NOVEMBER 25, 2004

Davidson test blocked

Anthony Davidson's test with BMW Williams has been blocked because BAR Honda and Williams cannot reach an agreement on the terms under which he will drive the car. The problem appears to be over relatively unimportant clauses about the future if Davidson was able to impress Williams to such an extent that the team decided that he would be a better choice than favourite Antonio Pizzonia. In one test this is unlikely but it seems that Williams's desire to be able to sign him with no strings has been met by Honda's desire to keep him on a string for the long term, just in case the team needs to replace Jenson Button in the future. There is no doubt that the recent experiences with Button have created tension between the two teams and it seems that Davidson is the victim of this.

The news means that Williams might have the chance to test another driver and our spies suggest that the man most likely to be asked is Vitantonio Liuzzi although he is looking a strong candidate for a race drive at Red Bull Racing. The Italian did a good solid job on his first day with the team in Barcelona and was within a second of Christian Klien at the end of the day. Closer analysis of the times, however, reveals that Liuzzi was much closer than that most of the time.