Arrows Hoping to Race in Germany

Troubled Formula One team Arrows hope to race in Germany on Sunday despite making only a half-hearted attempt to qualify for last weekend's French Grand Prix.

An Arrows spokeswoman said the team and cars had gone straight to Hockenheim, which will host the German Grand Prix on Sunday, from Magny-Cours where they skipped Friday free practice for the second race in a row last week and failed to qualify.

"(Team principal) Tom (Walkinshaw) has said we will do literally everything we can to make sure we can do the full weekend," said the spokeswoman on Tuesday.

In France each driver completed just one fast lap in qualifying on Saturday and timings showed that both Germany's Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi had slowed noticeably towards the end.

Frentzen was changed out of his race suit before the end of the hour-long session and sources at the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said at the weekend that there would be an observers' investigation.

Arrows' Formula One future is hanging in the balance and they are doing what they can to preserve their place in the Championship while keeping costs down. Arrows have agreed to pay engine suppliers Cosworth on the Wednesday before each Grand Prix and both sides said before France that payments were up to date.

The engines supplied for France can be expected to have plenty of mileage left in them and the team will then have a welcome break until the next race in Hungary on August 18.

Arrows have been talking for weeks with potential purchasers of the team and existing investors Morgan Grenfell, who have blocked any sale without their approval.