Pantano to race in Auto GP

The 31-year-old Italian raced for Jordan in F1 in 2004 but stepped down to GP2 the following season. He eventually won the GP2 title in '08 but was still unable to break back into F1. He raced in Superleague last year and will move to Auto GP, formerly Euroseries 3000, for this season with Super Nova, who he drove for in GP2 in 2005

"I'm really happy to be racing with Super Nova," said Pantano. "They are a top team and I know them well because we raced together in GP2. I chose Auto GP because I think that this was a great idea from [series organiser] Coloni. In these days, finding huge budgets is something difficult, so having the chance to earn money thanks to the results on track is something interesting for all the drivers.

"I think that Auto GP can be watched from two different sides. For a young driver it is a good possibility to gain some experience, because you can really learn a lot driving such a car at this high level. For an experienced driver like me, it's a great chance to race as a professional thanks to the prize money."

Super Nova will field Pantano alongside former A1GP runner-up Jonny Reid, whose Team New Zealand A1GP car was run by Super Nova team boss David Sears. A version of that same car, the Lola B05/52, is the Auto GP chassis this season.