Big names to test for Force India

Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella will be among seven drivers competing for a race seat with Force India in Spain next week.

The former Spyker team is looking for a driver to partner German Adrian Sutil, who has been retained for 2008.

Schumacher said: “Driving for a young dynamic team with high ambitions is a good opportunity.

“But at the moment it is just one test to see how we get on working together, and whether this is possible.”

But F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has suggested time was up in the sport for the two men.

“Both have been for quite a time in decent teams and should have performed better than they had,” Ecclestone said in an interview with German magazine Auto Motor und Sport.

“They ought to give very serious consideration whether it makes sense to move into a less competitive environment. Maybe if they change teams, they’ll get a bit of a wake-up call.”

Both Schumacher and Fisichella will have a full day testing alongside fellow hopefuls Christian Klien, Viantonio Liuzzi, Franck Montagny, Giedo van der Garde and Roldan Rodriguez.

The younger brother of seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher left Toyota in October after three years with the team.

Before that he enjoyed six Grand Prix wins in a 179-race career with Williams, but has so far attracted little interest in his services for 2008.

Testing for the Ferrari-powered Force India will bring Schumacher full circle having started his career at Jordan, the team renamed Midland and then Spyker, before it was bought by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya and Dutch entrepreneur Michiel Mol.

Fisichella’s involvement, meanwhile, indicates that he will not figure in Renault’s plans for next year, after three seasons with the team.

“Whilst no drivers have been officially confirmed by Renault, the team has given me permission to explore other options,” said the 34-year-old Italian, who also raced for Jordan earlier in his career.

“I was invited to test with the Force India F1 team at Jerez and I was very happy to accept it.”

Klien and Liuzzi have both been invited to test in Jerez after impressing earlier this month at a previous test in Barcelona.

Montagny was a Toyota test driver last season and started seven races for Super Aguri in 2006, before which he spent three years as a Renault reserve. Dutchman van der Garde and Spaniard Rodriguez have no F1 experience.

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