JUNE 27, 2008

Senna and BMW

The word in F1 circles is that GP2 frontrunner Bruno Senna is in talks to become the BMW Sauber test driver next season.

The word in F1 circles is that GP2 frontrunner Bruno Senna is in talks to become the BMW Sauber test driver next season. The German sports newspaper Sport Bild says that Senna might even be picked to replace the struggling Nick Heidfeld but there is not likely to be any decision on that until Senna has tested a car and shown what he can do. Senna has the power of the name behind him and has done well in Formula 3 and GP2 and so F1 is the next obvious step with a test driver being the best option. Racing for a smaller team is possible if money can be found but the danger of that is that a driver's talents are not spotted by the bigger teams.

A BMW test drive is a sensible move as the team is expected to keep Robert Kubica. There are two test drivers already in Christian Klien and if Nick Heidfeld is replaced (and there is no guarantee that this will happen) then Klien might be promoted to a race drive and the team would need a new tester.