Jani in talks with Lotus

2009/11/03

By Arnaz M. Khairularnaz@nst.com.my

THE severe turbulence that A1GP has flown into in recent months has seen its biggest star Neel Jani jumping off it, but whether he parachutes into Formula One will be something to be discovered in the coming weeks.

Jani has confirmed that he had held talks with Malaysia's Lotus F1 Team over a deal for next season.

The 26-year-old from Berne, Switzerland, is the third established driver after veteran Italian Jarno Trulli and Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy to be linked with the new team.

The team's management have stated they are looking at six drivers to fill up slots in the team next season, but thus far there has been no mention of Jani, A1GP's most consistent performer in the past four seasons.

In fact, apart from confirming that Fairuz is, at the very least, set for a test driver seat with the team, Lotus F1 have not made any indication of who their drivers will be.

Japan's former Honda and Super Aguri driver Takuma Sato has also been linked with the team, alongside India's Karun Chandok, but only by some unconfirmed media reports.

"Generally I'm looking at every possibility there is. My target is F1, especially since there's likely no A1GP anymore," said Jani, when contacted in Switzerland.

Jani has also had more serious negotiations with Force India and has done some kilometres in the McLaren F1 simulator as part of it.

Force India could also develop into a serious prospect for Jani as he is tied to Leander Sport Pte Ltd, a sports management company owned by tennis star Leander Paes, in a deal to promote long term motorsports development in India.

But the prospect of driving for Lotus is something that Jani is very keen on, despite his refusal to provide details of the depth of negotiations.

"My official statement is that I've had loose contact with Lotus F1. I was told that the door is still open and that so long as the team's drivers are not announced, it will remain open," said Jani, whose father is Indian and mother Swiss.

"But these negotiations have not been in detail nor constructive."

He declined comment when asked who in the Lotus F1 set-up he has been in contact with, but sources revealed that negotiations with drivers are being carried out by the team's UK set-up, led by technical director Mike Gascoyne.

Jani spent the last four seasons as A1 Team Switzerland's main driver, delivering the title to them as the sole driver in the 2007-2008 season.

Switzerland finished second in the championship the past season, with Jani as the main driver, the same as they did in the inaugural 2005-2006 season.

Jani had his first taste on board an F1 car when he was test driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso team in 2006.

"Of course I would love to be with Lotus, especially since Sepang will be the home base. I have a lot of fantastic memories of the Sepang Circuit in A1GP," said Jani.

But it isn't entirely his skill, results or track record that could swing Jani's desired F1 seat his way. He realises that it is the sponsorship that he can bring to a team that would eventually be the deciding factor.

"I am no (Bruno) Senna or (Lucas) de Grassi who have millions and millions in Brazilian money behind them. I still have to work on that.

"It is normal. All new teams will look for drivers who can bring in the sponsorship," said Jani.

Senna, nephew of the late Ayrton, was recently announced as one of two drivers with the new Campos Meta team, while compatriot de Grassi is looking at the possibility of landing a race seat with the new Virgin-Manor team next season.

With the latest season having just ended with its last race in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, the following weeks will be an interesting period as teams begin ironing out their driver line-ups for next season, especially Malaysia's Lotus F1 Team.