Highlights

Piquet Junior wants Fisichella's job

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-10-17 08:40

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Oct 16 - Newly-appointed Renault test driver Nelson Piquet junior has his eyes on Italian Giancarlo Fisichella's race seat for 2008.

"Fisichella may retire in 2008 and if everything goes right, I should replace him," the 21-year-old told Reuters by telephone before travelling to Sao Paulo for this weekend's season-ending Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix.

"As they (Renault) are investing in Kovalainen now, probably it's Fisichella who is going to stop because of age," added the Brazilian, whose father and namesake won three world championships.

Fisichella will be 34 in January and partners Finnish rookie and former test driver Heikki Kovalainen next season following the departure of Spain's world champion Fernando Alonso to McLaren.

Piquet, runner-up in the GP2 support series this year to McLaren-backed Briton Lewis Hamilton, said Renault team boss Flavio Briatore was on his side.

"Briatore and I are partners. He helped me negotiate my entry in Formula One and has a share in everything we achieve together," explained 'Nelsinho'.

"He had an interest, and I needed someone who was involved, because I'm too young and my father doesn't have time for that," he added. "And he is also the director of Renault, and said that he wanted to get me to drive"

Although Nelsinho's contract is for 2007, he has already been at work for Renault and last week tested an engine similar to the one that Alonso will use in Brazil to bid for a second title.

"This week I had simple training, I'm not even the (official) test driver yet. But it will increase little by little," said Piquet.

"It's a beginning, there's a lot to do, to know."

Piquet, British Formula Three champion in 2004, said however that his two seasons in GP2 had stood him in good stead for the Renault job.

"I learned how to drive a car that is a little bit stronger, I got used to a bigger car. If I were in F3, I would have had a bigger shock,", he said.