Wednesday August 25th, 1999

Sauber announced today that Pedro Diniz will continue driving for the team in 2000. Team owner Peter Sauber said: "Pedro Diniz showed in his fifth season of F1, that he is a driver with a consistently good performance and is able to run within the top ten regularly. Also his constructive co-operation during the development of the car and his positive style of working with the whole team convinced us that Pedro Diniz will still be our man for the year 2000."

Diniz also commented, saying: "Although the car was not so reliable at the beginning of the season, the team did a good job. Peter Sauber has started to restructure the team, and I think that this will lead to improvements. It is very important to me that the work on the new car has started early, and this is why I am convinced we will make a major step forward next year."

Diniz looks likely to be joined by Mika Salo, who is expected to sign with Sauber in the next few days. Another announcement expected is that of Jordan Grand Prix, who are said to reveal Damon Hill's replacement for next year at the Belgian Grand Prix. Prost's Jarno Trulli is the most likely candidate to team up with Heinz Harald Frentzen.