In brief, September 2009

Pedro de la Rosa looks increasingly likely to land a seat with the new Campos Grand Prix team that is being put together in his native Spain. Giorgio Pantano also harbours hopes of being reunited with Adrian Campos, for whom he drove in the 2007 GP2 series.

Red Bull Racing technical director Geoff Willis (left) has parted company with the team after just two years. Team principal Christian Horner insisted that the former Williams and Honda man’s role had become redundant, in effect because he had successfully knocked the technical side into shape and brought in new structures.

The new USF1 team has begun its search for American driving talent by inviting a select group to be put through their paces in a road car by renowned coach Rob Wilson, who is also a business partner of team leading light Peter Windsor. Among those tried out were A1GP racer Jonathan Summerton and Conor Daly, the Indiana-born son of former F1 and Champ Car driver Derek.

Jacques Villeneuve continues to insist that he wants to return to Formula 1 next season, now that the cars are back on slick tyres and new teams have created possible openings. The 1997 World Champion is keeping himself busy – on consecutive weekends in July he competed in a Canadian NASCAR race, a stock car event at Interlagos, Brazil, and the Spa 24 Hours.

Sometime Ensign F1 driver Ricardo Londono was murdered by gunmen in his native Colombia in July, along with two associates. Londono competed in IMSA, Can-Am and the Aurora F1 series before being entered by Mo Nunn’s Ensign team for the 1981 Brazilian GP. After testing the week before the race he was refused a superlicence, and when Marc Surer got his drive – and finished fourth – he never had another chance. He subsequently raced in F2 that year before returning home.