Arrows racing against the clock

The Arrows Formula One team could return to the track on Saturday after having their cars immobilised by a cash crisis at the British Grand Prix.

After clearing one hurdle when the cars passed scrutineering a day after the normal deadline, the team was unable to take part in Friday's free practice.

But they were racing against the clock to resolve their problems before the start of official qualifying at 1200 GMT on Saturday.

Cosworth, the team's Ford-owned engine suppliers, were demanding $4.7 million owed by Arrows before they would make engines available.

But a source at Arrows sounded optimistic, suggesting that it would be wrong to assume a negative outcome to the situation.

The team announced late on Friday that team boss Tom Walkinshaw would meet the media at 0730 GMT on Saturday, half an hour before the start of free practice.

Team members sounded quietly confident and mechanics continued working on the cars.

If a solution is not forthcoming, Arrows will be unable to qualify for Sunday's race.

Jaguar team principal Niki Lauda, who also oversees Cosworth, allowed Arrows to have the electronic control units (ECUs) for the cars' existing engines to pass scrutineering.

But Walkinshaw is a survivor, well known for his ability to manouevre his way out of difficulty, and he had talks with Cosworth officials on Friday.

SPECTATORS

The first day of free practice left Germany's Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi, the drivers who had turned up for duty in a rainswept paddock, as spectators.

Walkinshaw, who escaped sanctions for failing to attend a scheduled news conference at Silverstone on Thursday, was in meetings for much of the day.

"We are not doing any interviews until we have clarity on one or two things," he said in the morning.

If the team are unable to race due to financial insolvency, they risk losing their right to compete in the world championship.

That could in turn make Arrows the second Formula One team to collapse this year after Prost folded before the season started. It would also leave a depleted starting grid of 10 teams.

On Thursday Arrows' lawyer Robin Potts, asked in court if the company was 'finished', agreed that it was -- 'short of a miracle. "At the present time the prognosis is that the company is doomed," he said.

Bernoldi appeared in the garage in the morning session, watching mechanics work on a stationary car, but his helmet remained on a shelf.

"We didn't know if we could drive or not so I was hoping to drive," said the Brazilian. "I stayed in the motorhome, watching the times and the others driving around.

"I've never been in this position, where I come to the racing track and my car is there and I cannot drive. This is the first time. It's frustrating."