Dixon to get Williams chance

The 23-year-old Kiwi will test for Frank Williams' team on Friday next week at Paul Ricard in France. A full-blown test will follow in April.

Dixon said: "I'm very excited about my first taste of a Formula 1 car, although the real test will be in April. Frank Williams and Chip Ganassi have both been very supportive of this test and are giving me every chance to prove myself. With all these opportunities ahead of me, I will do my best to take advantage of them."

With Juan Pablo Montoya heading for McLaren in 2005 and team-mate Ralf Schumacher's contract talks having stalled, Williams is looking at the possibility of replacing both its drivers next year, and has previously looked to America to recruit the likes of Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya. Dixon drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, for whom Zanardi and Montoya both won Champ Car titles.

Team boss Frank Williams said: "Scott is clearly very talented, and it will be fascinating to see how he performs in an F1 car. We are grateful to Chip Ganassi for sanctioning this test. It of course reflects on our close and long-standing co-operation with an organisation that I hold in the highest regard."

Dixon, who became the youngest driver to ever win a CART race in 2001 at Nazareth, captured the IRL title last season in his first attempt at the all-oval series. The 23-year-old's longterm goal has always been F1, and he had been linked to Toyota, whose engines he has used since 2001.