Wednesday May 31st, 2000

Prost chief designer and technical director Alan Jenkins has left the struggling Formula One team, team sources said on Wednesday.

Briton Jenkins was absent from the French team's motor home in Monte Carlo as they prepared for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix and a Prost spokesperson said an official announcement was expected to be made on Thursday.

Jenkins was formerly technical director of the Stewart team and creator of the car which carried that team to fourth-place in the constructors championship last year.

The Peugeot-powered team have yet to score a point and have struggled in all six races since Frenchman Jean Alesi joined the team at the start of the season.

In the last race at the Nuerburgring, the European Grand Prix, German Nick Heidfeld was disqualified from his home race because the car was underweight, an embarrassing blow which hurt team chief and four times world champion Alain Prost.