Thursday, January 05, 2006

Wurz to be Williams Test Driver - Narain still has a chance

The BBC reports that Wurz is joining Williams as their test driver. link.

It was known for sometime that Wurz was looking for a race seat but to go from one test role to another is not a step up. It is not clear why he has left McLaren and what can Williams offer instead. Perhaps just a change in scenery?

In the meantime, Planet-F1 suggests that Narain still has a chance at Williams. link.

McLaren and Ferrari have multiple test drivers contracted to them and use them quite regularly. Since Williams is now using Cosworth engines and paying for them, having a paid driver will help reduce costs a bit and bring in another driver who can help out with the testing chores.

A large part of Ferrari's success has been due to their huge Test Programme. While Ferrari does not follow the other teams self-enforced 30 day test limit, it is unlikely that Williams will also choose to ignore the limit. In such a case, having a second test driver helps.

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