Bjorn Wirdheim

It can't be easy for a Friday test driver to prove their ability behind the wheel. With Formula 1 cars limited on running, drivers such as Wirdheim, Anthony Davidson and Ricardo Zonta have to work on evaluating tyres and set-ups for the race drivers rather than simply going for a quick time to impress the watching team bosses.

"It's really, really frustrating, but I'm clever enough to realise that this is really valuable to me," says Wirdheim. "It gives me the chance to learn and get experience on all the different circuits."

As the Swede took the Jaguar test role, other drivers from Formula 3000 gained race seats. Giorgio Pantano, who finished third in the International Championship last year, went to Jordan, while Gianmaria Bruni went from the Euro 3000 series to Minardi. They may have gained valuable race experience, but Wirdheim believes that's not the most important thing for getting a top drive.

"You need to create a hype around yourself," he says. "I managed to do that last year in Formula 3000 and I haven't really been able to do that this year, but at the same time there's nothing I can really do about that.

"Bruni's generally quicker than his team-mate but he hasn't impressed in the same way that Mark Webber did when he was with Minardi, and I think the reason is that the car is simply too slow. In Formula 1, in order to get attention you need to make sensation; it was difficult when Mark was there, but it's even more difficult now."

Comparisons will inevitably be made between Wirdheim, Davidson and Zonta, who have impressed in their roles, with the former being linked to a number of drives for next year, and the latter moving up to race for Toyota at the Hungarian grand prix. Wirdheim is not keen on being assessed against the BAR and Toyota drivers, though.

"I think it's not always fair if you compare me to the other test drivers such as Anthony Davidson and Ricardo Zonta because, first of all, they've been in Formula 1 cars for two or three years and secondly, their teams are using them in a different way which means that they get an opportunity to be competitive more on Fridays."

Sometimes struggling to be ahead of cars other than the Minardis in a car that has hardly been a frontrunner, it may be fairer to judge Wirdheim is to compare him with his team-mates. Although Christian Klien was quicker at the start of the year, as he gains more time in the car and visits circuits he knows, Wirdheim has got closer, even going quicker than Webber on occasion. In fact, the disappointing pace of the Jaguar created an extra opportunity for the Swede when the team decided extra testing was needed.

"At the beginning of the season the team wasn't planning that I was going to do any testing between the races but that changed pretty soon. They definitely needed more testing on the car. I asked if it was possible to get more running and they agreed to it."

The fact that Jaguar are losing Webber in 2005, and that Klien has been less than impressive, should present the ideal opportunity for Wirdheim. However, the current financial situation means that next year is still very much an unknown quantity.

"[Jaguar] are not entirely sure yet what's going to happen next year, what kind of budget they will have and so on, and therefore they are not in a position to start discussing it yet," he says. "I feel really comfortable at Jaguar, I would really like to continue working with the team. I've had meetings with David Pitchforth and the other people and I've only received positive feedback so hopefully they are happy with me."

Although focused on racing again, Wirdheim says that a switch to something such as sportscars or the DTM is not something he would consider.

"My heart is in single-seater racing and that's what I want to do. You should never say never because at the end of the day it all depends on circumstances, but I don't see myself racing tin-tops in the near future. I want to race at the highest level within motorsport, and that is Formula 1, and if not F1 then in the USA, and those are really the only two options that I'm considering."