Arrows to Miss First Friday Practice

The Arrows team will not take part in this morning's free practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix, Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi said.

"I am ready to go but the team just informed me it won't be possible this morning, so hopefully we will go out on the afternoon session," Bernoldi told Sky Digital just moments before the scheduled start of Friday's first free practice session at the Spa circuit.

The debt-ridden Arrows squad, who already missed the Hungarian Grand Prix two weeks ago, are hoping to complete a deal with American investors in order to compete in this weekend's race, but the Leafield-based squad are yet to confirm the finalisation of the deal.

Yesterday, Atlas F1 exclusively revealed that former BAR and Reynard men Rick Gorne and Robert Synge are the minds behind the currently negotiated Arrows purchase deal, both representing 74-year-old American millionaire, Carl W. Smith, founder of AMVEST Corp.

An Arrows spokesperson said that talks are still on going with the potential investors, but added that no-one from the interested party were present at Spa-Francorchamps. Team owner Tom Walkinshaw is at the track.

"No deal is signed yet but we hope to complete something before the end of the day," the spokesperson said.

Apart from Brazilian Bernoldi, Arrows nominated Heinz-Harald Frentzen to drive the second car, but the German, who left the team in August, said he would not return to Arrows this weekend. Bernoldi said today that he was still unaware of who his teammate will be.

"I didn't see Frentzen here and the car has no name so far, so I don't know who is driving," he said.