Villeneuve's future still up in the air

The former World Champion signed a two-year contract with Sauber for the start of this season but there has been speculation in recent weeks that the team's new owners BMW may choose to buy him out of his deal for 2006.

And with testing due to resume in only two week's time, BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen told autosport.com that the German car manufacturer was still far from clear about what it would do on the driver front.

When asked when he believed a decision would be taken, Theissen said: "I would like to know too. I think it is still possible in November."

Theissen dismissed recent suggestions that there had been no contact between himself and Villeneuve, but suggested that there was still plenty of deliberation to go before BMW decided whether or not to stick with the Canadian or sign another driver.

"We have spoken with Jacques, but we don't have a decision yet," added Theissen.

The doubts about Villeneuve suggest that he did not impress the BMW management enough in the final races of the year to secure the seat - with Theissen having said in September that a good performance at the end of the season would persuade the team to stick with the Canadian.

Villeneuve has consistently insisted that there should be no doubt over his future because of the two-year deal he signed with Sauber.

When asked about his future at the Chinese Grand Prix, Villeneuve said: "No development has ever been needed for next year, so what do you want me to say? The same contract that was signed last year is still in place, so no, there is no development. That is still the same company. Sauber didn't go bankrupt."

BMW are believed to have spoken to several drivers about the possibility of lining up alongside Heidfeld, who is joining the new team from Williams.

GP2 front-runner Heikki Kovalainen and Indy Racing League champion Dan Wheldon are both strongly linked with the drive, while Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais recently told French newspaper L'Equipe that he had also been in talks with the outfit.

"There were a few contacts with BMW and for a while I was pretty optimistic, but there was a hold-up over Villeneuve's contract," he said. "It seemed they could not part with him."