The team which pushed ART closest last season, and appeared on course for at least the drivers' title before Rosberg's second half charge, has also plumped for the combination of rookie and second year man, as has been its wont for several seasons. With
Heikki Kovalainen moving up to fill Renault's testing berth, Nicolas Lapierre becomes the number one at multiple F3000 champion Arden International, where he is partnered by FRenault graduate Michael Ammermuller.
Lapierre enjoyed a solid, if unspectacular, season in GP2 in 2005 but has shared Team France glory with Premat during the 'off-season' and should be buoyed by that when his regular employment kicks off again in Spain. Ammermuller, meanwhile, misses the F3 rung of the ladder, but will have to shrug off the disappointment of also missing out on the FRenault Eurocup title after leading the way, convincingly, for the entire season. Pre-season testing form suggests that the bespectacled German should make the grade, and may even challenge his team-mate for podiums this year.
Super Nova International, third overall in 2005, has completely revamped its line-up, despite last year's surprise package Adam Carroll remaining in the series. With the Irishman now at Racing Engineering, and Giorgio Pantano departed in search of a Champ Car seat, David Sears' team - another to have tasted F3000 glory in the past - has pilfered the entire 2005 DAMS pairing of Jose Maria Lopez and Fairuz Fauzy.
Other than ensuring an established working relationship between its drivers, knowing what the combination will bring remains something of a mystery.Lopez remains one of the favourites for race wins, and possibly the title, especially after a string of strong testing performances, but Fauzy is still an enigma, having been unable to replicate his sometimes stellar F3 form on the higher stage. It may be that Sears has seen something in the Malaysian, but he may also have espied his wallet.
