By Jamie Makin
March 23 2005

The day after speculation began that SAUBER would start running a third car, two drivers have emerged as the top candidates - Germany's Timo Glock and Denmark's Nicolas Kiesa. "We would need (an) experienced, quick driver," Sauber told Autosport. But the rules for Friday drivers state they can only have a minimal experience level of six F1 races or less in the past two seasons. Both Kiesa and Glock fit the bill.

Nicolas Kiesa contested five races for Minardi late in the 2003 season to replace Justin Wilson who had departed for Jaguar. He had been linked with a return to the Minardi team this season but lost out to Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher. Danish television reported today that Kiesa visited SAUBER's Hinwil factory but no word has come from the team about a deal.

Timo Glock has four F1 races under his belt, all for the Jordan team last season to replace Giorgio Pantano. He is backed by Deutsche Post and could bring the financial backing the team needs to cover the cost of running the third car. Glock is tipped to be the current favorite over Kiesa by America's Speed TV and several other sources.

The decision to run a third car would benefit the team greatly, as their current troubles seem to stem from lack of testing and difficulty with the setup on the C24. Jacques Villeneuve may be instrumental in pursuading Peter to finally put a third car on track, citing he would welcome additional help with setup after a trying start to his season.

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