News round-up: More woe for Minardi…

Chief mechanic Gabriele Pagliarini, who has been with the Faenza-based outfit for four years, and race engineer Jean-Francois Sinteff have switched to Alain Prost's stable. As the season-opening Australian Grand Prix looms, Minardi has yet to announce its sponsors, drivers or engine supplier for 2001.

Formula 3000 race-winner Fernando Alonso, who is believed to be under contract to Benetton boss Flavio Briatore, is expected to sign for Minardi and could bring an engine deal to the team

"In 10 days, more or less, my future will be clear," Alonso told Reuters. "I'm waiting on news from Minardi. To be ready in time for Australia, work on the car has to start next week."

The young Spaniard will likely drive for the F1 minnow to gain precious F1 race mileage this year in return for a supply of customer V10s from Supertec, of which Briatore is chairman.

Jarno Trulli has voiced his disapproval over the recent staff exodus to blight the Jordan-Honda team. Technical director Mike Gascoyne switched from Jordan to Benetton last summer and the Silverstone-based team has since lost race engineer Sam Michael to Williams. More recently designer Mark Smith and Trulli's race engineer Dino Toso have followed Gascoyne to Benetton.

"When you hear this sort of news you can't be happy about it," said Trulli. "In the second half of last season we appeared to experience a managerial crisis and the fact that several members of the team have left clearly demonstrates a fundamental dissatisfaction."

The Arrows team has given the F1 staff movements merry-go-round further momentum by signing the former Benetton chief mechanic Michael Ainsley-Cowlishaw as it's new race team manager. The 52-year-old Cowlishaw has been with Benetton since the team's previous guise as the Toleman outfit in the early 1980s. The move is almost a direct swap as Steve Nielsen, Arrows' previous team manager, left the Leafield-based team to move to Benetton in December. "I'm really looking forward to being a part of such a growing team at Arrows," said Cowlishaw.