JANUARY 16, 2002

Sauber caught out by Williams launch date

THE Sauber Petronas team is reported to be less than happy about the decision by BMW Williams to launch its 2002 car on exactly the same day as the new Sauber C21. This means, in effect, that all major TV stations and newspapers will be sending their F1 reporters to Williams as the team is considered to be a better chance for the World Championship than Sauber this year.

Williams says that the clash of dates could not be avoided as the car would not be ready for an earlier launch and the team is very keen to begin testing as quickly as possible after the launch. Things are further complicated by the fact that Renault Sport is planning to launch its F1 car over the same January 25-27 weekend. Sauber has organized its launch and it is too late to change...