News from the Paddock - Malaysian GP

Arrows have tested with their AMT engine for the first time. The team used the modified Peugeot unit in testing at Valencia, where both Jos Verstappen and Pedro de la Rosa ran the engine. Former Peugeot Sport field manager Guy Audoux said he was satisfied with the first run. "We have had to modify the Peugeot A20, like new exhausts, different radiators and a new link between the engine and gearbox. But things are going very well. This was our first test but it seemed like the 20th." The car ran in a modified A21 chassis but de la Rosa damaged a front wing and nose section when he hit debris which had been blown onto the circuit.

AMT have released further details of their involvement with the former Peugeot engine department. They have increased the budget by some 60% over the 2000 budget. They intend to increase the staff by some 15% during the course of next year and they have released the management structure. All operations and management are controlled by Group Partners John Gano as president and group financial director, and by Enrique Scalabroni as group technical director. Didier Debae will be managing the Velizy operation with administration provided by accountants Arthur Andersen. Graham Smale is in charge of planning and administration for AMT which will provide on-site support for engines placed with Arrows. One of the backers already revealed is Hideo Morita, the son of Akio Morita, the founder of Sony. Present at the Malaysian Grand Prix was another, Yamazaki Mazak whose company is the best maker of CNC machining centres in the world. Top teams use their machines.

Michael Schumacher is to have a street in his home town of Kerpen in Germany named after him, after the local council's planning committee voted narrowly 8-7 in favour of the motion in honour of his role in publicising the town, some 20 kms south-west of Cologne. There is a certain irony in all this, because Schumacher-strasse is currently named Chrysler-strasse. Chrysler, who have now left Kerpen for Berlin, is part of the DaimlerChrysler group which provides Mercedes engines for Schumacher's main rival, Mika Hakkinen.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, Hirotoshi Honda, the son of Honda founder Soichiro Honda, said that he would make an announcement in Malaysia regarding his Mugen company's future in Grand Prix racing. There have been various suggestions that the company could supply existing engines or even AMT engines, probably to Minardi. A somewhat cryptic release in Malaysia suggested that they still haven't been able to come to an agreement to market their engines and it requested more time in which to make a decision.

Teams won't be allowed to test throughout the month of November, according to the FIA ban on testing, but the ban is lifted in December. By this stage, it is expected that Michelin will begin to test with their teams. The first test of the season, however, looks as though it will be a joint Michelin and Bridgestone test at Jerez from December 4-7. Bridgestone's McLaren, Arrows and BAR will be there, as will Michelin's Jaguar and Benetton. The next test is likely to be from December 12-15 at Barcelona with three teams present: McLaren for Bridgestone, and Jaguar and Benetton for Michelin. Arrows may be at Valencia with Bridgestone at the same time. The final tests of the year are likely to be from December 18-22. BAR and McLaren are expected to be at Jerez with Bridgestone, while Jaguar and Benetton are likely to be at Estoril with Michelin. The plans of Ferrari, Jordan and Sauber(Bridgestone) and Williams(Michelin) and Prost and Minardi(not contracted) are unknown as yet. Teams tend to make their own arrangements according to where they want to go, then liaise with one another and the tyre companies in deciding where they wish to test. It is expected that BAR and Williams may both test at Kyalami again, as they did this year, although they may not test together as both are contracted to opposing tyre companies.

All the cars in the Malaysian Grand Prix are running on Bridgestone's soft compound in the Grand Prix. The Japanese tyre manufacturer brought two compounds of tyre to Malaysia, the soft tyre being of a more recent construction than the extra-soft which was of an older generation. Some drivers tried the extra-soft on Friday, but by the afternoon, all had opted for the soft compound with the newer construction.

Rumours suggesting that Marc Gene might be sponsored by Telefonica, who have now ceased to sponsor Minardi, are wide off the mark, say representatives of the Spanish telecommunications giant. Telefonica have been sponsoring Minardi for two years, to the tune of $30m, but have said that they are pulling out of Formula One at the end of the year. However, they remain as sponsors to many Spanish and Latin-American sportsmen and in rallying and motor sport as well. For the moment, the team is quitting Formula One, but there is still the possibility that they could retain driver Gene on a retainer. For the moment, however, the Spaniard is not expecting such an eventuality.

David Coulthard had a nasty incident in the pits during qualifying in Malaysia. "We had a horrible incident just before that final run when the fuel line popped off the car, [putting fuel down the side of the car]," explained the McLaren driver. "Obviously I had my visor up. We got covered in petrol, and there was a small fire and a bit of a panic. I got petrol in my left eye, which is why I was putting in the eye drops. This highlights the danger that the mechanics particularly are under, because they're all wearing shorts and tee-shirts while I am largely protected - except for my face at that time. If they hadn't reacted quickly there could have been a nasty incident. Those guys take a big risk doing the job that they do."

EM.TV, which owns 50 per cent of SLEC Holdings, the overall company that owns Formula One, has seen their shares drop by as much as 30 per cent during the recent run on the stock markets worldwide. Some have suggested that this is a ploy to lower the share price so that the manufacturers involved in Formula One won't have to pay so much for the shares that they want to buy, in order to secure an interest in Formula One.

Peter Sauber has admitted that he is more than interested in signing Finland's Kimi Raikkonen for his team for next year. When asked, he didn't mention any other driver. "We had two tests with Kimi Raikkonen in Mugello which were very good," said the Swiss team boss. "He impressed us a lot and we are thinking of working together."

Raikkonen is Britain's 2000 Formula Renault champion and is therefore probably the most under-qualified Grand Prix prospect for many years. That might make have made it impossible for him to get a super licence in the past but the responsibility these days is on a team to make sure its driver is responsible, an FIA steward explained.

So when will this happen? Peter Sauber is quoted as saying that he wants to get the whole thing done this week. The strong likelihood is that some arrangement will be made, and then it's a matter of convincing the FIA that he is a driver who has enough experience to drive in Formula One.

Hewlett-Packard have extended their sponsorship for Jordan for another three years, it was announced at the Malaysian Grand Prix. HP has been with Jordan since the team first made its debut 10 years ago and the team has used HP product ever since, most recently working on team administration and commercial operations to monitoring, analysing and enhancing the team's on-track performances. Canon have also returned as sponsors of McLaren, the official imaging solutions partner to the team. They sponsored Williams in the eighties and nineties. Meanwhile Arrows have signed a three-year agreement with Los Angeles-based technology company RG Tecq. The team has been working closely with the team during the past six months to develop encrypted security technology, designed to protect against design and information and data being lost to its competitors.