield and Heinz-Harald, along with the Sauber, gained another position. With the promise of a point just one place ahead, Heinz-Harald continued to pressure the Sauber driver and, struggling to find the opportunity to pass him on a circuit which is difficult to over-take on, he remained on his tail.

His patience was to be rewarded as on lap 60, just five laps from the end, Trulli's Renault slowed from fourth, putting Heinz- Harald into sixth position and into the points. In front of a delighted pit crew, Heinz-Harald crossed the finish line to bring the team its first point of the season. Heinz-Harald was thrilled for the team and hopes it is the sign of things to come. Enrique will be back in the A23 this week at Silverstone when the team carries out a two-day test.

The OrangeArrows team had a fantastic finish to a great weekend in Barcelona today when Heinz-Harald Frentzen brought home the team's first point of 2002 after a fantastic race that saw him battling with the big boys of F1. The German driver had been on form all weekend displaying strong performances form the A23 and he was ecstatic with today's result and is now looking forward to repeating the feeling in the coming races.

"That was great! The team has done a superb job all weekend so they thoroughly deserve this point. I'm confident that this car has the potential to be even better, we just need to work on the balance for qualifying but we have a solution in the pipeline for that", he said. "We have shown all weekend that we can be competitive and I had an optimistic feeling about the race. I could push hard every lap and had good battles, especially with Massa in the Sauber. It was difficult to overtake here and I did try very hard! I think we are on an upward curve now. The pressure is off to score a point but very much on to score more!!"

Unfortunately his teammate, Enrique Bernoldi, retired after two thirds of the race with a hydraulic leak, different to the one that affected him during this morning's warm up session. He will be back in the A23 on Tuesday for a two-day test at Silverstone where the team will be working hard on settling the balance of the car in qualifying trim.

"That was a real shame as my race was going well today", he said. "I had to retire due to a hydraulic leak. My car felt good all weekend and was running well in the race. I'm very happy that the team got its first point as it proved we are all heading in the right direction."

"Heinz-Harald dropped a place at the start and was struggling initially with understeer. We lost out to Panis in the first pit-stop but after that the car ran extremely well", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "Heinz- Harald did a brilliant job today to run against the big boys. Enrique's race was all going to plan and he did a great job keeping Villeneuve at bay. We're sorry we let him down with a hydraulic leak. We're looking forward to Austria as historically we've gone well there and we should have the engine upgrade from qualifying for the race. Thanks to Bridgestone for good tyres all weekend."

"Now you see why we invested in Heinz-Harald Frentzen! The car has been good all weekend, especially in race trim", praised team boss Tom Walkinshaw. "I want to thank the team as they have all worked extremely hard for the last six weeks, getting us to where we are now. It is satisfying to be racing with Renault and Sauber and now we need to keep on pushing to beat them. The next step is to get the same engine upgrade for the race that we had for qualifying."

The OrangeArrows team had a promising qualifying session at the Circuit de Catalunya today, taking its first top ten grid position of the year. Both Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi made steady progress throughout the hour, even though one of Heinz-Harald's runs was almost scuppered by a red flag incident involving a Minardi car 11 minutes before the end.

After finishing second in yesterday's practice then sixth earlier today, Frentzen will start from tenth in tomorrows Spanish Gp and the German driver is thrilled with the outcome, one he hopes to capitalize on here tomorrow.

"Top ten is great for the team and I'm pleased because the boys all did a very good job today", he said. "The improvements we made at Silverstone have helped us to find the right direction so I'm very happy with the result. Results like this also help to lift the team. We have showed that both cars are competitive here and, as our race pace is still stronger than our qualifying pace, we're hopeful of a good day tomorrow."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi will line up just a few places back in 14th position and the young Brazilian is also happy with the day's performance. Apart from some minor understeer, his A23 performed and handled well and he is looking forward to a strong result tomorrow.

"Well I had a pretty good day today. The car was generally well balanced, I had a touch of understeer but nothing major", he explained. "The session went to plan and we improved the car for every run. Fourteenth is my best qualifying position so far so I'm happy with that and very much looking forward to having a good run tomorrow."

"Well we knew we had to beat one of the top five teams to get into the top ten and I have to say that I'm surprised it was a Sauber", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "We have shown our competitiveness all weekend and both drivers did a very good job today. The Bridgestone tyres certainly look very strong for the race so we're optimistic."

The OrangeArrows team finished Free Practice for the 2002 Spanish Grand Prix in excellent shape after Heinz-Harald Frentzen posted the second fastest time of the day whilst Enrique Bernoldi was close behind him in sixth position. The team ran a three-day test at Silverstone last week, concentrating on aerodynamic and software developments, as well as putting much-needed mileage onto the A23 and it appears as if all their hard work is paying off.

While not a lot of emphasis can be put on Friday's practice times, the Leafield based squad is encouraged by Frentzen's strong performance, the only driver on track to get close enough to actually challenge for top spot. Just .070 behind Michael Schumacher at the end of the day, the German is hoping for more of the same here tomorrow.

"I think we made a definite step forward at Silverstone last week", he said. "We are certainly going in the right direction set up-wise now. We are also very much enjoying an upgrade from Cosworth. Overall a constructive and trouble-free day and we hope for more of the same tomorrow."

While not quite as fast as his teammate, Enrique Bernoldi was more than pleased with his overall performance at the end of the day. The Brazilian driver was regularly in the top ten for the second hour and like Heinz-Harald, believes the hard work done on the Arrows package last week is showing.

"I had a good day today, improving the car steadily as we went through the sessions", he said. "The car feels good here and we have made a lot of progress. We did a lot of work with the tyres and have made our decision on those."

"We're happy with the result today and the new front wing we ran last week is a definite step forward. We made some mistakes in testing here in February but we have learnt from those", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "At Silverstone last week we found our direction and we are continuing to follow that direction. We're also delighted to have a significant upgrade from Cosworth for this weekend."

The OrangeArrows team was at Silverstone this week where they conducted their first on track testing session since the beginning of the 2002 championship season. Regular driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen was on duty for the three day session at the wheel of the sole A23.

In dry and sunny conditions, the team worked on set-up and tyre tests for the first two days as well as putting more mileage on the car in preparation for the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend. Wet conditions for the second half of the final day and a gearbox problem in the morning hampered progress and Frentzen completed 36 laps to set a best time two and a half seconds off the leading pace.

After technical glitches have denied them finishes so far this year, the Leafield squad is hopeful that they have ironed out the problems and are encouraged heading into round five on the Barcelona circuit.

"It was good to complete the test's full schedule today and although we had some down-time late this morning due to a gearbox problem, we were able to fix that and get some really valuable data for Barcelona next weekend. We mainly focused on traction control and launch control today which is instantly beneficial to us", Graham Taylor, Chief Engineer, said after the session. "Although we didn't complete as many laps as yesterday, the signs were encouraging. We were running the car on race fuel loads, so the times weren't as quick as earlier in the test, but after the downpour at lunch, we were very quick in the wet. Even when the track began to dry later in the afternoon, we still had good pace, setting similar times to the Saubers and the Jordans. I think it's fair to say we now go to Barcelona benefiting from some good testing mileage and hopefully we'll have ironed out some of the glitches that we had at the start of the season."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is hoping to score a point for his Orange Arrows outfit this season, the German driver currently motivated by working hard on the development side of the A23. It has been twelve months since the three time GP winner has finished in the top six, let alone stood on the podium, and his determination to return to the limelight may be just what the Leafield squad need.

After losing his seat with Jordan before switching to Prost late last season, Frentzen signed with Arrows just prior to the season opener this year, taking over the seat normally occupied by Dutch driver Jos Verstappen. So far the 2002 season has been far from encouraging with technical glitches hampering the team's efforts in every race, however Frentzen refuses to look on the negative side of things and is determined to find the much needed extra speed.

With the fierce competition between Ferrari and Williams at the front of the field, the two top teams also being challenged by the new improved Renault outfit, Heinz won't go as far as predicting a return to the podium before the season comes to a close, but he won't rule it out altogether either ...

"I wouldn't guarantee that I am not going to be on the podium this year", Frentzen was quoted as saying. "You never know what is going to happen in Formula One, it can be very exciting from one day to the other and it is full of surprises. It would be nice to be on the podium but I try to be logical. If we can make the car much better it would be a possibility but we have a lot of work to do still. My job now is to try to get some extra speed out of the car and I'm trying hard. My motivation is basically to make steps in development. The biggest reward would be to finish the race in the top six and get a point, that would lift everybody in the team up and give them more motivation for the future."

The OrangeArrows team had a weekend of mixed fortunes in Imola for the San Marino Grand Prix. With Heinz-Harald Frentzen setting sixth fastest time in the Friday practice sessions and claiming 13th place in qualifying, the team were pleased with the A23's pace. Unfortunately Heinz-Harald's team mate, Enrique Bernoldi, had less luck on track and a tough qualifying session left him in 20th on the grid.

Both drivers got away from the start well and despite being on a heavy fuel load due to a one-stop strategy, Heinz-Harald battled with and passed the Jordan of Sato while Enrique made excellent progress climbing four places to 16th. Also passing Salo in the Toyota, Enrique moved up another two places to 14th in just a few laps. Both OrangeArrows cars, now running in tandem, continued to make steady progress just behind the BAR's of Villeneuve and Panis.

Both Heinz-Harald and Enrique continued to push hard and as the first round of pit-stops began, they climbed to 11th and 12th. Running on a two-stop strategy, Enrique dived into the pits on lap 22. A good clean stop by the team sent him back onto the track just one place down in 13th. Heinz-Harald made steady progress through the field and was running well in ninth, but sadly his efforts were not to be rewarded as he pulled off the track with a loss of power on lap 25. It was a disappointing end to what had been another difficult weekend ...

Meanwhile Enrique had regained 12th place and was running steadily behind Panis. Keeping a good pace with Panis' BAR ahead, Enrique pulled in for his second stop on lap 43 and, as the order shook out after the cars around him also stopped, he emerged in 11th. Just ten laps from the end, Enrique was forced to retire from the race, also due to a loss of power.

Reliability issues hampered the team's progress in Imola where only half of the field completed the race, but as the OrangeArrows team returned to its Leafield base, the team's test crew were already preparing for an intensive test program at Silverstone this week. Heinz-Harald Frentzen is currently at the wheel of the sole A23, the German driver starting on Tuesday and will continue to Thursday.

The 2002 San Marino Grand Prix turned out to be a tough race, with only half the grid completing the course. Unfortunately for the Orange Arrows outfit, neither driver finished the event, with Heinz- Harald Frentzen retiring before reaching half distance when his A23 lost power.

"I had a tough start to the race as, while I was defending my position from Fisichella, his teammate Sato got past", Heinz-Harald explained. "I managed to retake him on the next lap though. The car felt good until I experienced a sudden loss of power a couple of laps before I was due to come in for my pit-stop. We have a lot of work to do at Silverstone next week."

Team mate, Enrique Bernoldi, retired just ten laps before the end of the event when his car also lost power. The Brazilian was disappointed with the result especially after running strongly in the top ten. The A23 had shown strong performances for most of the weekend so therefore serious testing next week will be aimed at solving some of their reoccurring reliability problems.

"I was approaching ‘Rivazza', shifted down, and had no power so had to pull off the track", the Brazilian driver said. "For sure it is disappointing to have my race cut short as I was enjoying myself out there today."

"Well that was a tough one. Heinz-Harald was going well on a one-stop strategy but experienced a sudden loss of fuel rail pressure", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "Enrique's problem is currently unexplained as we lost telemetry. Both drivers had the pace today and it's annoying that we are having these reliability issues. We are testing at Silverstone next week so believe me we will be putting in a few race distances!"

The OrangeArrows team will test at Silverstone from Tuesday to Thursday next week with Heinz-Harald Frentzen at the wheel of the sole A23.

Qualifying for the 2002 San Marino Grand Prix produced a mixed bag of results for the OrangeArrows team in Imola today. Heinz-Harald Frentzen claimed 13th spot on the grid after making good progress throughout the hour-long session. The German had been running strongly most of the day, even finishing earlier practice in sixth place. Despite ending up in the second half of the field, Heinz is happy enough with his performance and is looking forward to a strong race here tomorrow.

"Well, not a bad result. I think we have shown again today that we have potential", he said. "The balance still isn't 100% as it should be for qualifying but that situation should improve soon. The car is generally better in race trim, more competitive, so I'm looking forward to having a good race tomorrow."

Meanwhile teammate, Enrique Bernoldi, was far from happy at the end of the day, the Brazilian driver qualifying his A23 in 20th place after having to switch to the T-Car when his race car had an engine problem on its first run.

"I lost my first run and a set of tyres along with it. I wasn't happy with the balance of the T-car so that slowed me down later on", he said. "I was a bit quicker on my last run but was held up which is a shame as I feel I could have beaten both the Jaguars today."

"Slightly disappointed. Heinz-Harald did a good job today, however we feel we should be in the top 12, hence the disappointment. The Bridgestone tyre looks strong for the race", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "I'm concerned about the problem Enrique had at the start of the session but we'll have to look at the data to find out what went wrong there."

The European season got off to a soggy start today with the opening practices sessions ahead of Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix held in cold and wet conditions. Heavy rain before the morning practice session made for a waterlogged track at Imola, however Orange Arrows driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen made the most of the situation to finish the day in sixth place. The German driver was happy with the car's overall performance and believes there is even more to come tomorrow.

I think we had a progressive session this morning and a generally progressive afternoon, apart from a couple of little incidents that cost us a bit of time", he said. "Generally I'm pleased about the pace we have here and it's good to finish the first day in the top six. We have made some small modifications to the car since Brazil, which has moved us in the right direction. I feel there is still more time to come and I'm looking forward to the qualifying session tomorrow."

Enrique Bernoldi didn't have as good a start to the weekend as his teammate, the Brazilian driver finishing in 18th place overall. He isn't too happy with the way things progressed with only a few minor advancements in the second hour and knows there is a lot more work to do before tomorrow's qualifying hour.

"We had a very strange day today. Whichever way we went on the set-up the car stayed the same so we have a lot of work to do this afternoon to try and figure out what happened,” he said. "Having said that, we did start to make a bit of progress in the second session."

"Obviously we're pleased that Heinz-Harald was quick today. Enrique struggled a bit but was a lot better during the second session", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "The afternoon session was strange as almost nobody went quicker and the circuit was drier than it was this morning. With the weather conditions we had, we were able to learn a lot about the intermediate tyres. Last, but by no means least, I'd like to say thank you to the team for working so late last night in order to give us predominantly trouble-free running today."

The Orange Arrows outfit have had a slow start to the 2002 season, the Leafield squad suffering with a few glitches in their electronic launch system as well as engine failure and the normal run of mishaps. Meanwhile, Tom Walkinshaw threw the media circus into a spin with the Prost - Phoenix - Dart team buyout prior to the Australian Grand Prix, the new outfit only managing to secure the cars from the French team and a failed entry to the 2002 season.

Many look at the entire saga as a good PR stunt than reality. In most cases it works, as this one did to a degree in Malaysia when the team turned up in an attempt to race only to be denied entry into the paddock. The press went wild with the news at the time, however it appears to have fizzled out and has delivered very little since Kuala Lumpur, if anything at all.

However, the political side of Formula one has little to do with the drivers and we took the time to talk to Heinz-Harald Frentzen last month on his new position with the team. Sacked from Jordan in the middle of the 2001 season, the German driver was hoping to remain with the Prost outfit, a ride he found himself in after Jean Alesi took up the position he was forced to vacate.

Although the announcement that Heinz-Harald would be taking over from Jos Verstappen at Arrows this season was very late in coming, the German driver knew all along that he would end up driving alongside Enrique Bernoldi. He also admitted that it will be a tough year, but one he knows will get better as the season progresses.

"We have done some progress but are still behind our schedule at the moment. I was not planning to be out for 2002, and planned to do it with Arrows", he said. "We had come to an arrangement very late. It will be a hard and challenging season for sure. My experience will help the team and I have got the feeling we will improve throughout the season."

The subject of tyres also came into the equation especially as Heinz is the only man currently driving to have competed on both Bridgestone and Michelin rubber. However he didn't want to give away too much information on this topic, only revealing that he is happy to be back working with Bridgestone. Very interesting indeed.

The OrangeArrows team had an eventful day in Sao Paulo today starting in the morning warm-up when Brazilian driver, Enrique Bernoldi, was left stranded on the track at the 'Senna S' after a spin into the tyre wall which caused his car to rebound onto the circuit. The oncoming cars all managed to steer clear of Enrique but Sauber's Nick Heidfeld hit the open door of the medical car as it arrived to help Enrique. A freak accident and thankfully no-one was hurt in the incident, however Enrique was forced to start the race in the T- car.

He got off to a good start however he was forced to pit early with a broken rear track rod. The car was fixed and he was sent on his way, however he was forced to retire anyway after the team decided it was the best action to take in the circumstances.

"I've had one hell of a day today", he said. "First, the accident I had this morning, then all the dramas in the race. After our difficult qualifying session, it was good to be able to show our pace was good for the race. I'm sorry that my home Grand Prix ended this way as I had a good start and was having a good time fighting for positions."

Teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen also had a good start to this afternoon's race, the German driver dicing with the Jaguar of Eddie Irvine, passing him on the pit straight Unfortunately on lap 25, Heinz-Harald, running in an excellent tenth position, pitted with the same problem as Enrique, the main reason for the team calling Bernoldi in as well.

"That was a real shame as I was having a very exciting race", Frentzen said. "Our race set-up was working well and I was really enjoying myself out there. I felt that something was wrong with the rear of the car a few laps before my scheduled pit-stop so I came early. As it was the same problem Enrique had we decided it was safer to retire from the race."

"We have had no problems with that part until today so we are obviously very disappointed", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "It looks like we had the problem on Enrique's car this morning but because of the damage we did not realise. Both drivers were running strongly in the race so we look forward to Imola where temperatures should suit us more."

Qualifying for tomorrow's 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix took place in sweltering conditions at the Interlagos circuit earlier today, the session only beginning in earnest at 13:15 as most teams were happy to bide their time, waiting for the right moment to go out.

The OrangeArrows team is disappointed to be lining up on the grid for the race in 18th and 21st positions after both drivers failed to achieve optimum qualifying set-ups on the A23s. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was the quicker of the two and the German was disappointed that they couldn't deliver on their practice promise.

"We couldn't achieve the necessary balance today. Missing most of the second practice session this morning after stalling doesn't help as that is the time you do your fine tuning for qualifying", he said. "It only accounts for a few tenths of a second but that would have made a lot of difference today. We were basically fighting against understeer and oversteer in each of the four runs. We need to analyse why we have this problem more here than we did in Malaysia or Australia."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi is also disappointed especially as he is competing in front of his home crowd here this weekend. However, he is looking ahead and hoping that things go smooth at the start of tomorrows race.

"Naturally I am disappointed to be so low down the grid in front of my home crowd", he said. "We were able to steadily improve the car throughout this morning's practice sessions and qualifying itself but we just couldn't get the balance right for Interlagos. Let's hope we have a better day tomorrow."

"Needless to say, we are not happy with the result", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "We knew we were in for a fight today but to be so far down the grid is not good at all. We struggled to get the cars balanced for this track and now have a lot of work to do to make sure the cars are competitive in race trim."

OrangeArrows drivers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi, finished today's two hour-long free practice sessions for the Brazilian Grand Prix in 11th and 12th positions respectively. The team had a relatively trouble-free day with just a recovered spin for Enrique and a brief sideways moment for Heinz-Harald. The drivers were closely matched, their respective fastest times being just four thousandths of a second apart.

"We had a very progressive, trouble-free day today", Heinz-Harald said. "We made a lot of changes to the car throughout the two sessions in order to improve the balance. We are getting there but there are still improvements to be made so we will work hard on that this afternoon."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi is happy with the way his car handles around the bumpy Interlagos circuit however, just like Frentzen, he knows there is still a lot of room for improvement before tomorrows qualifying session.

"The car feels okay here", he said. "We went through the usual program of evaluating tyres and working on our race set-up. We made a lot of progress but there is still room for improvement."

"A pretty good day for us today. We got through all the work we needed to do and will now spend the afternoon going through the data", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "The times were competitive during this morning's session but both drivers feel there are still advances to be made. I'm relatively happy with our pace today and we've shown we can be reliable in hotter conditions than this so our main aim now is to improve the balance of the A23s further in order to get maximum pace tomorrow and on Sunday."

Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix was yet another difficult race for the OrangeArrows team, despite a strong performance in qualifying and good pace during the race. For the second race in a row, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who qualified in 11th, had troubles at the start due to problems with his launch control system that stalled his car. The team managed to successfully re-start Heinz-Harald's car in the pit- lane and he rejoined the race chasing the back of the pack.

Meanwhile, teammate Enrique Bernoldi enjoyed a good start passing four cars on the first lap to secure 12th. Continuing to push hard, in just two laps Enrique had climbed to tenth, just behind Villeneuve and the Williams of Montoya. Determined to maintain the pace with the pack ahead, Enrique then had to fend off a charging Michael Schumacher behind.

Battling for position, as Enrique braked for the corner, Schumacher dived around to take the lead, but as the pair came to the next turn, Enrique re-took his position from the champion. It was to be short- lived though as Enrique eventually yielded to the Ferrari, but remained in tenth as Coulthard's McLaren retired to the pits.

Enrique's race was sadly to come to a premature end however, as just a few laps later, on lap 20, his car developed a fuel-pick up problem that forced him to retire. It was an unfortunate end to what had been a strong performance, but Enrique was pleased with the car's pace and enjoyed the race.

Meanwhile, still playing catch-up, Heinz-Harald was making steady progress in 18th position. The German driver continued with a solid and determined drive for the team and continued to progress through the field to finish the race 11th. Nonetheless, the team was pleased to get the car home in such sweltering conditions, the A23's first full race distance.

Although there wont be any on track testing for the Leafield squad this week, due to the start line problems encountered during both opening events, they have returned to base and will carry out an extensive testing program before the next race in Brazil in two weeks.

The OrangeArrows team had another tough race this afternoon at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia where the F1 teams were contesting the second round of the 2002 championship season. After qualifying in a strong 11th place, Heinz-Harald Frentzen's car stalled at the start of the race due to a problem with the launch. From then on he was playing catch-up, eventually finishing in 11th position.

"The start was pretty disappointing as my grid position was good. Once I got running the car felt good and we were able to learn a lot about the car as this is the first time we have run a whole race distance", Frentzen explained. "It was a pretty lonely race for me but I was able to compare the A23 to a few other cars on the track. I think our race pace was good so it is a real shame the start went wrong."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi's race started well as he passed four cars on the first lap. After running strongly in 10th position and battling with World Champion, Michael Schumacher, overtaking the world champion in a daring move, he unfortunately retired on lap 21 with a fuel pick-up problem.

"Even though I couldn't finish the race today I have to say it's one of the most enjoyable ones I've had so far", he said. "My start wasn't the best but I managed to pass a few cars on the first lap so I was pleased with my position. I had a great battle with Michael (Schumacher). He got past me but then I got past him which was fun. I was due for my first stop on lap 21 but the car stopped when I had just half a lap to go. It's a shame but I now have renewed confidence for my home race in Brazil."

"Another troubled start for us as there was a problem with Heinz-Harald's launch. Once we had recovered from that he drove an excellent race for us and completed the first race distance for the A23 in arduous conditions so we're pleased that the reliability and the pace are there", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "Enrique also drove very well today and was on course for a top 10 finish. He was on his way in for his first stop when we had a fuel pick-up problem. All in all, we're pleased we lasted the race distance but disappointed, as the result could have been much better. The team did a fantastic job all weekend in sweltering conditions and I'd like to congratulate them all on their determination."

Despite the fact that they won't be conducting any on track testing this month, Arrows have confirmed that they will conducting an extensive session off track between now and the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The OrangeArrows team will start tomorrow's 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix from 11th and 16th positions on the grid with Heinz-Harald Frentzen achieving his fastest time towards the end of the session after steadily improving his A23 throughout the session. The German driver is pleased with the progress made since the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago and is now looking forward to tomorrows race and hopefully working his way up through the field.

"I think we can be happy with the progress we have made since Australia. The car handles a lot better and I know we are now on the right path", he said. "I'm still not 100% happy with the balance of the A23 but it is a good achievement after such a short period of time in the car. We are definitely moving in the right direction so we need to keep up the momentum."

Meanwhile teammate, Enrique Bernoldi, had a tough session after he was forced to use the T car. The Brazilian driver will line up 16th on the grid and is a little disappointed with the way the day eventuated. He was hoping for a stronger finish to the session, like Frentzen, however tomorrow is another day and he will be giving all he can to improve on this position.

"I was happy with my first run and the time was good but I made a mistake on my second run. I think we went the wrong way with set-up for the third run", he explained. "The balance wasn't right and I went off onto the grass. We went back to a modified version of my original set-up at the end but the earlier runs cost us. I'm disappointed because, even though I was in the T-Car, I had a good morning today and was hoping for a better position."

"We're still not getting all the speed we could out of the A23. P9 or P10 was definitely possible today as the cars in those positions are definitely beatable", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "We're only just beginning to see the potential of the car as this is really the first time both drivers have had trouble-free runs. We are still learning about the car and also learning how Heinz-Harald works and what he wants from us. I'm pleased with the progress."

Free practice for the 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix got underway at Sepang today in sweltering temperatures with a maximum ambient temperature of 35 degrees. OrangeArrows drivers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi, set competitive times during the first of the two hour-long practice sessions, ending the day's running in 13th and 15th positions respectively.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen was regularly in the top six throughout the day, the German completing 27 laps of the Malaysian track. After the trouble experienced at the start of the Australian Grand Prix, Heinz- Harald was pleased that he encountered an almost trouble free day today.

"My day was trouble-free apart from a little software problem this morning but that didn't delay us for long. In general we have managed to collect good information for Sunday, concentrating on the balance of the car and race set-up", he explained. "It's very hot out there but that hasn't caused us any problems. There is still room for improvement but we are making good progress."

Teammate Enrique Bernoldi's day was only marred by a spin in the second session that saw him beached in the gravel on the side of the track. Up until then he had completed 19 laps and was very pleased with the way the car was handling, especially after holding to strong to third place through most of the first hour.

"If it hadn't been for the spin I had halfway through the second session I would have had a very good day today. The car felt very good during the first session and I was able to set a good time", he said. "We were steadily improving during this afternoon's session but my spin ended that. All in all, I am pleased with the progress we've made and happy that the car feels much better here than it did in Australia."

"We've had a pretty good day today. Heinz-Harald's car had a software problem this morning which delayed him very slightly and Enrique's car stopped out on the track at the end of that session", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "Aside from that, we didn't have any other technical problems. Judging by the fuel loads we were running I'm reasonably happy with our pace. I'd rather we had completed more miles but you can't have it all!"

Round two of this years championship season is about to get underway in Malaysia, the March 17 race set to be another battle between the top three teams in the series, Ferrari, McLaren and Williams. The second of the opening three fly away events, the drivers usually don't return to Europe for further testing and development, leaving the duties to test drivers instead.

As we saw last week, Ferrari had both test drivers in action, while McLaren completed a three day session with ex-Formula One driver, Jean Alesi. Williams were busy with Marc Gene while BAR ran with Anthony Davidson and Renault with Fernando Alonso.

Other teams, such as Sauber, Minardi and Arrows, didn't complete any on track testing after Australia, but while there is a session scheduled for Barcelona after the Malaysian Grand Prix, it is still unknown exactly who will attend. It is known however, that the Orange Arrows squad, who sent their three A23's directly from Melbourne to Malaysia, have yet to make any firm date for the team's next test, leaving their on track development work lapse until April.

The OrangeArrows team had a bad start to the 2002 Formula One season in Melbourne today as both A23s stalled on the grid after suffering the same electrical problem. After the first corner accident involving many cars, most thought the race would be restarted but unfortunately for the Leafield outfit, that wasn't the case.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi's cars were moved from the grid to the pitlane exit in order the join the race. The team was able to successfully start Heinz-Harald's car and he re-joined the race but Enrique had to return to the garage for the T-car. Unfortunately Heinz-Harald was later black-flagged as the pit-lane was closed when he rejoined the race, ending the German's first race for his new team.

"Well my engine just stopped on the grid and that was really the end of it for me", Frentzen said. "I just didn't see the red light at the end of the pitlane - it was a mistake. There's not really much else to say apart from that it can only get better from here."

Meanwhile, teammate Enrique was in the same boat, the Brazilian driver also black flagged a few laps later for using the T-car after the race had started. The team is now packing up, ready for the trip to Malaysia where it hopes to have a much better weekend.

"It's a bad start to the year for the whole team", Bernoldi remarked. "Looking at how the race finished we could have been in the points today. We tried to get back into the race in the T-car but it was over for us. A difficult start."

"Today was a missed opportunity", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "There were points there for the taking. Believe me when I say this is one mistake we will learn from!"

A rather stunted qualifying session at Albert Park this afternoon resulted in OrangeArrows drivers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi, taking 15th and 17th positions respectively on the grid for tomorrow's 2002 Australian Grand Prix. Spots of rain began to fall at the start of the hour-long session before it began to rain progressively heavier.

This resulted in the majority of the drivers only getting in one or two flying laps in good conditions, including Frentzen who only managed one proper run on the Albert Park track, and even that wasn't problem free, the German suffering a slight fuel pressure problem.

"We only got in one proper run today", he said. "I had a small problem on that run with fuel pressure so the times would have been better later on if the rain had stayed away. There is not really anything else to say as it's hard to know where we would be if we had done a full session. I hope we can have a good race tomorrow and put on a bit more of a show for the spectators here."

Meanwhile, teammate Enrique Bernoldi lost his first run of the due to the red flag appearing after an incident between David Coulthard and Jacques Villeneuve. The Brazilian driver will start his second ever Australian GP in 17th place, knowing he has his work cut out for him here tomorrow.

"I lost my first run today as the red flag came out as I was beginning my first flying lap", he explained. "Everything went to plan on my second run and we decided that for the next run I would do two flying laps. Unfortunately we never got the opportunity to do that so I have to settle for 17th. It's by no means the end of the world though, we will just have to work very hard in the race tomorrow."

"We planned to get all our runs completed as soon as possible this afternoon as we knew there was rain on the way", added Mike Coughlan, Technical Director. "Unfortunately the red flag delayed things a little and it meant each driver only did one proper run. Enrique had a bit of traffic trouble on his flying lap and Heinz-Harald had a problem with fuel pressure but nothing serious. We could have and should have been faster today but there's nothing we can do about that now so we'll turn our attention to tomorrow's race."

The 2002 Formula One season got underway in Melbourne, Australia, today where under cool and sometimes wet conditions, OrangeArrows drivers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi, finished the free practice sessions in 19th and 21st positions respectively.

Both drivers put in a competitive showing in the changeable conditions this morning as the team began its 2002 campaign. The afternoon session was run in mostly dry conditions. Heinz-Harald Frentzen completed 26 laps of the Albert Park track as he worked on general set up work for Sunday's race.

"We got some good work done this morning in the wet conditions. It's quite interesting to run here in the wet as this is one of the few times we have seen rain here in Melbourne", the German driver commented afterwards. "I had a small problem with the car but nothing we can't fix. It's not a good idea to try to judge our competitiveness by today's times, we really have to wait until tomorrow for that." Meanwhile, teammate Enrique Bernoldi only managed 20 laps, the Brazilian's progress hampered by a gearbox problem in the second session that saw his Cosworth powered Arrows stop on the track.

"The morning session went really well for me today. The car felt good on a wet and intermediate set-up so I'm pleased about that", he explained. "I had a gearbox problem in the second session, which is a shame as it stopped me early on but we still have time tomorrow to finish the work we need to do. I have to say that overall I am pretty happy with the progress we have made so far."

"Today's sessions went pretty much as we planned. The times were quick this morning so the car looks to be in good shape", added team boss Tom Walkinshaw. "Enrique did some good work this morning but had a small gearbox problem during the afternoon session. Heinz-Harald has settled in extremely well with the team and we're happy with what he has done today. He was running on full tanks this afternoon in case the race is dry and we get more rain tomorrow. This also meant we could check the brakes on high fuel loads."

German driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen is looking to his latest union with Arrows to shove aside the disappointments of last year in Formula One. Frentzen, sacked by Jordan and a casualty of the windup of Prost, only clinched a drive with Arrows just a month before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix due to get underway here this weekend.

He had been in talks with Australian Minardi owner Paul Stoddart but his decision to sign for the Tom Walkinshaw-owned team opened the door for Mark Webber to step in and make his F1 debut at his home race. Frentzen, winner of three grands prix and on the podium in Melbourne in 1998 (third) and 1999 (second), always hoped that he would have a F1 drive this year even though he was on the brink several weeks ago.

"I never thought (I would be) out, to be honest", Frentzen said here today. "I was planning to do the season this year and I was planning to do it with Arrows, even though they had come to an arrangement very late."

However, Frentzen would not tell reporters the length of his contract with Arrows, only revealing that it was "long enough". His past season was a roller-coaster ride of points scored for Jordan, time spent on the sidelines through injury after crashing, his sacking by Eddie Jordan and switch to the ill-fated Prost, which folded under massive debts.

"I don't want to think about last year. Last year was in the past, I just want to focus on this year", he added.

The German believes that with Arrows he should have a reasonably successful year. Arrows, which has been without a win in 371 Grands Prix, has secured a new Cosworth engine and has a crack new Argentinean designer Sergio Rinland.

"At the moment it's pretty difficult to make any estimation at all, we don't have enough experience to make a judgment", Frentzen said. "We have made some progress, but we are still behind a little bit. We have had some reliability problems over the winter testing...but we will try to finish the race and have a good result. Where we are at the moment, it's difficult to say. I think the team is very much motivated, we have, basically, a good bunch of people there and it's time to put it all together."

Frentzen has had limited laps in the new A23 and is still trying to come to grips with it.

"The car has a little bit of understeer here, a little bit of oversteer there. It's hard to make an overall judgment about it", he said. "We are trying to learn and understand the car...there is still good potential to come and it's up to us really to get the best out of it. It's an on-going development. The wind tunnel is running day and night."

Testing at Silverstone began this morning on a damp track thanks to overnight rain and with the temperature failing to rise above 10°C the track took a long time to dry despite the sunny conditions. However Arrows' new signing Heinz-Harald Frentzen took advantage of the drying track to post the best time of the day. The German lapped the circuit in a time of 1:24.91, to finish the day ahead of Jordan's Takuma Sato.

Frentzen's place at the top of the leaderboard was secured when it began raining again around mid-day, leaving the track damp for the rest of the day. Frentzen's teammate at Arrows, Enrique Bernoldi, was third quickest just a couple of tenths behind Sato, while Jaguar's Eddie Irvine was fourth for the day. The two Renaults of Jenson Button and Jarno Trulli rounded off the top six.

01. Heinz-Harald Frentzen - Arrows A23 - 1:24.913 - 43 laps
02. Takuma Sato - Jordan EJ12 - 1:26.090 - 15 laps
03. Enrique Bernoldi - Arrows A23 - 1:26.271 - 37 laps
04. Takuma Sato - Jordan EJ11 - 1:27.199 - 21 laps
05. Eddie Irvine - Jaguar R3 - 1:27.422 - 26 laps
06. Jenson Button - Renault R202 - 1:34.084 - 26 laps
07. Jarno Trulli - Renault R202 - 1:44.245 - 21 laps

ORANGEARROWS wanted a proven GP winner and it was for that reason alone that they dropped Jos Verstappen and targeted Heinz Harald Frentzen as soon as he was made available by the Prost GP liquidation.

Frentzen's proven skill and experience will not only boost Arrows this year, team boss Tom Walkinshaw believes, it will also give the team 'no place to hide'.

With Frentzen in the team says Walkinshaw in an interview in today's Autosport Magazine, "it will be up to us to achieve results".

Frentzen reached his greatest heights yet when he emerged as an outsider for the 1999 world crown, winning two races for Jordan.

He also won a Grand Prix for Williams, and Walkinshaw says he was keen to resuscitate the German's ailing career after a 2001 season that was almost certainly the unhappiest of his life.

"We wanted Frentzen because we feel we have a good car and we wanted to make the most of it", Walkinshaw concluded.

After two days with Enrique Bernoldi at the wheel, the Orange Arrows team concluded their final day of testing at the Catalunya circuit with newly signed Heinz-Harald Frentzen in control. Just like his new teammate, Heinz- Harald finished the day in second place overall behind the leading Renault.

After completing a total of 51 laps of the Spanish track, Frentzen's best time of 1:18.620 was just under a second off Jenson Button's overall best. Frentzen was continuing to familiarise himself with the new A23 while working on general set up and balance.

He is pleased with progress being made and after concluding the three day test for the team here in Barcelona the German is looking forward to spending more time in the car at Silverstone next week when they conduct the final session prior to the Melbourne GP.

Meanwhile the Leafield based outfit are also in action at Vairano as they carry out some straight line tests to continue today.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen has revealed in an interview with 'Motorsport Aktuell' that he had every intention of driving for the Orange Arrows team in the upcoming 2002 championship season. Reports emerged that the German driver was on his way to replace Jos Verstappen before Christmas, however the Leafield based squad continually denied the speculation with Jos Verstappen remaining confident that his seat was secure.

After losing his seat with Jordan Grand Prix only days before his home race in Germany last season, Heinz's future was not looking very stable. Quickly replacing Jean Alesi at Prost, the three time GP winner seemed to have found his niche, putting the Ferrari powered contender in places it had never been before, such as fourth place on the grid at Spa.

However, the collapse of four time champion Alain Prost's team left Frentzen without a drive in 2002 and he admitted to the Swiss publication that he was making every effort to ensure a drive for the coming season and is more than happy with his new role at Arrows.

"There was, at most, an indirect connection to the negotiations with Arrows. I was determined to stay in F1 and I had intended to drive for Arrows", he explained. "Basically I'm satisfied. They are very good people, I think a lot of them. Arrows has a promising package, the Cosworth engine runs very well, the basis of the car is okay. It doesn't look bad."

In his first official testing run for the team at Valencia last week, Frentzen suffered two accidents in the new A23 when on Friday last week he was lucky to see out the end of the day after suffering rear wing failure. However, he is now confident that the problem can be easily rectified.

"The problem can be put down to the new engine partner. The vibration frequencies of the Cosworth V10 are different from those of the Asiatech V10, which led to the wing delaminating at two different points. We now need to modify some components to counteract this harmful incidence which spreads into the whole car."

With the official start of the season only a little more than two weeks away, Arrows are yet to officially launch their new A23 and there is no word on when they plan to do so. However, running with the new Cosworth engine should see them in a better position in 2002 and Frentzen was asked his goals for the upcoming championship season.

"That's difficult to say at this point. First I'll try and do my homework. It's difficult to make any predictions, even more so because I could hardly watch the other teams. The target however is to score some points."

OrangeArrows driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen crashes out not once, but twice, at same corner because of the same defect ...

It has taken Heinz-Harald Frentzen quite some time to finalise his drivers seat this year, what with having to wait for the Prost debacle and other long-winded negotiations to be finalised.

But it certainly hasn't taken him long to grab the F1 headlines.

Today, in just his second day in the cockpit of the new OrangeArrows A23 he will be driving in the 2002 world championship he crashed out not once, but twice, believe it or not, at the same corner - the fast, fourth-gear first turn - because of the same defect - identical rear-wing failures.

Amazingly in between all this he still managed to finish in mid-table on the time sheets just a second off the pace.

In his first shunt the experienced German GP winner managed to avoid the barriers without doing any damage, but he wasn't so lucky the second time.

In each case he was reported to be travelling at high speed when he lost control, but multiple spins quickly took off the speed and his car sustained only minimal damage on the second occasion.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who has been relatively quiet in testing so far this year, came out of his shell, meanwhile and went on to top Day 5's unofficial timesheets with a quick 1'12.410 in his BMW Williams.

This put the Colombian almost a second ahead of Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa's second-placed Jaguar -looking faster and more competitive than it has been all year as it separated Montoya from his Williams team-mates Antonia Pizzonia and Ralf Schumacher - but Montoya's table-topping time was still some way off the sizzling record set by Kim Raikkonen in the new McLaren last week.

Jacques Villeneuve covered a mammoth race distance 86 laps in the BAR-Honda while Alex Yoong had his most competitive outing so far, although his best lap of 1'15.353 put into perspective the enormous challenge facing the young Malaysian rookie in his first season of F1 racing

Valencia timesheet - Day 5 (unofficial)

1 Juan P Montoya, Williams, 1'12.410 - 69 laps
2 Pedro de la Rosa, Jaguar, 1'13.229 - 78 laps
3 Antonio Pizzonia, Williams, 1'13.377 - 91 laps
4 Ralf Schumacher, Williams, 1'13.484 - 69 laps
5 Heinz-H Frentzen, Arrows, 1'13.491 - 20 laps
6 Jacques Villeneuve, BAR 1'13.577 - 86 laps
7 Olivier Panis, BAR, 1'13.744 - 66 laps
8 Anthony Davidson, BAR, 1'14.177 - 81 laps
9 Alex Yoong Minardi, 1'15.353s - 38 laps
10 Mark Webber, Minardi, 1'15.908 - 30 laps

Heinz-Harald Frentzen escaped a high-speed incident this morning (Friday) when testing at Valencia.

Frentzen was estimated to have been travelling at 195 k/ph when his rear wing failed on the approach to the first corner.

He spun but managed to avoid colliding with other cars or the barriers, and escaped without damage to his car.

The OrangeArrows 2002 contender, the A23, completed its first full day of testing in Valencia today. In its distinctive Orange and black interim livery, the car ran at the Valencia track with the newly signed Heinz-Harald Frentzen at the wheel. Despite a first lap off on the Spanish track, Frentzen completed the day in eight place overall after recording a best time of 1:15.133 after 27 laps.

"It's certainly good to be back in the cockpit again after such a long break", commented Heinz- Harald. "I'm getting used to my new team and they are getting used to me. The car feels good so far and the engine feels strong. Of course, we have had the usual problems faced with running a new car, but nothing major, and I can feel there is a strong foundation there to work with. I'm really looking forward to the new season now as I am optimistic about this car."

The A23 was designed at Leafield by a team of 20 design engineers, led by Technical Director, Mike Coughlan and had its first official outing here yesterday after a shakedown in private last weekend.

"There were not many regulation changes this year but we decided to produce a brand new car in order to eliminate the problems we had last year and of course make performance improvements", Coughlan explained. "The design process has been very much concentrated on downforce levels, ride height sensitivity and the overall aero map. The biggest change visible to the untrained eye is the height of the nose. The A22 performed well at the high-speed circuits, the chassis reliability was remarkable and it was an easy car to set-up so we have worked hard to carry those strengths through to the A23. We have had another engine change to deal with but we are used to that! I would estimate that it adds another month to the design process but we were forewarned of the change and have struck up a great working relationship with Cosworth so the transition has run smoothly."

The OrangeArrows team has been working hard during the winter months to design, test and manufacture an all-new car for 2002 and will continue running in Valencia until Saturday evening, before moving on to Barcelona to further their pre season preparations.

"The entire factory has put in a lot of hours in the last few months", commented Team Principal, Tom Walkinshaw. "With the test ban in December we had to concentrate our efforts on off-track testing, the bulk of which was done in our wind tunnel in Bedford. We decided against running an interim car in January as we wanted to concentrate fully on the new chassis and I think this will pay off in the long run. I've seen the A23 running and talked to the drivers, the designers and the engineers and so far the signs are good but we won't know for sure until we get to Melbourne. Our hope is that we can continue where we left off in 2000 and put the 2001 season behind us. We're very pleased with our new relationship with Cosworth and delighted to be carrying on with Bridgestone as we have always had a very good relationship."

The first man to drive the A23 was Enrique Bernoldi who took the wheel for a shakedown in the UK on February 3rd. The Brazilian also took the car out for its first run with the rest of the field here yesterday and he too is impressed with the way it handles.

"I have only done a small amount of running but I can certainly feel the increase in power over last year's car", he said. "The car is much more stable with the extra downforce we can run now. I am really looking forward to the racing this season as I learned a lot during my rookie year and now its time to put everything I have learnt into practice."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen: News 2002