Arrows boss Tom Walkinshaw says he needs a top driver in order for the team to work their way further up the Formula 1 ladder, writes David Duffy.

"The one thing we're really lacking at the moment is a recognised No 1 driver, he said.

There aren't any available for next year, so we are looking at the year after. I think quite a few will come on the market next year."

Walkinshaw said that he is content with the current line-up of Pedro de la Rosa and Jos Verstappen, who performed admirably for the team this season.

He said: "Time will tell whether one of the two grows into a No 1. Pedro's star is in the ascendancy. He outqualified Jos 12 times in 17 races but there's not an awful lot between them.

Walkinshaw has his eyes on a number of drivers should any of them become available in the future.

"There are a lot of good drivers Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher, Coulthard, Trulli, Frentzen. That's the bunch that are really good at the moment," he said.

**Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher was discharged from his Geneva clinic following a successful operation on his right leg.

Schumacher suffered no complications during a surgical procedure to remove a foot-long steel pin in his leg, and he must now rest for a fortnight before re-embarking on any fitness regimes.

The pin was inserted after Schumacher broke his leg in an opening-lap accident at Silverstone during the 1999 British Grand Prix, his Ferrari ploughing into the tyre barrier following a brake failure.

Schumacher starts his pre-season testing programme in January, with Luca Badoer and Rubens Barrichello carrying out pre-Christmas duties after the testing ban is lifted on December 1.

**Mika Hakkinen says he is determined to win back the F1 drivers' title after narrowly missing out on a third successive drivers' championship this year.

He said: "I will start to feel intense and angry again because I want to win a third championship next year. It is a strong feeling in me."

Should Hakkinen accomplish the feat, he will join an elite list of drivers to have won the championship on three occasions or more. This year Michael Schumacher joined Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham and Nelson Piquet as a three-time winner.

Meanwhile, engine builder Mugen announced that they are to make a complete withdrawal from Formula 1.

Mugen have been in the F1 arena since 1991 and has enjoyed 16 podium places and four victories in the space of nine successful years.