Soucek Admits Williams Reserve Role Is Possible

Andy Soucek might not get much in exchange for his winning season in the F2 Championship last year. Although normally drivers winning feeder series of Formula One are usually handed a race seat in the Great Circle the very next year – with the sole exception of Giorgio Pantano in 2008 – Soucek is still out on the market, looking for an F1 commitment for 2010.

The F2 champion recently tested a Williams FW31 for Sir Frank Williams' team, during the rookie session in early December at Jerez, but that was only as a prize for his winning campaign in the F2 series. Williams is currently designing the F2 machineries and providing the series with the proper technology features. As part of their partnership with the championship, they will hand over their car for a testing session to any future champion of the feeder series during the annual rookie meeting.

The 24-year old recently revealed that he is in talks with two teams – both newly entrants – to secure an F1 seat for next season. Since Virgin Racing and Lotus F1 are already covered in the drivers lineup sector, Campos and US F1 remain the only two viable options.

However, in a recent interview with Spanish sports newspaper Marca, Soucek hinted that a test/reserve driving role with Williams F1 is not out of the question either, although he regards it as the last option to pick for his future.

“I would prefer to race with any of the new teams than to be test driver with Williams. It is crucial to race because you learn the circuits and other things a lot better than as a tester,” said the Spanish-Austrian driver.

Soucek previously competed in the GP2 Series in back-to-back seasons (2007-2008), but failed to make the overall Top 10 each time.