BMW plan shoot-out for test role

BMW Sauber are considering holding a 'shoot-out' evaluation of test driver candidates at next month's Jerez test as they bid to find a replacement for Timo Glock, autosport.com has learned

As revealed yesterday, Glock is set to be confirmed as a Toyota race driver imminently, after Formula One's Contract Recognition Board ruled earlier this week that his ties to BMW Sauber were no longer valid.

Glock's move means that BMW Sauber now need to find a new test and reserve driver for next season, and BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen has hinted at the possibility that up to three candidates for the job could drive for them at Jerez so their potential can be evaluated.

"We might have one, two or maximum three guys in the car at the December test in Jerez, and then we should come to a decision before the end of the year," he said when asked by autosport.com about how soon he expected to make a decision about a new tester.

Theissen has been paying close attention to the Formula Three field at Macau this weekend, having famously signed Robert Kubica after seeing him finish runner-up in the 2005 event.

Speculation in the paddock has strongly linked British F3 champion Marko Asmer with the BMW Sauber test deal, and Theissen admitted the Estonian was a strong contender.

"He (Marko) would be a potential candidate for a future test drive, one of several I have to say," he said.

"Obviously I will have a closer look at who emerged from Formula BMW, because I know them from the past years and I want to see how they develop. And then there are a few others."

Champ Car racer and former Red Bull F1 driver Robert Doornbos has also been linked with the BMW role.