Prost desperate for change of fortune

The new Prost-Peugeot AP03 has so far been neither fast nor reliable so far. Nick Heidfeld managed to bring his car home a distant ninth in Australia, but that has been the team's only finish to date.

'We cannot pretend to have had good results up to now,' said lead driver Jean Alesi. 'We are going through a difficult period which affects everyone in the team.

'At a time when it is very important to be building up our mileage, we are still halted in tests by problems with reliability.'

Last week's Silverstone test was a similar story. Heidfeld managed 55 laps on the first two days but Alesi's car failed to last beyond two installation laps when he took over on the Friday.

'We remain convinced of the potential of the AP03,' Alesi continued, 'but for the moment we have yet to exploit it. I do not believe that our entire season will be like this...'

Alesi, renowned for his spectacular car control, believes his best chance of turning the team's season around will come in a wet race. He is therefore hoping that the forecasts are correct and conditions are poor at Silverstone this weekend.

'The weather is often unpredictable and the rain may be a trump card for us on Sunday because I drive well on wet circuits,' he said.