Longtime Rebellion Racing driver Andrea Belicchi is still in the frame to race the Anglo-Swiss team’s new LMP1 prototype in this year’s World Endurance Championship.
The Italian, who has raced for the team since it was known as Speedy Team Sebah in 2008, has not been among the first four drivers announced for the two Toyota-powered Rebellion R-Ones, but remains in negotiation to take one of the two remaining seats.
Rebellion team manager Bart Hayden said: “We will run three drivers in each car for the full season and Andrea is very much still in the frame.”
Hayden revealed that Rebellion was looking for additional funding from drivers, but that this would not prejudice Belicchi’s chances. The comments follow the announcement of Austrian Dominik Kraihamer as a full-season Rebellion driver earlier this week.
“We are looking to drivers who can bring additional funding [like Kraihamer],” he explained. “That is an effect of having to put two new cars on the grid this year, which is a hefty investment to make. That’s not to say that when that investment has been paid for we won’t go back to choosing our drivers in a different way.”
Kraihamer, 24, joins the team after a season with the Kodewa-run Lotus LMP2 squad in last year’s WEC. The Austrian described his deal with Rebellion as “exactly the right move.” He joins Nicolas Prost, Mathias Beche and Nick Heidfeld as the 2014 drivers announced by Rebellion so far.
Hayden was unable confirm whether the R-One, which is being designed and built by ORECA, would be ready to take part in the official WEC test at Paul Ricard on March 29-30.
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