JANUARY 9, 2003

Sperafico at Williams

It is a well-kept secret but Williams has quietly confirmed that Ricardo Sperafico will be its second test driver this year. Sperafico was tested for the role at the end of the 2001 but lost out to his then Formula 3000 team mate Antonio Pizzonia.

It is a well-kept secret but Williams has quietly confirmed that Ricardo Sperafico will be its second test driver this year. Sperafico was tested for the role at the end of the 2001 but lost out to his then Formula 3000 team mate Antonio Pizzonia. The departure of Pizzonia to Jaguar opened up the chance for the team to pick another tester and after trying out several youngsters the team decided to go back to Sperafico.

Giorgio Pantano ruled himself out of the equation by going off to race this year in Champ Cars while the team felt that Vitantonio Liuzzi needed a little more experience before taking on such a role. Liuzzi will get that experience this year in Formula 3000 with the Coloni team.

Williams also recently renewed its contract with Brazilian oil company Petrobras which has been supporting Sperafico in recent years.