Massa Unlikely to Test Much for Sauber

The Sauber team have said that former driver Felipe Massa is unlikely to be called up as a reserve driver despite a deal which sees the Brazilian in a dual testing role with them and World Champions Ferrari.

Sauber, who use Ferrari engines, will be allowed to call on Massa if one of their German drivers, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld, need replacing during a race weekend or at a test session.

But Sauber spokesman Hans-Peter Brack insisted Massa is unlikely to spend much time with his former team, and said: "He is clearly a Ferrari driver, there is no 50/50.

"Basically he is a test driver for Ferrari and that is what he is signed up for, but they have accepted that if we need him we can use him as a spare driver in testing or racing. But when you look at the amount of testing we have when you take away the work done by our main drivers there is not a lot left, so his work will be mainly with Ferrari."

Massa's manager, Ricardo Tedeschi, admitted he had no knowledge of the deal, the details of which are yet to be fully confirmed between Ferrari boss Jean Todt and Peter Sauber.

Sauber offered Massa a role as the team's test driver when they dropped him from the race team last season but Tedeschi revealed that the Ferrari test deal has been on the cards since the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix last October.

"I had an offer from Ferrari at the end of the season but Felipe's target was always to race," said Tedeschi. "We kept it as a spare option and decided to go for it two weeks ago.

"Felipe's dual role is between Ferrari and Sauber and I don't know if they have agreed to something or not, but they have the right to do it. For Felipe it is good."