Coulthard still in RBR frame

Coulthard, Britain's most successful active grand prix driver, has been named by Mateschitz as a candidate for a race drive, according to the Reuters news agency. The Scot has been replaced by Juan Pablo Montoya at McLaren and is still actively searching for a drive to remain on the F1 grid in 2005.

With the one vacant Williams race seat likely to go to Antonio Pizzonia, who impressed the team in last week's testing at Barcelona, Coulthard's last remaining hope of a serious race drive is with Red Bull Racing.

"Among the experienced drivers with 'development know-how', David Coulthard and Nick Heidfeld would be of interest, for example," he confirmed.

The Austrian billionaire, who owns the Red Bull energy drink company, has however indicated that the two drivers who tested for the team at Barcelona this week, Christian Klien and Vitantonio Liuzzi, are still the favourites for the drives.

"It's no accident that people talk about the first year in F1 as being a learning year," said Mateschitz. "Afterwards a driver has to prove himself.

"From that point of view, Christian Klien should get his chance, but he has to prove himself in a series of tests - just like Vitantonio Liuzzi, who impressively won the Formula 3000 championship as a Red Bull junior driver."

Mateschitz has also indicated that he has not given up on his dream of creating an all-American F1 team in the future. "The plan for an all-American racing team is pending," he told Autosport. "It would still be a fascinating project.

"F1 is lacking in the American market. But the project simply does not work without an American car manufacturer at your side. Otherwise it would not be credible and authentic."