Williams Confirm Pizzonia Test

The Williams-BMW Formula One team on Thursday confirmed that former test driver and recent Jaguar reject Antonio Pizzonia will re-join the team for a test in Spain on Friday.

Brazilian Pizzonia spent last year testing for Williams before graduating to a race seat with Jaguar at the start of the season alongside Australian sensation Mark Webber.

He was blown away in the opening races of the season but after finally being ditched by Jaguar before the German Grand Prix in August he has been handed a Formula One lifeline.

"Antonio will be running on Friday and possibly Saturday, if we run that day, because we didn't want to run the race drivers in the car for the whole week," said a spokesman for Williams.

"He is available and he did a good job last year. But it is not any suggestion that we will re-hire him for next year because the testing regulations are still subject to a lot of discussion."

Formula One's governing body, the FIA, introduced Friday morning testing at Grands Prix weekends this season as an option to teams to reduce the cost of season-long development.

Cash-strapped privateer minnows Minardi and Jordan were joined by the manufacturer-backed Jaguar and Renault teams in signing up for the agreement, which meant they were allowed only limited testing during the season.

But as many as six teams are expected to opt for the new testing plan next season and if that convinces the entire grid to move across it could leave Pizzonia and other test drivers out of a job.

"If we need five test drivers next year I am sure Antonio will be in the frame," said the Williams spokesman. "But there is no way we would put a retainer on someone now because the testing rules could change significantly."