This week's Grapevine brings you information fresh from the paddock on: Industrial Espionage Threat Looms Again Honda Onto a Good Thing Jaguar Gearing Up For The USGP

Industrial Espionage Threat Looms Again

Following a number of photos on the web of Formula One containers being shipped from Holland, there has been a backlash, particularly from Jordan and Arrows, about security arrangements which apparently enabled free access to their equipment... and what use it could have been put to.

Early indications are that an F1 fan working for the airport recognised the containers, and took their chance to get some unique shots. It was clear that getting a look inside the containers proved little trouble, and some very nice shots of car parts became part of their collection. These were downloaded and shared with some friends, who shared them on, and so on, until some bright spark put them on the net. Great for web hits, but demonstrably not so good for protecting team secrets.

As it happens, many teams are not taking anything especially revolutionary to the last two Grand Prix – there's not all that much to fight for now, after all – but Jordan is not among that number. Unless they come up with something special at Indy or in Japan, they will finish behind BAR, so they have pulled out all the stops, and have some development 2002 parts amongst those being transported to the US. Their concern now is, what if the amateur wasn't? What if they also took detailed photos of other parts that did not get shared, but are now awaiting sale to the highest bidder in the pitlane? They've not got many secrets from BAR, but those they do have, they are desperate to maintain.

Arrows cars in particular seemed to see plenty of web exposure, though that seems to be due to the "fan" being a supporter of Jos Verstappen, seeking out his equipment in particular. Either way, it is not something that Tom Walkinshaw's outfit is impressed about: true fans should attend open days or buy pit passes, benefiting Arrows coffers, not steal freebies at the airport. Though you won't hear the team's PR people put it into such flattering terms.

For future trips, both teams are known to be investigating better protection for their equipment, including round the clock security, this amounts to either putting their own personnel on the ground, or hiring security. The irony, of course, is that whilst is might deter the opportunist fans, professionals looking for top pictures would expect to bribe or subvert their way around any measures the team could take so far away from home.

Honda Onto a Good Thing

With a 2001 season drawing to a close, Honda are looking at their two works teams finishing somewhere around fifth and sixth in the World Championship this year. And if that's not where they finish, then only luck will be to blame: Sauber have had the measure of BAR and Jordan for much of the year, whilst the lower orders have not really threatened at all. Not exactly what Honda envisaged at the start of the season…

There are positive things to take away: for example, the Honda electronics incorporated into the BAR chassis have clearly helped to keep the team on a par with Jordan. And, on a different note, the engine has to be in the top five in the Championship this year, despite being stretched to accommodate two teams at the cutting edge. And (largely through Jordan's continuing popularity), Honda are third in overall in terms of exposure in the media, which is good news to the marketing department.

These, of course, are not being seen as "positives" by the board. Rather, the continued inability to challenge at the front, and the lack of podium finishes – let alone wins – seem to be providing a goad to the Honda machine into doing something radical, as the designers attempt to live up to expectations at the top: the marque is not a success unless involved in winning, and that is the target for 2002. Forget dropping involvement back to one works team, if they cannot compete effectively, then they would rather not compete at all...

Recent rumours that Honda's 2002 effort is going to involve a wider V appear to be close to the mark. It's apparent that BMW have found plenty of power with this year's solution, whilst Renault are being very public about their intentions. Ilmor are also considering the wide V as they fall off away from the front two: regaining power might continue to be a problem, but at least it would lower the centre of gravity and offer McLaren a better mechanical base to work from.

Precisely what Honda are planning is not entirely known: though according to some excellent, and plausable, disinformation they've been feeding out, the new unit will have a 108 degree V, and offer 820 bhp in its first incarnation, with the potential to reach 835 or 840bhp by the end of the season. Sounds suspiciously like the noises Renault made about their "radical 110 degree" engine this time last year. Better still – the overall mass is expected to "drop under 90kg" – something of a miracle, considering Renault had to add some 5kg worth of structural material alone to prevent their engine twisting in situ, when it came under full loading from the car on a circuit.

It's an interesting approach. For years, teams have tried to keep their projects under wraps by jealously guarding their data. By "leaking" this information now, and more – preferably different – information at regular intervals through the off season, it's going to be hard to tell the wood from the chaff, probably resulting in better secrecy than the traditional method.

Whatever the 2002 unit does, Honda have certainly found a useful way of confounding their rivals on development plans as they build it!

Jaguar Gearing Up For The USGP

By taking over at Jaguar, Niki Lauda has put himself under the spotlight. And having assumed the mantle after condemning his predecessor's "five year plan" approach, the pressure is on to produce results, and fast. So, even expecting a subdued meeting, and the absence of most of the sponsors, Lauda needs Jaguar to do something this weekend.

One advantage of his role in charge of Cosworth, as well as Jaguar and Pi, is that scheduling a new engine revision to coincide with the race was possible. Accordingly, the unit will feature revisions which should permit higher revs in qualifying, and potentially the race, depending on how the qualifying units stand up.

It seems Lauda has been doing some homework: last year, McLaren and Ferrari experimented with teamwork in qualifying, sending their drivers out to slip-stream each other on the long straight. Getting it right is worth something like half a second – the trailing car can carry a lot more wing, picking up masses of time on the infield section. Meaning no disrespect to his drivers, he doesn't see Irvine and de la Rosa doing as good a job as the Williams, McLaren and Ferrari drivers if they play the same game this year. So he needs something extra from elsewhere, and saw an engine evolution as the obvious solution.

There was also talk of introducing new aero components, being developed around a month ago, for this event, but after the increase in hassle around airfreight, it seems most of these have been put back for using on the 2002 chassis next year.