Schumacher and Fisichella as test drivers

Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella, who are currently looking for a spot in F1 for 2008, will be among the seven drivers that Force India has decided to involve in the private tests at Jerez next week.

The team, formerly Spyker, announced this Wednesday that the two previously mentioned drivers will each have a full day of testing in Jerez from December 4th to 7th. They will thus join the already well-populated list of test drivers that the Indian team has decided to hire for this occasion, such as Christian Klien, Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, and Frenchman Franck Montagny.

The Dutchman Giedo Van der Garde and the Spaniard Roldan Rodriguez, neither of whom has any F1 racing experience, complete this septet for early December.

A spokesperson for the team stated that Adrian Sutil, who competed for Spyker this year, has been confirmed for next season and does not need to take part in the trial.

Ralf Schumacher, younger brother of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, who will be a test driver for Ferrari in Jerez the same week, sees these tests as a good opportunity to potentially secure a contract as a racing driver. After three rather dull years with Toyota, the German is one of the key players in the transfer market at the end of 2007.

The last winner of six Grand Prix for Williams, with a total of 179 career races, wanted to reassure about his abilities to perform, but in the end, generated little interest for his services. Ralf Schumacher began his career with Jordan in 1997, a team that later became Midland, then Spyker, before being bought by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya and Dutch entrepreneur Michiel Mol. The circle is complete!

Mallya was one of Toyota’s sponsors this season through Kingfisher Airlines. Additionally, technical chief Mike Gascoyne worked with Schumacher at Jordan and Toyota.

« I have known Vijay for many years with Toyota. I fully understand his passion for the sport and I know he will convey this in his country, India, and it will be a success, » said Schumacher.

Driving for a young, dynamic team with significant ambitions is a great opportunity, but for now, we’re only talking about trials to see if the work can be constructive for both parties.

« I think I can help the team in its development program, but we will see how things unfold, » he concluded.

Another important fact is the announcement of Fisichella’s presence for the Indian team. This is a sign that the Italian is not part of Renault’s plans.

The double world champion Fernando Alonso is expected to rejoin his heart team. The Brazilian Nelson Piquet Junior is set to leave his role as a reserve driver for a more official status… That is to say, a full-time racing driver. Renault would also keep an option on Heikki Kovalainen.

« While the drivers for 2008 have not been officially confirmed, the team has given me permission to explore other options, » announced Fisichella, who raced for Jordan at the beginning of his career.

« I was invited to participate in the Jerez tests with Force India, and I am very happy about this invitation. »

Montagny was a test driver for Toyota this season. He spent three years with the Renault team as a reserve driver. The Frenchman will be on track on Tuesday alongside Fisichella.

While the spotlight will be on Schumacher and Fisichella, Klien and Liuzzi remain serious contenders for the race driver position as this is the second time Force India has called on their services, after impressing in Barcelona.

Klien will be on track on Wednesday, while Schumacher will team up with Liuzzi on Thursday.