Wilson Looking to America after F1 Snub

Briton Justin Wilson revealed on Friday that he is looking to the United States to continue his motor racing career after seeing his Formula One dream left in tatters by Minardi earlier this week.

Wilson, who made his Grand Prix debut this year, lost his seat with Jaguar to Austrian Christian Klien and saw his chances of making a return to Minardi dashed by the announcement on Wednesday that Zsolt Baumgartner is expected to join Gianmaria Bruni in 2004.

His only hope now rests on a testing role with Minardi or Jaguar but with current regulations not allowing drivers of his experience to test for teams on a Friday at Grands Prix weekends he has admitted he is seeking an alternative to Formula One.

"I hope the FIA will change the rules about testing, but right now we will have to look at the States, where I had an offer last year in ChampCars," Wilson told the Daily Express. "I like that series because you can really race there, but clearly Formula One is the place to be.

"Not surprisingly I am a little down at the news and not exactly sure what I will be doing next year. It's not the perfect Christmas but I have had this before and you just have to stay positive."

Wilson, who funded his drive to the tune of £1.2 million (pounds) through a unique share offer scheme, blamed the escalating costs of the sport and his own lack of sponsors for his failure to secure a drive.

Klien brought significant sponsorship funding from Red Bull to help secure his seat alongside Mark Webber at Jaguar while Bruni and Baumgartner have both promised several millions to claim their places at Minardi.

"Money is talking," said Wilson. "The current climate does not help me. Costs are huge, the teams need even larger amounts of money to invest and some drivers have big budgets."

Jordan are now the only team with a seat available. They have signed Nick Heidfeld on the proviso they can secure enough backing to cover the cost of the drive but are also thought to be looking for a pay driver to fill the second position.