News Wrap-Up for Formula One this Week

Ferrari: Start with Badoer

The Ferrari team will be running at Jerez from 15-17 January with just a single car for Luca Badoer, after which two cars will run for four days at Barcelona from 22-25 January, possibly with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello together. The chassis of the new 2001 car has now reached the assembly shop at Maranello and it will be completed during next week, while at the same time the new V10 engine is undergoing endurance runs on the test bed. When the tests are concluded, this version of the first engine will be finalised for the tests and the first three Grands Prix of the season. Schumacher's press conference will take place at Madonna di Campiglion on 11 January followed by Barrichello and Badoer on 12 and Jean Todt on 13 January.

McLaren: Second 'K-car' Almost Ready

A second 'K-Car' - the McLaren MP4/15 chassis fitted with the new Mercedes FO110K V10 engine and rear end - should be ready for the start of the team's 2001 test programme which starts at Valencia from January 15-17. Mika Hakkinen, who has not been behind the wheel since last year's Malaysian Grand Prix, will rejoin both David Coulthard and test driver Alexander Wurz for these tests. The team will then move on to Barcelona (21-23 January) and thence to Jerez (29 January-1 February) where the new McLaren MP4/16 will probably be unveiled. The team will then return to Valencia for an additional test from 6-8 February. McLaren has also has kept open the possibility of running at Barcelona from 21-23 February, if necessary, but insiders concede that this is running precariously close to the deadline for freighting the cars to Australia for the opening race of the year.

Williams: Major Test Programme

The BMW Williams team transporters left their UK headquarters yesterday (Thursday) bound for Spain where the team will be testing through until the end of the month. The schedule starts at Jerez (January 8-10), then moves to Valencia (15-17 January) and finally to Barcelona (January 22-31) although this may also include a day for the official roll-out of the new FW23. Initially, however, the Spanish tests will see Ralf Schumacher and Juan Montoya sharing FW22Bs fitted with the 2000 spec BMW engines, both drivers concentrating on Michelin tyre testing, while Marc Gene works on continued evaluation of the 2001 spec BMW engine. The team has also provisional arrangements in place to take two of the new FW23s to Johannesburg's Kyalami circuit for hot weather tests from 8-13 February.

Benetton: Venice Launch for New Car

The Benetton team is said to be planning the official unveiling of its new Renault-engined B201 in Venice, probably on 6 February, although there is plenty of testing ahead before that date for race drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button.The team starts at Jerez (8-10 January), then travels on to Valencia (15-17 January) and then back to Silverstone (23-25 January) where the new B201 may have its preliminary shakedown, before running at Barcelona from 29 January-3 February. Supplies of the new Renault Sport 111-degree V10 engines are increasing following the unit's track debut just before Christmas, but the team's schedule calls for just a single B200B to continue engine testing for the next few weeks while one of the 2000 spec B200s continues the Michelin tyre evaluation programme.

BAR: Programme on schedule

The assembly of the transmission for the new BAR-Honda is finished and is now running on the test bed. The chassis has also been completed and is being prepared in the race shop, so the new BAR-Honda is on schedule. Meanwhile, the team is planning to test at Jerez from 14-16 January.

Jordan: New Car Nears Completion

The Jordan-Honda team is concentrating on the completion of the new EJ11 which is scheduled to be launched at Silverstone on 16 January followed by a shakedown at the British circuit on 17-19 January. Last year's Mugen-engined cars have now been put aside and all efforts concentrated on the new programme.

Arrows: First A22 Chassis Complete

The first of the new season's Arrows A22 chassis has been completed at the team's Leafield base, with technical director Mike Coughlan predicting that the first complete AMT-engined car will be ready to test at Barcelona during the final week of January in advance of an official launch next month. For the moment, the team plans to run its AMT-engined A21 test car at Silverstone (10-11 January), Valencia (15-17 January) and Barcelona (22-31 January).

Sauber: New Car at Fiorano

The Sauber-Petronas team plans a roll-out of its new type C19 at Fiorano on 10/11 January prior to the official unveiling at the Swiss team's factory at Hinwil, near Zurich, on 24 January. For the test at Jerez on 15/17 January the team will therefore use an interim C18/C19 in order that two of the definitive C19s can be ready for a full test at Barcelona from 26-28 January.

Jaguar: R2 Unveiling on Course

The Jaguar R2 will be unveiled by Jaguar's Chief Executive Bobby Rahal at Jaguar Cars' R&D headquarters at Whitley, near Coventry, next Tuesday 9 January. It is expected that a single R2 will join the existing R1B development car for testing at Jerez.

Minardi: Pressing Ahead

Giancarlo Minardi says he is still unable to disclose details of the future of his team, but insists that he is going ahead. The team members have now all returned from a week's holiday.

Prost: Increasingly optimistic

Prost Grand Prix is very optimistic about its prospects because the chassis of the first new car is nearly ready and the team expects the new car to be running as scheduled in mid-January. Weather permitting, it will be shaken down for two or three days at Magny-Cours prior to the major test at Barcelona at the end of the month. Two members of the Minardi team have just joined Prost; they are Frenchman Jean-Francois Sinteff and Italian Gabriele Pagliarini, who has been nominated chief mechanic.