This week's Grapevine brings you information fresh from the paddock on: Roadmap to 2003 Testing Times

Roadmap to 2003

With BMW openly testing their prospective 2003 engine for the first time, it is time to catch up on how far down the road all the protagonists are to being ready for the new season opener in March.

It is not surprising that engines are furthest along the line for most of the main players. The requirements of the units are one of the first things specified when a new design is considered, and success in fulfilling them dictates the potential of the rest of the car. Not only that, but ensuring the finished product beats both reliably and smoothly as the heart of the car requires some serious testing mileage.

BMW's engine outing has been handled very carefully. The unit was never taken to full revs - it is trivial to establish how fast an engine is turning over by analysing the sounds it makes, and that information is something Williams and BMW would rather keep to themselves as long as possible. What it did do was allow the team to compare performance on the dynamometer with the race track, and ensure the engine is operating as planned. Which, by and large, it seems it is. Which is to say, it won't be doing 20,000 rpm any time soon, as it will wear out and expire in around half a lap, but it has huge potential. Aside from the internal politics - BMW are looking like delivering another leading engine, and want Williams to offer the same from the chassis - the timing of the run is important.

Ferrari have been in no special hurry over their new car. Not that they are hanging about - but following the success if this year's efforts, the idea of starting the new season with a competitive and reliable package is rather attractive, so they are more concerned with making as much progress as possible than being ready for the start of March. Getting solid facts out of Maranello on their up and coming developments is not easy, but they were playing with at least a couple of two cylinder prototypes in July, and should have their first ten cylinder version on the dyno before the end of the season.

Peter Sauber is looking forward to his engines for next season too - Sauber will arrive at Melbourne with the same version of the Ferrari unit that the works outfit used to win with in Monza. Ferrari have been forthcoming with fuel consumption, cooling and dimensional requirements - and it seems to be good news. Sauber have the choice of evolving this year's car, utilising a variation on their current gearbox, or stumping up for Ferrari to supply their current box.

McLaren are hoping that DaimlerChrysler buying Ilmor will bring some stability to the outfit, and free up Mario Illien to get back to what he does best - design engines. There is a view in the paddock that it is no coincidence that the loss of Paul Morgan coincides with the decline in the fortunes of the engines. It brought more of the day to day running of the company onto Illien's shoulders, distracting from the core tasks. Needless to say, McLaren are looking on target with a solid step forward in the chassis, and should have it ready for testing around the end of January, and are looking for big things from the engine if they are to stand any chance of competing for wins.

Further down the grid, Toyota are hoping to build on the reputation of their engine, and have made big strides with next year's version. It has been tested on track, and shows significantly more power, though there seems to be no change to torque. The power curve is narrower, compelling the team to move to a seven-speed gearbox, but next year's car seems set to have one of the best power supplies on the grid. More to the point, chief designer Gustav Brunner has had far more time to pen the new chassis, which - on paper at least - is set to be a solid step forward.

On the other side of the coin, Renault's position is awkward. Their next engine, still following the 111 degree vee, is still not coming to the mark for power. They expect to start next season around 80 bhp down on the leaders, and will struggle to maintain that deficit, let alone close it. On the positive side, their chassis leverages what benefits there are from the low, compact engine, and it is expected to shine whenever pure engine power is not the biggest factor, rare as that is.

Testing Times

Typically, by this point in the season, the Silly Season is still quite lively, with unconfirmed drivers making the most of their last couple of races to posture for places in the tail end teams. However, even though the majority of the driving seats have gone, there are still testing roles available.

Antonio Pizzonia is looking for a way into a race seat, and running like he did for Jaguar last week, there's every chance he'll be vacating his test position at Williams, and F3000 racing seat, for a spot on the grid next year. His test was sufficiently good, that there are doubts on whether Mark Webber will be making the move to the big cat after all. If Pizzonia makes the grade, then Williams are expected to look for a new talent to take his place. One name that appears to fit the bill is Robbie Kerr, current F3 champion, who has been talking about his options with a number of teams. A test role with Williams would set him up to follow in the footsteps of Pizzonia, and further down the road, Juan Pablo Montoya.

However, Williams might not take anyone else on: now that McLaren are sharing the tyre evaluation work, they can make do with a single test driver, and Gene performs solidly in the role already. Kerr is more likely to find himself at Jordan, if he can find the cash, or taking the step to F3000 alongside his peers.

Talking cash, the going rate for a race seat with Minardi is around five million US dollars, with a performance clause to ensure anyone with more money than speed moves into a test role in short order. The income is approximately what the team needs to cover the cost of running Cosworth engines next year, with the remainder of the year's budget coming from paying test drivers and selling space on the car. Sergey Zlobin is expected to become a test driver for the team, ostensibly filling the role for at least a couple of years. His personal budget ensures the team will be able to test about as often as they like, if he is at the wheel, but the team expect to be spending time helping him become quicker to boot.

Renault's continued lack of a French driver has the team drawing fire at home, so they are expected to appoint Sebastien Bourdais for next season. The F3000 driver has had a competitive season, enough to catch Flavio Briatore's eye, and offers the team the French driver on the books who is probably good enough to be there on merit.

Helio Castroneves was given his promised test by Toyota, and enjoyed himself immensely. The Brazilian is expected to remain in IRL next year, but that is not stopping Toyota from using his test to imply that Cristiano da Matta is not a simple shoe-in for the slot.

One driver who has not been mentioned much recently, is Enrique Bernoldi. The driver is tied to Arrows until they release him, which means that if they don't get on with selling the team, there is not going to be a race seat for him to take next year. Considering the massive Red Bull funding he brings with him, it won't take long for that to change, but in the meanwhile, he is likely to find himself at Jordan or Minardi as a test driver. Rumours that he could be headed for a test seat at Sauber, on the other hand, appear to be well wide of the mark.