JANUARY 26, 2002

Trouble at Ilmor

AS we suggested some weeks ago all is not well at Ilmor Engineering with the new Mercedes-Benz engine having a number of problems and according to unconfirmed reports a senior Ilmor engineer has been asked to leave the company because of the problems which have been found. The plan was for McLaren to run the all-new 90-degree engine but the unit's lack of performance has caused the team considerable worries which help to explain the early launch of the new car.

The team is hoping that a great deal of development work will bring the new engine up to a competitive level before the start of the new season but it is still possible that the team may decide that it is necessary to go to Australia with old cars.