Heidfeld Completes Prost Test.

Nick Heidfeld took the opportunity provided by a three-day test at Magny-Cours to familiarise himself with aspects of next year's Prost car.


The German, who was erroneously reported to have been driving for previous employer McLaren at the Magny-Cours test, ignored the poor weather which blighted the majority of his running to complete 117 laps of the French circuit. Putting mileage on the suspension components and a new electrical system destined for next season's Prost AP03 were high on the team's list of priorities in the latter half of the test, while Heidfeld also had the chance to experiment with various engine maps in order to tune the Peugeot to his driving style.


The F3000 champion clocked a best time of 1min 19.96secs on the first, dry, day of the session, comparing favourably with later times set by McLaren's Olivier Panis and Tom Kristensen in the Williams.


Elsewhere, there has been sporadic action as the various teams prepare in their own way for the forthcoming Japanese GP. With many of the regular drivers and crew taking the opportunity to catch a welcome break from the bustle of the season, few teams have done much serious running, although Ferrari used Luca Badoer to test at Fiorano. The Minardi pilot actually broke the team's record at the Italian venue, running development parts on this year's F399 in preparation for both Suzuka and the 2000 campaign. Ex-F3000 driver Andrew Gilbert-Scott conducted straight-line tests at Santa Pod on behalf of the Jordan team.