“We are in various negotiations, but it has not been sorted out completely now. We are very close to (deciding) and very shortly we will be announcing the drivers officially. At the moment not yet, but we are very near. But we still cannot confirm any names yet,” said Stefanovic, according to Italy's website 422race.com.
The team announced in January that they'll proceed to testing their 2010 single-seater – bought from Toyota – on the Portimao race circuit in Portugal on February 25th, and will therefore have to have at least one valid driver to test their car. Like it happened last month, Stefanovic admitted that one of the drivers in his team's lineup will be Japanese.
Obviously, one cannot think of anybody else than Kazuki Nakajima, the Toyota-backed driver that used to compete for Williams-Toyota during the past couple of seasons of Formula One. Additionally, the Stefan GP boss also admitted that the driver he's about to employ will have a 2-year experience in the series, so we're quite sure it's Nakajima.
The second driver is another story though, as it was believed Ralf Schumacher was holding the upper hand for that position until a few days ago. However, followed recent media reports suggesting that the German driver is currently recuperating from a shoulder injury – followed by a medical intervention – picked up while skiing, his chance have decreased considerably.
Instead, it was rumored that Indian driver Karun Chandhok will drive for Stefan GP next season, following a $6 million sponsorship provided by Indian backers.
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