Kanaan Lined Up by Brazil

Team boss Emerson Fittipaldi said that all that stands in the way of the former IRL champion to be the team's main driver is the approval of his Andretti Green Racing team.

Kanaan will test the 550bhp Lola Zytek at the second official A1 Grand Prix test at Paul Ricard at the end of August.

Fittipaldi told Autosport-Atlas: "I'm looking for Tony to be the standard driver for the team. He wants to do it. He is already committed but we need a release from Michael [Andretti]."

It was thought that BMW Williams tester Antonio Pizzonia was in the frame for the team after the former British F3 champion said he was keen to race in the series.
 
Fittipaldi admitted that Pizzonia remains an option because the team can race with more than one driver in the series.

Kanaan would have to miss the series' first race at Brands Hatch due to his IRL commitments, but would be free to race in the remaining 11 rounds.

The team are testing a number of other hopefuls in their car this week, including GP2 driver Nelson Piquet Jr, British Formula Three race winner Danilo Dirani and Japanese Formula Three runner Joao Paulo Oliveiria.

Fittipaldi said he will make the final decision on the driver line-up after the Paul Ricard test, with fellow franchise investor, Real Madrid footballer Ronaldo.

"Pizzonia is still also a possibility and he is a great talent," Fittipaldi added. "We could consider swapping drivers for a few races. That will be part of the concept of the championship and not just the driver. We could even qualify with one driver and race with another.

"I'm just happy to run these guys at Silverstone and give them a chance."