THE Williams formula one team was last night waiting anxiously to hear whether their managing director, Frank Williams, and technical director, Patrick Head, would finally be indicted for alleged manslaughter over the death of Ayrton Senna at the wheel of one of their cars during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. Unconfirmed reports from an Italian news agency stated that Maurizio Passarini, the public prosecutor in Bologna, had obtained leave from an examining judge, Didier Di Marco, to proceed with an indictment.

Also facing the prospect of legal action are Imola track directors, Federico Bendinelli and Giorgio Poggi, race director, Roland Bruynserade, and an unnamed Williams mechanic who investigators allege carried out modifications to the steering column of Senna's car.

Under Italian law, a conviction for manslaughter carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years, although a suspended sentence can be applied as an alternative.