Lotus wants experienced drivers

Lotus hopes to finalise its driver line-up by the end of this month, with technical chief Mike Gascoyne admitting that it wants two experienced men on board next year

With Jarno Trulli now a favourite to land one of the seats there in 2010, following Toyota's withdrawal from Formula 1, Gascoyne has said he is not considering a youngster or a pay driver.

"We are looking for two drivers with experience," he told AUTOSPORT. "We are not looking for pay drivers or new drivers. We think that is very important for the team.

"What is becoming clear to every one of the new teams is that we have gone from last to first of the new teams very rapidly. We are being seen as a serious entity. We have got quite a lot of interest, but we want two experienced drivers there."

When asked about Trulli being top of his list, Gascoyne said: "He is one of the guys we would like to have. Jarno has, over one lap, always been sensational. That is even more important in a new team because you need to know where you are on a Saturday. Jarno can always give you that."

Gascoyne, who also held talks with Jacques Villeneuve and Christian Klien in Abu Dhabi last weekend, says a decision will be made soon.

"We hope by the end of November," he said. "We don't want to be hanging around, we want to be proactive in what we are doing, rather than reactive. That is something we want to tie up pretty soon."

Gascoyne says that the design of the 2010 car is on schedule, with a first shakedown scheduled for February.

When asked if he felt his early ambition to be best of the new teams was still on track, he said: "I think that is not our target any more.

"That is a given, and now we are aiming at the bottom of the established teams. We want to be as close as possible to them," he added.