Sauber and Jaguar on course for dead heat

The unveiling of the Jaguar R2 will be the first official launch on Tuesday in Coventry, before the Big Cat's latest F1 steed is shaken down at Silverstone on Wednesday.

The all-new Sauber C20 is not due to be officially launched until January 24, but the Ferrari-engined car will have its first run at the hands of Nick Heidfeld at the Prancing Horse's test track in Fiorano on Wednesday and Thursday.

With the New Year comes a flurry of new car launches, and this year teams are straying from the traditional glitz and bigger is better trend to concentrate on getting their 2001 chargers finished and running as early as possible. All teams, save for the flailing Minardi outfit, are expected to have their cars running before the end of January.

The car charged with defending Ferrari's drivers' and constructors' championships has reached the assembly stage at the team's Maranello base and will run before the end of the month. Meanwhile, main rival McLaren does not pull back the covers on it's MP4/16 until the end of the month at Jerez, where the new car will also get it's first shakedown.

The Williams-BMW team's FW23 will be launched and tested in anger during the third week of January at the Barcelona circuit. Benetton's B201, which is powered by the all-new wide-angled Renault V10, is due to run at the same time at Silverstone. BAR's new challenger has yet to be completed, but it is expected to be ready to roll by the end of the month.

Jordan's new EJ11 is on target for launch on January 16th at Silverstone before testing begins at the Northamptonshire track from the 17th-19th. Arrows has completed its first A22 chassis, which should hit the track at Barcelona at the end of the month. Prost's new car is almost ready, and is likely to be shaken down at Magny-Cours before the big Barcelona test.

Autosport.com will bring you all the latest news, views and pictures of this year's cars as soon as the covers come off.