Moscow Project Making Good Progress

Plans to build a Formula One circuit in Moscow are progressing steadily and the outline designs are complete, Arrows boss Tom Walkinshaw said on Friday.

"They're working hard on it at the moment. They're doing the geological surveys, they're doing all the bore holes for the track, so it's progressing along quite steadily," said the Scot.

Walkinshaw last November signed a $100 million deal with the Moscow City government to build the race track at Nagatino island, on the Moskva river a few kilometres south of Moscow city centre. Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said Moscow will stage a race as soon as a suitable circuit is built and Walkinshaw has suggested that it could be ready as early as 2003.

"The outline designs are done but the detailed ones will take a couple of months I think and then we can get on with the rest of it," added Walkinshaw, speaking at a news conference before Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix. "The first design phase is about three months, so we're a month into that at the moment."

The Scot also spoke about his Formula One team's engine plans for next season and their current deal with suppliers Asiatech. He said Asiatech, who have a two-year deal with Arrows that can be terminated by either party at the end of the season, had promised an upgrade within the next month.

"We have to make a decision on engines for next year definitely within the next month to five weeks at the latest."

Walkinshaw said Arrows, who have never won a Formula One race in 361 starts, were also looking for a deal with a manufacturer since no team could win a championship without one.