HH. Frentzen vervangt Fisichella morgen

[HHugo]

Arrows is ondertussen weer vertrokken:

Arrows have already started packing up for the journey home after failing to qualify for the French Grand Prix.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi completed one run each but neither were fast enough to make the 107 per cent time rule.

Team boss Tom Walkinshaw said negotiations over the team’s future would continue next week.

He said: "Unfortunately we were unable to qualify either car today.

"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."

But while Walkinshaw’s words seem to imply that his cars were simply not good enough to make the grid, the sector times tell another story.

Even though neither driver had completed more than a single lap in practice on Friday or Saturday morning, Frentzen and Bernoldi were both on course to qualify until they backed off in the third and final sector of the track.

In the first sector, Bernoldi and Frentzen recorded 25.7s and 25.8s respectively, then 27.9s and 27.5s in sector two. These compared with sector bests of 24.6s and 26.3s respectively - easily on target for qualification.

In the final sector, however, they clocked just 24.8s and 24.9s bests respectively, as against a session best 20.7s.

It seems that Arrows have done as little this weekend as needed to ensure that they had participated in the event and to protect their commercial rights under the Concorde Agreement.

There is no set definition of what consitutes ‘participation’ but it is believed that the FIA's interpretation means taking part in qualifying. To that end, the drivers completed just a single installation lap in Saturday morning free practice, ahead of the qualifying hour.

bron: www.itv-f1.com

Ik vond het al raar dat Bernoldi zo traag reed in de laatste sector tijdens zijn snelle ronde. Ik dacht dat hij ergens een fout gemaakt had, en de volgende ronde opnieuw zou proberen.
Arrows heeft echter 2 punten verdiend dit seizoen en kunnen dus nog vervoerskosten terugkrijgen als ze het seizoen volmaken...
Vanaf nu telkens één rondje qualify...

[Finish]

Dat wordt dus voor de rest van het seizoen nog een idiote schertsvertoning....benieuwd wat de sponsors daar van zullen zeggen. Orange trekt zich mogelijk al terug. Red Bull moet al goed gek zijn om in zo'n noodlijdend team te gaan investeren, Lost Boys = Lost Jos, dus die zien hun naam mogelijk ook liever op een andere bolide.

Arrows gaat net als Prost een pijnlijke ondergang tegemoet.
Verbazend hoe goed Minardi het eigenlijk uithoudt; seizoenen lang laatste startpositie en toch nog 'redelijk' bezig. Chapeau voor die kerels.

[Scapa]

Frentzen vervangt Fisico NIET, jammer want dat spektakel had ik wel willen zien

[HHugo]

Nieuwste gerucht op www.f1-live.com , nog niet tegengekomen op andere sites:

Despite speculation that current BAR driver Olivier Panis is in talks with the Panasonic Toyota Racing outfit in regard s 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.

[yvdp]

Fisichella ondertussen nog niet zeker voor Duitsland. Is nog aant praten mé zijnen dokter of zoiet.