AUGUST 28, 2000

Verstappen and de la Rosa to stay at Arrows

IN the course of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend it was decided that Arrows will not change its driver line-up next year with both Jos Verstappen and Pedro de la Rosa staying on for a second season with the team.

IN the course of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend it was decided that Arrows will not change its driver line-up next year with both Jos Verstappen and Pedro de la Rosa staying on for a second season with the team. This will help the team develop the current technical package, although there will be a change of engine as team boss Tom Walkinshaw has decided to give up his supply of Supertec V10 engines in exchange for the AMT (ex-Peugeot) V10. The re-signing of Verstappen and de la Rosa would seem to suggest that the team's sponsorship package will be largely unchanged.

We have heard reports in recent days that Arrows team manager Steve Nielsen has agreed to stay with the team for another two years after negotiations broke down with Toyota Motosport. Nielsen had been linked to a possible job at Benetton but it seems that Flavio Briatore is planning to have some of his own people running the team with Bruno Michel now being mentioned as a possible managing director and Cesare Fiorio as a potential sporting director. Both men have worked extensively with Briatore in recent years, notably at Ligier. The appointments will depend, however, on whether the two men are deemed to be acceptable to the team's new owner Renault.