NOVEMBER 18, 2003

Renault to try out development drivers

Renault will test Finn Heikki Kovalainen and Argentine Formula Renault V6 champion Jose-Maria Lopez in Barcelona at the start of December.

Renault will test Finn Heikki Kovalainen and Argentine Formula Renault V6 champion Jose-Maria Lopez in Barcelona at the start of December. The team will also be running its test driver Franck Montagny. Both Kovalainen and Lopez are members of the Renault Driver Development Programme. The Finn is 22 and racing in the Nissan World Series while Jose-Maria Lopez (20) was the inaugural champion in the Formula Renault V6 Eurocup series.

Neither driver has much hope of an F1 drive in the short term as the team has deals with Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli in 2004 and Mark Webber is also believed to be under a long-term Renault contract.