Red Bull undecided on drivers
The new Red Bull Racing team has refused to be drawn on a potential driver line-up for 2005, despite British stars David Coulthard and Anthony Davidson both still seeking drives for 2005. The team claims that it will test candidates over the coming weeks before making a decision
"Of course drivers are going to be big speculation over the coming months," said the team's principal Tony Purnell. "It's fair to say we have made no decisions.
"We are going to finalise our long-term strategy and then work backwards. It would be fair to say that the Red Bull Junior drivers have an inside line. But we are considering everyone and will choose the right drivers for the team.
"I think it is important to have a mixture of experience and youth. I would be surprised if the team had two experienced drivers in its line-up, let's put it that way.
"We are considering experienced drivers as well as the Red Bull Junior drivers. Over the coming weeks we will be testing a few fellows and I see no reason for an early decision on our driver line-up.
Red Bull was announced as the new owner of Jaguar Racing during a press conference in London on Monday, and although the structure of the team is to remain largely in tact, this does not mean that Christian Klien, who drove for the team in 2004 and is supported by Red Bull, is a shoo-in for a drive.
"Our close relations with Klien does not automatically mean that he will get in one of the cockpits," new owner Dietrich Mateschitz told the German press. "There will be tests with different drivers starting at the end of November and Klien is one of them.
"It would make sense however that after his learning year in 2004 he gets another chance. Among the possible drivers are also [International F3000 champion Vitantonio Liuzzi] and another pilot out of our supporting programme, American Scott Speed. It might be a bit early however to move him up to grand prix racing. He might become test driver, but that only makes sense when he can test a lot."
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