Formula 1

F1 News Update 98-03-13

Formula One Update - 13-03-98 WILLIAMS OUT AT MONZA No sooner had Heinz-Harald Frentzen returned from Australia the German driver was off to Monza for a two day Goodyear tyre test using the 1997 narrow track Williams test car. Frentzen ...

Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM

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Formula One Update - 13-03-98

WILLIAMS OUT AT MONZA

No sooner had Heinz-Harald Frentzen returned from Australia the German driver was off to Monza for a two day Goodyear tyre test using the 1997 narrow track Williams test car. Frentzen completed a total of 33 laps on Wednesday for a best time of 1m 25.66s, only 2.7sec away from Jean Alesi's 1997 Italian Grand Prix pole time. On Thursday Frentzen completed another 72 laps for a best time of 1m 24.53s using a Goodyear test tyre and despite stopping during the afternoon for a routine clutch change.

SAUBER PLAN FOR FIORANO

>From Sunday the Sauber team will be out testing at Fiorano with the first two days reserved for Jean Alesi. The team's technical director Leo Ress explains that it is necessary to find out which settings the Frenchman needs to be quick. In Melbourne Alesi could not cope with the understeer as well as Herbert who has become used to it from previous Sauber chassis.

BENETTON AND McLAREN HEAD FOR SILVERSTONE

The Benetton team will be at Silverstone from next Monday to next Wednesday with Alexander Wurz starting the test programme and Giancarlo Fisichella shaking down the race chassis in preparation for Brazil on Wednesday. Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard will also be out at the British GP venue with their McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13s shaking down for the Interlagos race. The Stewart-Ford team also plans to test at Silverstone.

JORDAN AT BARCELONA

Ralf Schumacher will test for the Jordan Mugen-Honda team at Barcelona next Monday and Tuesday with Damon Hill expected to take over on Wednesday and Thursday.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER IN BRUNEI

Returning from Australia, Michael Schumacher had a two day stop-over to visit the Sultan of Brunei. Then he returned to Europe for a few days' relaxation in Norway while Eddie Irvine and Luca Badoer carried out tests at Monza. Badoer experienced his first run as official Ferrari test driver at Fiorano last Sunday where he drove an F310B. He then drove at Monza from Wednesday using grooved tyres, completing 68 laps for a best of 1m 25.322s. Irvine took over on Thursday, completing 66 laps despite an failure of his type 046/1 engine which had already completed 375km. Ferrari is planning six days of testing next week in Mugello, three each for Schumacher and Irvine. Ferrari and Schumacher have denied rumours in the German magazine Bild that Fiat's Giovanni Agnelli has offered Michael 150 million deutschmarks to renew his contract through to the end of 2002.

MINARDI DELAYED

The plane which was bringing the F1 cargo back from Melbourne was overloaded with the result that nine containers belonging to the Minardi team were left behind. As a result, the team has been unable to finalise its plans for testing next week. For the time being the team is investigating the UJ problem which eliminated Shinji Nakano from the Australian Grand Prix.

PROST BEGINS FACTORY MOVE

Prost Grand Prix has started its move from Magny-Cours to its brand new facility at Guyancourt, a Paris suburb close to the Peugeot Sport headquarters. For the time being only the drawing office, marketing and communications departments have been relocated, the rest of the team making the move after the Argentine Grand Prix. Meanwhile the team is planning to test from Monday to Wednesday next week in Barcelona where both drivers will share a single car.

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