Villeneuve Admits Preliminary Talks with Lotus F1

The fact that Jacques Villeneuve is targeting a return to Formula One series in no news to anyone. However, it seems the Canadian is actually well positioned for a forceful comeback, most likely with newly-entrants Lotus F1 Team. Although the team's technical director Mike Gascoyne seemed to have preferred Jarno Trulli for the job, it has now emerged that he and Villeneuve had some preliminary talks during the season finale at Abu Dhabi.

Consequently, Gascoyne admitted to the media that the Canadian driver – former world champion in the series – is regarded as a potential option for the race driving seat, alongside many of the other eligible drivers for the job.

That threw a ray of light over Villeneuve's efforts to land an F1 seat, as Lotus now seems to be the only team really interested in signing the former Williams and BMW driver.

“It's very flattering to know that he said publicly that we have spoken. The discussions are still only preliminary and we're not yet at the stage to talk about the details of a possible association,” Villeneuve told France's Rue Frontenac.

The Canadian driver is not the only one linked with a racing seat with Lotus F1, as BMW's test/reserve driver Christian Klien is also looking to secure his future in the series alongside the Malaysian outfit (as Sauber's place on the 2010 grid is yet unsure). If Sauber do choose to stay and keep Klien in their lineup, another possibility for Lotus would be Toyota's Kamui Kobayashi.

The Japanese driver last week admitted he would be honored to receive a racing spot from Lotus, a statement that seems to have flattered the Malaysian outfit as well.

“It is quite an honour for us to be seen as such and for drivers such as Kobayashi wanting to be part of the team. This means they see us as a serious team even though we're new,” Lotus F1 chief executive Riad Asmat was quoted as saying to the New Straits Times.