Arrows Submit Entry for the 2003 F1 Season

The struggling Arrows team intend to race on next year, after meeting an official deadline to enter the 2003 World Championship.

"We have entered," a team spokeswoman said today. "The entry has gone in."

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) had no comment other than saying that the official entry list for 2003 would be published in early December.

Arrows, who missed the last five of this year's 17 races, say they are now close to a rescue deal with a Germany-based group of investors after their financial problems threatened to submerge them.

The 2003 season starts in Australia in March.

FIA sources said earlier in the week that the 10 other teams that competed in the 2002 Championship had all submitted their entries.

Each team must pay a substantial deposit with their application as well as listing provisional drivers and engine maker.

Arrows, who this week sought legal protection from creditors by seeking to go into administration while their future was resolved, still have plenty of problems to overcome.

Several key staff have left, including technical director Mike Coughlan and German driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, whose name features on a winding up petition against the team.

Engine makers Cosworth have litigation against Arrows, the team's primary sponsor Orange have withdrawn from Formula One and there is a lingering question mark over their right to compete after missing races.

But the team said in a statement last Tuesday that they had agreed and signed contracts with the Germany-based investors "for the introduction of substantial new equity."

While team sources were confident that an engine could be secured, they recognised that the 2003 car would have to be very similar to last year's since the factory has been closed for several months.

Merely having an entry confirmed is no guarantee of making it to the start in Melbourne either. The French Prost team folded last January despite having paid their deposit the previous November.