By Huw Alban
May 26 2002

OrangeArrows’ sixth placed finish at the Monaco Grand Prix today looks like it could go one better, due to a competitor’s car failing the post-race scrutineering checks. This would potentially place Heinz-Harald Frentzen fifth, scoring two points instead of one. Several news sources have reported that Jarno Trulli’s fourth place, earned at today’s Monaco Grand Prix, remains provisional. It is understood that post-race scrutineering found that the seals for the black box on the Renault were missing.

This would be similar to what happened to McLaren in 2000 at the Austrian Grand Prix, when checks found that the McLaren’s seals were also absent. The FIA is suspicious of missing seals, because there is a possibility that the black box has been tampered with before the race or replaced with a different unit.

The FIA has said that it will not be able to investigate the Renault further at the circuit and will have to carry out further checks later this week. It will then announce it’s findings.

If Trulli is excluded from the result then Frentzen will have scored three points overall and will move up to joint tenth in the drivers’ championship, alongside Felipe Massa and Eddie Irvine. The Arrows team will move into joint seventh in the constuctors’ table, alongside fellow Cosworth powered Jaguar - now there’s a turn up !