More pieces fall into place at Prost

Prost, along with Minardi, was the only Formula 1 team not to score a point this year, but hopes the appointments, plus a supply of Ferrari customer V10s, will help bring it back from the depths.

Frenchman Durand is leaving his position as head of aerodynamics with McLaren, where he has been for 10 years, to become Prost's technical director - a position which has not been filled since Alan Jenkins left the team in June.

Durand, who is highly regarded in the F1 paddock, had been tipped to move to Prost for some time and the 40-year-old will take full charge of the technical department at the French outfit's base south of Paris.

Villadelprat, long-standing team manager for Benetton, has been added to the Prost Grand Prix payroll as the team's operations director.

The Spaniard, who took a sabbatical in 2000, will oversee the day-to-day running of the team, leaving team boss Alain Prost to concentrate on the overall direction of France's 'national team'.