Da Matta linked to PKV

Newman/Haas already have a full house with defending champion Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira, and so far haven't managed to find the funding to stretch to a three-car effort to include da Matta, who is believed to be holding out for a multi-million dollar salary. If they are unable to do so, da Matta looks likely to be snapped up by PKV, who have yet to sign a second driver to partner Vasser.

The Indianapolis-based team's new general manager, the vastly experienced Jim McGee, has already made a strong pitch for da Matta's services. He said: "The second driver is going to be a key ingredient. A lot depends on the direction of Newman/Haas. If Carl [Haas] isn't going to run three cars we certainly have a big interest in Cristiano da Matta. I think he'd be great for our team and the series. He'd be a great team-mate for Jimmy and would bring a lot to the party."

Scottish Toyota Atlantic standout Ryan Dalziel and former Jaguar F1 test driver and F3000 champion Bjorn Wirdheim are also in the running for the second PKV seat. The pair took part in an extensive evaluation test overseen by Vasser before Christmas and both impressed the team with their speed and technical feedback.

"Dalziel and Wirdheim are certainly fast guys and we've got a great interest in both of them," McGee added. "We're close to making a decision. We're going to run both Ryan and Wirdheim again at Sebring and see how things develop over the next couple of weeks. But we have to make a decision by the first couple of weeks of February. In fact, we'd like to make it before then."