While most of the seats for the 2005 season have already been finalized, there are several still available for a few lucky drivers hoping to either get their big break in the series, or remain with the teams that gave them a break this year. Apart from the highly sought after seat at the BMW WilliamsF1 team, there are two seats available at Minardi and Jordan, and maybe two with the Jaguar outfit if it is saved in the coming days.
For Hungary’s first and only F1 driver, Zsolt Baumgartner, who scored the one and only point for Minardi in the 2004 season, is hoping to retain his position at the Faenza based squad, but sponsorship funds are hard to come from at the best of times so a test role may be the best he could hope for.
"I desperately want to stay in Formula One as a racing driver, but if I won't have the opportunity to do that, I would be glad to be a test driver for a renowned team," he said. "Paul Stoddart told me he would like me to stay, because he thought my performances have been very even throughout the year. He said he would do everything he could to help me, so that we could continue together."
The main issue with a test driver role is that under the current rules, Zsolt would be unable to take part in the Friday sessions has he has competed in more than 6 events in the last two years.
;)
