Minardi Confident Wilson Will Race in Brazil

Minardi insisted today that they have not begun searching for drivers to replace injured Justin Wilson at next week's Brazilian Grand Prix and said they expect the British rookie to be fit and able to race at Interlagos.

Wilson was taken to hospital after last Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix when the new mandatory Head and Neck Support device trapped a nerve, but he has already begun training again at his home in Northamptonshire.

Minardi do not have a nominated third driver, but team spokesman Graham Jones said: "We are working on the basis that Justin will be sorted out in time for Brazil. We have not gone down the route of finding a replacement."

The team now face a race against time to find a solution to the problems with the HANS device, which prevented Wilson from tightening his seat belts properly and made them work loose during the race at Sepang.

The sport's governing body, the FIA, have stated they will not allow any driver to race without the device in Brazil, no matter what their medical condition, and said Minardi will have to find a replacement if the problems continue. But the team expect the problem to be solved by their harness suppliers Sabelt, who have been working around the clock to develop a new device for Wilson to try this weekend.

"The investigative work is continuing quickly to solve the problem," said Jones. "Sabelt are developing a 'Y-belt' system similar to the one used by McLaren that cushions the effects of the HANS device more effectively.

"The cars have gone straight to Brazil so Justin will not be able to test the new system out on track but we are going to fit it to a chassis at the factory and we will get Justin there on Saturday to try it out.

"The main thing is he must have recovered sufficiently from his injury because Brazil is very bumpy and hot but he has already been working hard with his physio to make sure he is fit for the race."